Gold Equivalent
Bullion Marks are the high-value currency of serious traders, caravan companies, banks, warlords, and old-world vaults. They are not always literal gold coins. Most are stamped bullion chips, sealed gold-backed notes, or verified trade bars marked by major caravan houses.
They are used for buying land, vehicles, power armor, rare tech, large shipments, faction contracts, or bribes big enough to change a town’s future.
Common names:
Bullion Marks, Gold Marks, Trade Bullion, Hard Marks
Example value:
1 Bullion Mark = 100 Caps
Silver Equivalent
Bottle caps are the everyday backbone of trade. They are durable, hard to counterfeit in bulk, recognizable across huge distances, and already accepted by most wastelanders. Caps are what people use for weapons, food, ammo, medicine, inn rooms, repairs, gambling, and small contracts.
Caps are not “low value.” They are the dependable middle currency, like silver once was. A person with caps can survive almost anywhere.
Common names:
Caps, Trade Caps, Water Caps, Hard Caps
Example value:
1 Cap = 10 Scrap Chits
Copper Equivalent
Scrap Chits are the lowest-value currency, used for tiny purchases and poor settlements where even caps are too valuable to waste. They can be stamped copper washers, brass tags, cut pre-war pennies, railway tokens, casino slugs, or town-issued metal bits backed by useful scrap.
People use them for a cup of boiled water, a bowl of rad-roach stew, a night in a common room, low-grade ammo, patchwork repairs, or children running errands through a settlement.
Common names:
Scrap Chits, Copper Bits, Tin Tags, Washers, Pennies, Brass
Example value:
10 Scrap Chits = 1 Cap
TierCurrencyValuePrimary1 Bullion Mark100 CapsSecondary1 Bottle Cap10 Scrap ChitsTertiary1 Scrap Chit Smallest trade value
So the full chain would be:
1 Bullion Mark = 100 Caps = 1,000 Scrap Chits
Primary Currency: Bullion Marks
Secondary Currency: Bottle Caps
Tertiary Currency: Scrap Chits