Money in Harry Potter
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| One Knut | One Sickle | One Galleon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knuts | 1 | 29 | 493 |
| Sickles | 0.034 | 1 | 17 |
| Galleons | 0.002 | 0.059 | 1 |
In the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, a fictional system of currency is used by the wizards of the United Kingdom. It is based on three types of coin. In order of decreasing value, they are: the gold Galleon, the silver Sickle, and the bronze Knut. Wizarding banks provide moneychanging services for those with Muggle (ordinary) cash.
The coin values are all prime and may be arbitrary, possibly a parody of the British monetary system before it was decimalised. They may also be a hidden reference (17*29=493) to John Law a Scottish economist who died in 1729. He is most famous for stating that money is only a means of exchange and is not wealth itself.
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[edit] Exchange rate
The approximate value of a galleon is five pounds, although "the exchange rate varies". [1]
In the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, two pieces of information are given which hint at how much wizards' currency is worth in comparison to real-world money. Firstly, it is said that £174 million raised for charity is equivalent to 34,000,872 Galleons, 14 Sickles, and 7 Knuts (the figure is simplified to 34,000,000 galleons in Quidditch Through the Ages). It is also stated that the book costs £2.50, or 14 Sickles and 3 Knuts.
The first piece of information suggests that 1 galleon = £5.12, but according to the second figure 1 galleon = £3.01 approximately. Note that the first figure is supposed to be an exact conversion, while the second figure is not (prices for wizards and muggles may differ).
[edit] Coin design and specifications
On every Galleon there is a serial number referring to the goblin who cast it. In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione bewitched fake Galleons to show the time and date of the next DA (Dumbledore's Army) meeting instead of the serial number.
There is no information about the shape of the coins in books, apart from a comment made by the character Ronald Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, who remarked that a fifty pence piece was a "weird" shape. The coins used in the film are round.
We are not told anything in particular about the size or weight of the coins. In real world, a £5 gold coin should be very small. This amount of money corresponds to 0.5g (1/60 ounce), or 25 cubic millimetres, of gold. However, wizards may be able to produce a cheap gold, or use magic to enlarge their coins.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a Muggle complains that someone tried to pay him with "gold coins the size of hubcaps" (which, as a rule, come not smaller than about 3" or 7.5cm). However, the event happened at an international gathering, so the coins might well have been foreign, or even bullion ingots and not actual Galleons.
[edit] Banks
The only reference to a bank in Harry Potter is Gringotts, which is located on Diagon Alley in London. Hagrid indicates that wizards have "just the one" bank. There is the possibility that other Gringotts branches exist elsewhere, most notably in Egypt, where Bill Weasley worked prior to his attempt to get a transfer to the London branch.
[edit] Various theories
It is stated within the novels that a copy of a daily newspaper cost between 1 and 5 Knuts. Some believe that it is equivalent to 50 cents (a typical price for a daily newspaper in real world), and, therefore, galleon worth somewhere between $49.30 and $219.50. However, this contradicts Rowling's own claim that the approximate value of a galleon is five pounds. Besides, there is no reason why wizards' and muggles' newspapers would cost the same amount of money.
[edit] Possible etymologies
A galleon is an early form of ocean-going ship famous for its treasure hoards.
"Sickle" is a word used in the English language New Testament to translate "shekel," the currency of Judea, and modern day Israel. William Tyndale also called them "silverlings," that is, little silver coins. A sickle is also a bladed tool, which can be, and sometimes is depicted in films, books, and other media, as a weapon.
"Knut" is a variant spelling of "Cnut" or Canute, a Viking ruler whose empire in the 11th century comprised Norway, Denmark and England. Also, this coin is pronounced just as it is spelled; the "k" is not silent, unlike in "knob" or "know."
[edit] External links
- Galleons-to-Muggle money converter from the Harry Potter Lexicon
- CNN Harry Potter currency converter
[edit] References
- ^ J.K. Rowling, Comic Relief 2001 interview. Accessed 2006-11-30.
[edit] External Links
- Money on the Harry Potter Wiki
| J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosopher's Stone | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Chamber of Secrets | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Prisoner of Azkaban | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Goblet of Fire | book | film | game | soundtrack |
| Order of the Phoenix | book | (film) | (game) | |
| Half-Blood Prince | book | (film) | ||
| Deathly Hallows | (book) | |||
| Other books | Other games | |||
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup | |||
| Quidditch Through the Ages | ||||
|
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