Diadem Mark
The Diadem Mark (DiM) is the currency of Germanalasia. It was originally introduced in Gerandara, the nation that became Germanalasia upon the acquisition of the city-state of Penzenes, following the Gerandara Civil War, and then decimalised in 1981. The currency is issued and regulated by The Bank of Germanalasia.
Exchange Rate
Diadem Marks are free-floating, but have recently been approximating to 1 DiM to 1.6 USD.
Denominations
Modern coinage comes in the following denominations:
| Denomination | Metal | Obverse | Reverse | Rim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hundreth Diadem | Copper | "1/100" | Double Chevrons | "HUNDRETH DIADEM" |
| Five Hundreth Diadems | Outer silver ring, inner copper | "5/100" | Double Chevrons | "FIVE HUNDRETHS DIADEM" |
| Tenth Diadem | Silver | "1/10" | Star on Double Chevrons | "TENTH DIADEM" |
| Five Tenth Diadems | Outer gold ring, inner silver | "5/10" | Star on Double Chevrons | "FIVE TENTHS DIADEM" |
| One Diadem Mark | Gold | "1" emblazoned on "DiM" | Star and a Pair of Double Chevrons | "GERMANALASIA DIADEM" |
| Five Diadem Marks | Gold | "5" emblazoned on "DiM" | Star and a Pair of Double Chevrons | "GERMANALASIA DIADEM" |
| Ten Diadem Marks | Outer silver ring, inner gold | "10" emblazoned on "DiM" | Pair of Double Chevrons | "GERMANALASIA DIADEM" |
Banknotes
Banknotes were introduced two years after Decimalisation, in 1983. They idea had been presented several times before, but dismissed because of misgivings about the potential for counterfeiting. The development of polymer banknotes allowed a durable, light and secure banknotes to be printed.
Diadem Mark Banknotes currently come in denominations of 10, 20, 50 and 100 DiM. There are plans to introduce a 5 DiM and a 500 DiM in the future
Usage Notes
Except when referring to the coins themselves, it is uncommon to use the phrases 'Hundredth Diadem' or 'Tenth Diadem'. Rather, sums smaller than a Diadem Mark are usually given as part of the full, that is to say, a Hundredth Diadem is referred to as 0.01 DiM of a Diadem Mark, a Tenth Diadem as 0.10 DiM (always written to two decimal places, at least).
When a sum is not equal exactly to a number of Diadem Marks, say, three Diadem Marks, four Tenth Diadems and five Hundredth Diadems, it would be written as 3.45 DiM. When spoken, phrases such as "three-point-four-five Diadem Marks" and "three Diadem Marks forty five" are often used. The latter is frowned upon in accountancy, but is far more common.
History
The Diadem Mark was introduced in Gerandara following the separation of monarchy and government to replace the old currency, the Royal Renten, due to its connections with Royal Family of 547. Initially, however, the replacement was little more than a name change, as the Royal Renten coins could still be used as legal tender up until 549. The Diadem Mark was introduced at the same rate as the Royal Renten.
In 610, shortly after the country was reformed as Germanalasia, the Diadem Mark was divided into twenty Marks, sub-dominations to make it easier to perform smaller transactions. Later, in 644, half Marks were introduced, at forty half Marks to a Diadem Mark. Diadem Marks themselves came in denominations of 1, which was withdrawn with the introduction of the Mark, 2, 4, 6 and 20. Coins were re-struck with different designs every fifteen or twenty years, or so, to ensure the coins maintained value lost through illegal shaving at the edges and wear, so few coins remain from this period.
All money was struck in coins of specie, until shaving the edges of the coins and counterfeiting had become so common that the Germanalasian government thought it necessary to replace them with base metal coins in 1813. The denominations were unchanged, but all the designs were modified and a series of special commemoratives coins were released in addition to standard currency.
Decimalisation
In 1981, in order to make transactions easier on the international marketplace, the Diadem Mark was decimalised. Interestingly, conversion to metric units had taken place ten years earlier, in 1971.
The Half Mark and Mark were recalled to be replaced with the Tenth Diadem, ten of which equals a Diadem Mark, and the Hundredth Diadem, ten of which equals a Tenth Diadem.
