Equipment
Here, common values for goods, services, weapons and armour are listed. These prices are set by custom and most men know a fair measure of what they may expect.
Cost is measured in silver pounds, shillings and pence, marked “l”, “s”, and “d”. (The abbreviations stand for “librae”, “solidi” and “denarii” after the Roman measures.)
Rates of Exchange
| 1 pound | is | 60 shillings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 shilling | is | 4 pence |
Typically, these measures are conceptual rather than literal. Most ceorls will live their entire lives and never see a single coin. Men use them only to calculate fair exchanges or the sum of goods due in wergild. A few kings have begun to mint silver sceatta coins, equal to a shilling in value, in mimicry of the Arab coins the Frankish traders sometimes bring, but these are things of art and kingly pride rather than coins for common trade. When coins find their way into England, their value is measured by their metal and weight, with a little extra for their beauty and the quality of their artistry.
Treasures often have a very great value in pounds or shillings. These make splendid gifts and are well suited for showing favour. A man will be very grateful if he is given such a thing, but a fine golden ring cannot easily be exchanged for a cartload of grain from a farmer. A treasure may or may not be accepted in trade, depending on how well the other man can trade useful goods for such splendid adornments. It may be that he has more use for his grain than for a golden ring and a trader must be skilled at bargaining to negotiate such an exchange at any price. An ealdorman mightwalk with a hundred pounds worth of treasures around his neck, arms and fingers, but he cannot presume to trade them for even ten pounds worth of wheat. However, he may use them to pay wergild for his crimes, or give them as rich gifts to his loyal friends. If he finds some prosperous settlement where the harvest has been uncommonly good, his wife might be able to persuade the richest ceorl to exchange some spare portion of his harvest for a fine silver torc.
More useful goods can be traded more easily. Any man will trade for the cattle, grain or cloth that he needs to get by. However, no man will trade away what he needs to survive another season.