Money has existed in the Thief world since the time of the Precursors. It comes in many forms, but chiefly takes the form of gold, silver and copper coins (paper currency not being seen to be used in the Thief series). "Cash", at least in Deadly Shadows, appears to be something other than legal tender, though it can never be physically found anywhere in the game. Coins that are collected in TDS must be fenced like any other loot in exchange for it. The unit 'g' (probably meaning gold) is the standard unit for cash.
Pound: Found in stacks of about 20, these coins are assumed to be pounds due to their high value (roughtly 25 gold for 20).[2]
Coin stacks
Gold
Silver
Copper
1/3
Silver Shilling: Found in stacks of about 20, these coins are identified as shillings due to their common value of 12 gold (the pre-decimal shilling was worth 12 pence).[3]
Copper Penny: Found in stacks of about 20, these coins are most likely pence, despite being five times their expected value when compared to the shilling (roughtly 5 gold for 20 coins, making them equal to a quarter of a pence each).[4] A note from Mr Tuttleshank regarding the accountability of "every penny" (combined with the presence of copper coins in the safe of the Dayport Trader's Bank) supports this speculation.[5]
These tiny copper coins originally held the least value (literally 1/2p) but, in recent years, have become a rarity. They feature a Ying-yang style symbol on one side and were used as a Good luck charm by Garrett during his visit to the Old Quarter.[6] In the Metal Age, their value per-coin had risen above that of their face value if they were minted over twenty years before, due to their use in good luck charms[7] and were worth around 10 gold each.[8]
