One Hundred Pounds of Gems & Gold

[TarionzCousin]

How much is one hundred pounds (1372 kilograms*) of gem-encrusted gold worth? The gems vary widely in worth, so figure out an average of somewhere between 10 and 5000 for them. No, we don't have any more data than that. The DM is rather free-wheeling with stuff like this.

Officially, how many gold pieces does it take to weigh a pound in D&D? Or 100 pounds? I'll take answers from any edition.










*This is just here to frustrate the rest of the world and their vastly superior metric system.

Spoiler

Yes, it's a fake number. I live in the USA where it is illegal to use the metric system.

 

[RangerWickett]

In 3e, 50 coins weighed a pound. I think it's the same in 4e. If you use the online Character Builder now with an epic PC, it will say that you're carrying a half-million pounds of equipment, because of all the starting gold you get.

 

[Nagol]

*Edit* In 3.5:

Well 100# (approx 45 kg) of gold is worth 5,000 gp so that's probably a decent floor value (50 gp / lb).

The gems complicate it nicely, however.

Typical gold/gem combination jewellry is priced from 300 - 12,000 gp per piece.

If we assume 2.5 pieces per pound, that gives us 40 pieces of jewellry. Typical distribution is the following:

10 3d6 x 100 = 10,000
10 4d6 x 100 = 14,000
5 5d6 x 100 = 8,500
5 1d4 x 1000 = 12,500
5 1d6 x 1000 = 17,500
4 2d4 x 1000 = 20,000
1 2d6 x 1000 = 7,000
======
89,500 gp is probably a ceiling.

So somewhere between 5,000 - 90,000 gp.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

In 3rd edition, 50 coins weighs 1 pound. So, one hundred pounds of gold would have a base value of 5,000 gold pieces. With no foundation whatsoever, I would assume that the gems would have approximately equal value to the gold (so a total value of the materials of 10,000 gp)

If the item in question was an intentionally crafted piece of art, you could use the crafting rules to extrapolate a value (a crafted item requires 1/3 of its value in raw materials). So an art object produced from one hundred pounds of gold and gems would have an approximate value of 30,000 gp. Masterwork art would likely be worth considerably more, but is more or less outside the scope of the rules.



I am not sure about how much coins weigh in 4th. The characters' levels would likely have more of a bearing on the value of such a treasure than in other versions of D&D...

 

[Beginning of the End]

how much is one hundred pounds of gem-encrusted gold worth?

£100

 

[Nagol]

£100

LOL, £ referred to pounds sterling, not gold!

 

[Piratecat]

In first edition AD&D, 10 GP = 1 lb.

Gold was heavy!

 

[TarionzCousin]

£100

This must be more of that metric math I've heard about.

 

[Orius]

Officially, how many gold pieces does it take to weigh a pound in D&D? Or 100 pounds? I'll take answers from any edition.

As other have pointed out, 50 gp/lb has been the standard for a while, at least since 2e. Basic and apparently 1e was 10gp/lb.

Gems I think average 10 gp/lb as well, but they can vary depending on the size of the gem I suppose.

I live in the USA where it is illegal to use the metric system.

Actually, it's been legal since 1866.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Actually, it's been legal since 1866[/url].

But if you convert 1866 into American Years™ it turns into 2347--so it's actually not legal yet.