Latinum Exchange

[Captain Zymmer]

I am running some blue book sessions and came to the realization that I have no idea how valuable a slip, bar or brick of latinum is.

Can anyone help me?

How many strips to a bar, bars to a brick?

What would be like 25,000$ in Latinum?

I am talking ballpark on that, but you get the idea. If someone wants a bribe I need to know what means what.

Thanks in advance

[Perrryyy]

According to the handy dandy Encyclopedia, vol 2.

100 slips = 1 strip
20 strips = 1 bar

As to the number of bars in a brick, I don't know that any ep ever covered it.

[Dan Gurden]

But as for how valuable a single slip is in Earth Currency, thre is only one answer.

There is no Earth Currency...

Not much help, but its canon.

If you want to know how much a slip of latinum is equivalent to our standards of the 20th century. Then look to find out what the gold exchange is worth... And the decide on ust how much gold form the brick, bar or slip...

Whatever thats worth, minus some $ as the assayer is likely to determine the brick/bar/strip or slip is not at full value due to the inert liquid at its core...

[Captain Zymmer]

What I mean is if someone asks fior 30 slips of latinum is that a lot, a little?

10 bars?

etc...

[Perrryyy]

The average gold bar is 400 troy ounces. Gold closed Friday (NY time) at $274.40 US.

If you accept that a bar in US 21st century is the same as a bar in Trek, then

1 bar = $274.40

1 strip = $13.72

1 silp= $0.14 (rounded)

So what's 30 slips? $4.20 US

10 bars? $2744

$25000 = 91 bars, 2 strips, 15.7 slips.

Brunt's 500 bars for Quark's vaccuum dessicated remains? 500 bars or $137,200.00

Quark was definitely worth more dead than alive!

But that's only if you compare "Trek bars" to "real life bars". Whether that's a valid argument or not is for someone wiser than me to discern!

[Phantom]

According to DS9 RPG Quark has wealth +3 which puts him in the 501-5000 bars of gpl. Near the high end I would think, he was a successful small business owner.

Exchange rates (main gov'ts)
Bajoran Lita 0.15
Cardassian Lek 0.17
Federation Credit 0.01
Klingon Darsek 0.5-1
Romulan T'chak 1.7
Tholian Doleen 1.5

Note: values in slips of gold pressed latinum.

[SIR SIG]

Isn't there bricks in there somewhere?

Slip-Strip-Bar-Brick or is it Brick-Bar ?????????????

Another point is when O'Brien and Bashir play Tongo they have about 9 slips or strips.

Most likely the cash they could spare between them. And Bashir uses about 3 to gamble with.

And doesn't a couple of slips get you a really good drink at Quarks?

[Dan Gurden]

Originally posted by Perrryyy
The average gold bar is 400 troy ounces. Gold closed Friday (NY time) at $274.40 US.

If you accept that a bar in US 21st century is the same as a bar in Trek, then...

<Snip>

But that's only if you compare "Trek bars" to "real life bars". Whether that's a valid argument or not is for someone wiser than me to discern!

As you said, that only in direct comparrison...

But then you need to take into account that the value in a slip, strip, bar or brick is the latinum liquid in suspension within the next to worthless gold casing...

Just look at Quarks reaction when he gets the cargo module full of Gold and not gold pressed latinum.

But on the whole they always were particularly vague on the matter thanks to Gene's 'No Money in the future' clause... So in the end its down to the individual Narrator as to the ultimate value... But as previously stated the equivalent values have been posted above as seen in the DS9 corebook.

[Captain Zymmer]

Okay so if Quark for example were going to make someone pay him for information, and I wanted it to seem like the "equivalent" of a guy today saying $25,000, would 30 or so bars be a good number?

And for the love of god, do not refer me to the DS9 rule book.

[C5]

You could try this link :
http://www.geocities.com/willbswift/equipmentlist.html

This site presents a rather extensive price chart, based as much as possible on canon sources. This could help you to have an idea of the cost of money in 24th century.

[J T]

Thank you C5 for the plug! (It saved me the trouble)

Captain Zymmer said:
“I am running some blue book sessions and came to the realization that I have no idea how valuable a slip, bar or brick of latinum is. Can anyone help me?”

I’d recommend http://www.geocities.com/willbswift/costchart2.html
It has a lot of info on conversion of Federation Credits to various other Trek currencies.

Captain Zymmer said:
“How many strips to a bar, bars to a brick?”

According to the LUG DS9 Core book there are 20 bars to a brick.

Captain Zymmer said:
“What would be like 25,000$ in Latinum?”

My friends and me use the conversion $1.00 = 100 federation credits = 1 slip of Latinum. This means that quark’s dabo girl paycheck (140,000 credits a month) is about $330.00 per week. And a night with a pricy whore (20,000 credits) is $200.00. Of course it also means that a tricorder costs $.02 but that’s where the “moneyless” society comes in. Most items (see my chart) are so cheap that the government can afford to pay for all of them.
So…
1 credit = 1 cent
1 slip = 1 dollar
1 strip = 100 dollars
1 bar = 2,000 dollars
1 brick = 40,000 dollars

Captain Zymmer said:
“I am talking ballpark on that, but you get the idea. If someone wants a bribe I need to know what means what.”

Bribing Quark to keep his mouth shut cost 2,400,000 credits ($24,000.00).

Hope this helps!

[Captain Zymmer]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

And just in case I forgot to mention it

Thank you!

[AntyCrist]

According to DS9 RPG Quark has wealth +3 which puts him in the 501-5000 bars of gpl. Near the high end I would think, he was a successful small business owner.

Exchange rates (main gov'ts)
Bajoran Lita 0.15
Cardassian Lek 0.17
Federation Credit 0.01
Klingon Darsek 0.5-1
Romulan T'chak 1.7
Tholian Doleen 1.5

Note: values in slips of gold pressed latinum.

Wen I was GMing the late 90s we debated wether that 500-5000 bares was 2-20 milion or 5-50m. acounting for the intervening years a bar wold be (In $ summer 2016) 5000$-13000$ depending on the translation. a strip wold be 250$-650$ and a slip wold be$ 2.50-$6.50

We used $0.50 (.60-.65 now) for value of a Lita and $7 (8-9 now) for a T'ckak value. We never fixes values for the Darsec, Mitondrium, Lateral, or federation Credit. We used no other currencies in setting.

[Owen E Oulton]

I'be a;ways assumed that a Federation credit was equivalent to one dollar. This would make a slip worth 100 dollars, which seems a bit too rich for my tastes, so I knocked the value of a strip down to 10 credits, effectively up-valuing everything on this list by a factor of 10. Your mileage may definitely vary, which is perfectly OK, but that's what works for me.

[AntyCrist]

I'be a;ways assumed that a Federation credit was equivalent to one dollar. This would make a slip worth 100 dollars, which seems a bit too rich for my tastes, so I knocked the value of a strip down to 10 credits, effectively up-valuing everything on this list by a factor of 10. Your mileage may definitely vary, which is perfectly OK, but that's what works for me.

Given no sub unites to the credit and other pricing elements in TNG I wold find a $1 credits wold be nonfunctionally high. The first time I herd the dabate was at a lounch party for season 3 of TNG. Older fans almost came to blows when 3 of them disputed the consensus that a federation credit must be no more than a dime. The debate had been raging for several merits with about about hafe valuing as a dime, and most of the rest split unevenly between penny and dime. Thats when the individualizes suggested a quarter. Thats when the chant of "fans only" began with people pushing them out of the party. When I ask what had happened I was informed that 300 credits a foot for fabric in "encounter at farpoint" being "Ill take the hole bolt" was incompatible with 25 cents since it wold mean 225$ a yard for fabric being cheap.