OSR: 1d100 Coins

So your party has found a cache of coins in the ground. What's the deal with them?

Silver Tetradrachm, Egypt, 305 BC

Material

I use a simplified currency system, where 1gp = 10sp = 100cp, and 1cp = $1 modern American dollar = 1 medieval denier for the purposes of eyeballing costs.

1d10	Material	Value
1	Unknown	Varies (reroll secretly)
2	Wood or Paper	Worthless
3	Pewter	Nearly worthless
4	Tin	Nearly worthless
5	Copper	1 cp
6	Brass	1cp
7	Bronze	1cp
8	Silver	1sp
9	Electrum	1.5 sp or 1sp if lazy
10	Gold	1 gp

 

Silver Stater, Attica, 500 BC

Size and Shape

Roll twice, once for size, once for shape.

1d4	Size	Shape
1	Fingernail	Blobby
2	Nostril	Round
3	Grape	Round and ridged
4	Thumb	Octagonal

Gold Florin, Florence, 1347 AD

1d100 Coins

Roll once, or roll once for the obverse and once for the reverse. I've also listed the actual identity of the coin if you want to look it up.

"Symbols" refers to letters, numbers, astrological signs, runes, or other marks.

You might want to edit the descriptions to fit the location. A tomb built by snake-men isn't going to have humans on the coins inside.
 

1d100	Obverse (Heads)	Reverse (Tails)	Actual Identity
1	Many symbols, evenly spaced	Pyramid with symbol	Byzantine, milaresion, 815 AD
2	Man's head with laurel wreath and beard	Man lounging on a shield	Rome, brass sestertius, 140 AD
3	Man's head with laurel wreath	Large round building	Rome, brass sestertius, 80 AD
4	Woman's head with many symbols	Building, some symbols	Rome, silver denarius, 45 BC
5	Woman's head with helmet	Startled owl, some symbols	Athens, silver tetradrachm, 510 BC
6	Man's head, holding symbol, head on	Symbols, large and small	Byzantine, bronze 40 nummia, 538 AD
7	Man with crown, ring of symbols	Woman with crown	Naples, silver carlino, 1503 AD
8	Man's head with long hair, bow and spear	Goat's head, symbols	Himyaria, silver denarius, 100 AD
9	Crowned man and woman facing each other	Quartered shield, stars	Spain, double excellente, 1480 AD
10	Man and woman with strange hats, head on	Pyramid with symbol	Byzantine, gold solidus, 635 AD
11	Man's face, long straight hair	Man on horseback	Ferrara, silver testoene, 1530 AD
12	Man's head with crown, mustache	Symbols, ringed by vines	British India, 1/4 Anna, 1919 AD
13	Man in a boat, holding a shield	8-pointed star	England, gold noble, 1360 AD
14	Bell being run by 3 hands, over a city	Shield with many symbols	Brunswick, silver thaler, 1643 AD
15	Bearded man with lantern and spear	Man with sword, symbols	India, gold stater, 127 AD
16	Man with pointed beard, ringed by symbols	Quartered, with buildings	Brabant, philippsdaaler, 1557 AD
17	Symbol, 2 rings of symbols	Symbol, 2 rings of symbols	France, silver gros tournois, 1270 AD
18	Man in armour being crowned by a woman	Man with robes, head on	Byzantine, gold solidus, 675 AD
19	Bowl with three legs, some symbols	Obverse, but indented	Croton, silver stater, 500 BC
20	Building with columns, ringed by symbols	Symbol, ringed by symbols	Frankia, silver denier, 820 AD
21	Woman with curled hair, some symbols	Large rat with leaves	Canada, 5 cent nickel, 2017 AD
22	Man's head, ring of symbols	Woman seated on chair	Rome, copper as, 40 AD
23	Woman's head with helmet	Realistic crab	Acragas, silver tetradrachmm, 450 BC
24	Man with rolled hair, head on	Pyramid with symbol	Byzantine, gold solidus, 714 AD
25	Winged horse with tiny legs, single symbol	No design (punch mark)	Corinth, silver stater, 550 BC
26	Man with crown and staff, head on	Death holding a scepter	Austrasia, gold solidus, 540 AD
27	Lion's head facing a bull	No design (punch mark)	Lydia, silver siglos, 550 BC
28	Man in armour on horseback, with sword	Lion in front of a building	Flanders, franc a cheval, 1360 AD
29	Cross-legged man, ribbons	Man with trident and bull	India, gold dinar, 110 AD
30	Man's head with long curly hair, symbols	Crowned circle with wings	France, 1/2 ecu aux palmes, 1694 AD
31	Two figures holding two shields	12-pointed star	France, salut d'or, 1446 AD
32	Two lions holding a crown	16-pointed star	Hainault, double royal, 1380 AD
33	Man's head with laurel wreath and cloth	Skeleton, sitting figure	Rome, silver denarius, 75 AD
34	Man's head with hood, some symbols	Hammer, bag, vines	Rome, gold aureus, 46 BC
35	Naked man, long hair, stag, some symbols	Obverse, but indented	Caulonia, silver stater, 500 BC
36	Eagle with shield holding arrows and branch	Woman with banner	USA, silver dollar, 1842 AD
37	Man with robes and staff	Leaf with some symbols	Florence, gold florin, 1251 AD
38	Lion, glowering, head on	No design (punch mark)	Rhegium, silver tetradrachm, 445 BC
39	Man's head, stacked hair, many symbols	Symbols and flowers	Mercia, penny, 786 AD
40	Crowned man and woman, side by side	Crowned shield	Antwerp, gold sovereign, 1612 AD
41	Column covered in leaves	Quartered circle with birds	England, silver penny, 1060 AD
42	Lion holding a sword and shield	Wreath around symbols	Leyden, paper 28 stuivers, 1574 AD
43	Man's head with flat hat, ribbons	Man holding a staff	Bactria, silver tetradrachm, 170 BC
44	Man with thin moustache, curly hair	4 pointed star, 4 crowns	France, 8 louis d'or, 1640 AD
45	Woman's head with headband	Eagle, many symbols	Egypt, silver tetradrachm, 40 BC
46	Woman's head with long hair and helmet	Large symbols with wreath	Confederate, copper penny, 1861 AD
47	3 faces, head on, with buildings	Symbols and braids	Fritzlar, gold bracteate, 1235 AD
48	Man's head with beard	Man riding horse, stars	Macedon, silver tetradrachm, 340 BC
49	Man aiming bow at lion	Man standing on dead lion	Gupta Empire, gold dinar, 380 AD
50	Man's head with laurel wreath	Man seated on chair	Rome, silver denarius, 15 BC
51	Man's head with bag and staff	Three tiny figures, symbols	Rome, silver denarius, 42 BC
52	Man's head with hide helmet	Warrior woman with bird	Egypt, silver tetradrachm, 305 BC
53	Man with sword, head on, on a throne	Braids and columns	Brandenburg, gold bracteate, 1180 AD
54	Woman's head with helmet, some symbols	Lion fighting bull	Acanthus, silver tetradrachm, 520 BC
55	Woman's head with laurel wreath	Lion's head with 3 fishes	Leontin, silver tetradrachm, 440 BC
56	Man's head with long hair and ribbon	Bird with leaves	USA, quarter, 1995 AD
57	Man on throne, head on, scepter and orb	Shield with 8 rings	England, gold sovereign, 1490 AD
58	Man's head with beard	Naked satyr with bowl	Naxos, silver tetradrachm, 470 BC
59	Braids and dots, abstract	No design (punch mark)	Britain, gold stater, 50 BC
60	Man's head with ringed hair and ribbon	Winged woman with tablet	France, ecu constitutionel, 1792 AD
61	Bald man's head with stars and symbols	Gate with two chains	Ghana, cupro-nickel threepence, 1958 AD
62	Man's head with thick scarf	Eagle, many symbols	Egypt, silver tetradrachm, 300 BC
63	Man's head with curled hair	Square columned building	USA, copper penny, 1991 AD
64	Eagle carrying a snake	Winged woman, seated	Olympia, silver didrachm, 450 BC
65	Man with scepter and crown	8-pointed star	France, masse d'or, 1296 AD
66	Man's head with short hair and armour	Man with banner on horse	Piacenza, silver scudo, 1626 AD
67	Man holding a sword on shoulder	Quartered circle with dots	Aquitaine, silver demi-gros, 1370 AD
68	Bearded man with lantern and spear	Woman with two bulls	India, gold stater, 200 AD
69	Man's head, many symbols	Two daggers, bell	Rome, silver denarius, 43 BC
70	Woman's head with helmet	Cow with some symbols	Thurium, silver tetradrachm, 410 BC
71	Man with two heads	Ship's prow	Rome, bronze as, 289 BC
72	Lady's head with laurel wreath and 3 fishes	4-horse chariot, lion below	Syracuse, silver decadrachm, 479 BC
73	Grinning lion's head	No design (punch mark)	Lydia, electrum 1/2 stater, 600 BC
74	Satyr's head with beard, beetle, some symbols	Man seated on chair	Atena, silver tetradrachm, 480 BC
75	Man with staff, head on, on bridge	Symbols, braids, and dots	Efurt, gold bracteate, 1145 AD
76	Woman with curled hair, some symbols	Bear on ice	Canada, 2 dollar "toonie", 2017 AD
77	Man's head with laurel wreath, robes	2 men holding a staff	Brindisi, gold augustale, 1231 AD
78	Man's head with short hair and laurel wreath	Man on horse with sword	Great Britain, crown, 1818 AD
79	Man's head with swan's body	Two tiny warriors	Rome, silver denarius, 94 BC
80	Peacock on a shield	Crowned shield	Antwerp, silver penny, 1612 AD
81	Woman in robes, holding child	Shield with wreath	Hungary, silver denar, 1530 AD
82	Palm tree with two crossed swords	Symbols	Saudia Arabia, guinea, 1957 AD
83	Three decapitated figures, holding heads	Man with hat, devils	Zurich, silver thaler, 1512 AD
84	Man's head with beard and robes	2 figures, furnace	Rome, brass sestertius, 118 AD
85	Man's head with long straight hair	Domed building	USA, nickel, 1961 AD
86	Man with wings holding spear	Shield supported by lions	England, gold angel, 1500 AD
87	Man's head with long curly hair and ribbon	Woman with a harp	Great Britain, copper, 1717 AD
88	Young man with wild hair, head on	4 horse chariot, tangled	Catana, silver tetradrachm, 415 BC
89	Man with robes, ring of symbols	Woman holding dagger	Parthia, silver octadrachm, 100 AD
90	Man's head with short hair and laurel wreath	Eagle on drums and scroll	Prussia, silver thaler, 1764 AD
91	Man's head with short hair and laurel wreath	Woman with trident	Great Britain, copper twopence, 1797 AD
92	Man's head with short hair	Torch and two plants	USA, dime, 1965 AD
93	Sea turtle with ridged back	No design (punch mark)	Aegina, silver stater, 600 BC
94	Bearded man with a bow and spear	No design (punch mark)	Persia, gold daric, 515 BC
95	Woman with short hair, tiara	Bird in water with island	Canada, 1 dollar "loonie", 1988 AD
96	Woman with hood	Bird standing on thistles	Milan, silver testone, 1480 AD
97	Man's head with long curly hair and robes	Shield within a shield, lions	Sweden, silver riksdaler, 1707 AD
98	Wreath, many symbols	Many symbols	Rome, bronze dupondius, 20 BC
99	Symbol, ringed by symbols	Symbol, ringed by symbols	Frankia, silver denier, 780 AD
100	Cow with horns, licking its own foot	Cuttlefish	Eretria, silver tetradrachmm, 450 BC

Gold Sovereign, England, 1490 AD

Bonus Coin Facts

Coins were mostly known by their designs. If a modern coin changes designs overnight, people still accept it as valid. But if an ancient coin changed, people might start to question if it was actually worth - in silver or gold - what it says it was.

Imitation mints - not forgeries, but imitations - were common. If one city was known for very good coins, and their coins had a crab on them, you'd better make sure your coins had a crab on them too. This could lead to a string of imitators, with the original design being morphed by a game of telephone into something quite strange.

These tokens would make a very interesting treasure hall in a puritanical, time-traveling, or otherwise hilarious game.

Adulterating the currency was a common way to raise money in the short term and crash your economy in the medium-to-long term. The government only accepts payment in one type of silver coin. It then melts the coins down and reissues a larger number of smaller or mixed-metal coins. If you took in $100 of silver coins, you could issue $120 of adulterated coins, or issue $100 and keep $20 for your own needs. 

This means any given treasure haul could contain coins that are far better or far worse than coins currently in circulation in the area.