Wizarding currency
From Harry Potter Wiki
Currency in the wizarding world consists of three different coins. In decreasing order of value, they are: Galleon, Sickle and Knut. They are gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. According to Rubeus Hagrid, there are seventeen Sickles in a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts in a Sickle, meaning there are four-hundred ninty-three knuts to a galleon. Around the edge of each coin is a series of numerals which represent a serial number belonging to the Goblin that cast the coin.
It is not known whether the same wizarding currency is used in the international wizarding community.
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[edit] Converted into other currencies
According to J. K. Rowling, the approximate value of a Galleon is 'About five [Great British] pounds, though the exchange rate varies!' .[1]
This is consistent with the "textbooks" Rowling wrote for charity (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages), which states that US$250 million is equivalent to 34 million Galleons, which means that 1 Galleon ≈ US$7.35. US$7.35 was the same as about GB£5 at the time of publishing.
With this information, we can calculate the value of wizarding currency in Muggle money. The amounts below are approximate, and were accurate as of October 7th, 2009.
| 1 Galleon | 1 Sickle | 1 Knut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pound sterling GBP | £5 | £0.29 | £0.01 |
| U.S. dollar USD | $7.9 | $0.46 | $0.02 |
| Euro € | €5.4 | €0.32 | €0.01 |
| Japanese yen JPY | ¥711.45 | ¥41.85 | ¥1.44 |
| Swiss franc CHF | 8.20 Fr. | 0.48 Fr. | 0.02 Fr. |
| Australian dollar AUD | $8.75 | $0.51 | $0.02 |
| Canadian dollar CAD | $8.25 | $0.49 | $0.02 |
| Danish kroner DKK | 39.3 kr. | 2.3 kr. | 0.1 kr. |
| South African rand ZAR | R58.5 | R3.44 | R0.12 |
| Indian Rupee INR | Rs. 367.65 | Rs. 21.63 | Rs. 0.75 |
| Hong Kong Dollar HKD | $61.35 | $3.609 | $0.124 |
| Philippine peso PHP | P413.69 | P24.19 | P0.82 |
As of mid-2009 US $7.35 is approximately UK £4.41. It is unlikely though, that the value of a galleon scales with US currency. As the gold standard values of wizarding currencies are unknown, it is difficult to estimate a present day conversion rate, and one would have to rely on Rowling's older approximations.
Note that the Galleon/Pound rate cited by Rowling is probably that offered by Gringotts and bears no relation to the precious-metal value of Wizarding coins. The "gold coins the size of hubcaps" mentioned in reference to the Quidditch World Cup would be much larger than the British five-pound Quintuple Sovereign today sold for its bullion value of hundreds of pounds sterling (though this hubcap reference may have been an exaggeration). However, it is unclear whether the coins were Galleons, or the currency of some other Wizard community. Certainly, if the coins were indeed of such size, there could have been no talking about "handfuls" of them.
[edit] Fake Galleons
[edit] Leprechaun Gold
Galleons made of Leprechaun gold were common at Quidditch games where Leprechauns are the mascots for the Irish team. These galleons are occasionally in temporary circulation (they vanish a few hours after appearing), but goblin experts at Gringotts can differentiate them from real ones.
Rubeus Hagrid used Leprechaun gold in a Care of Magical Creatures class, while teaching students about Nifflers' ability to hunt for shiny objects such as coins.
Ludo Bagman used Leprechaun gold to pay Fred and George after their bet, resulting in them blackmailing Ludo with no luck.
[edit] Others
Hermione Granger fabricated fake Galleons for the members of Dumbledore's Army as a means of conveying clandestine communication about the time of future meetings.
Draco Malfoy copied Hermione's idea of using enchanted coins to communicate with the Imperiused Madam Rosmerta during the 1996–1997 school year.
[edit] Names
Galleons were Spanish treasure ships often raided by pirates. "Sickle" is the ancient Greek term for the shekel, the currency of Judea, as rendered by William Tyndale in his translation of the Greek New Testament, (later the King James Bible). Also translated as silverling. "Knut" or "Canute" is the name of an 11th century King of England
