Question of the Week #30

Well, I just figured I would try to make this blog and ask you guys a question before I forget either my question or I forget to write a blog until the very end of the week. SO HERE IS QUESTION OF THE WEEK!

This week's question is actually aimed more toward one of my future stories pertaining to the dark alternate timeline of my Monster Mares and You verse, so here goes.

Ignoring the use of caps in the Fallout: Equestria universe, if you were to pick something within Equestria to serve as a currency in a post-apocalyptic setting, what would it be? Feel free to be as creative as you can be.

Thank you all for joining me this week. I hope you all have/had a great Halloween and I hope you all have a great week.

-Image can be found here.

Comments

[ARandomLonelyDude]

caps can be replaced with bones or maybe a barter system.

[Airy Words]

Horseshoes.

Everypony wants them, they are a sign of status and wealth, they rust so there is varying quality, they increase in value as the world’s supply is used up, they can be hoarded, and they can no longer be made.

[Brony1337]

The simplest way of getting what you want for what you want to is to exchange goods or services- But it is also the most problematic one: You can’t carry around tons of stuff to trade with. Still, I see this as an option in some cases: Say you need one special item, and someone might be able to get it. Random chance has it that they want something from you- You’ll have them get the item instead of any sort of money.

As a general medium of exchange, that system is obviously flawed, so we need something else.

Problem is just, look at the history of currencies: The first things used as a standard medium of exchange were salt and such: things that were easy to measure, somewhat easy to transport, and HAD AN ACTUAL USE. As far as I know, all types of money that weren’t actually useable in one way or another were forced upon the people by a person or group with power, by telling them that “Yes, if you go to that bank and give them this money, they will give you that amount of gold/salt/other useful object.”

Side note: The first coins were actually worth the metal they contained- So the currency was still something useful(metal), just in a shape that’s easy to handle. Value was determined by weight. This only changed later on when the producers of the currencies didn’t want to use such expensive materials.

So as far as I see it, you’d need to have at least the vast majority of ponies agree on one type of currency, or have it forced on them. Now, most of them will be fairly easy to convince that money is better than carrying around tons of salt, but I doubt they would be fast to agree on something.

HOWEVER, that will probably only be a problem for trade between groups, or groups that are very large or can’t get themselves together anyway. Smaller groups will, since most of them will want money anyway, agree on something fairly quickly: Probably water, dried food, or anything else that has some sort of use. Only when larger groups band together will they need an “easier” type of currency.

I’m thinking that large scale trade between groups will, at least at first, heavily involve basic materials and other things you need to survive: Wood, metal, salt, water, crops, such things. Maybe even seeds in some cases, but I think it more likely that most will try to keep as many seeds for themselves as they can.

For later, there are two scenarios I can think of:
- Each larger group has their own medium of exchange, be that something with “true” or assigned value. Smaller groups will adopt those, have their own, or keep it based on goods/labor exchange. Some ponies will offer to exchange currencies, probably taking a big chunk for their own gain.
- For whatever reason, everyone or at least huge groups a currency that is used everywhere: Maybe in addition to local ones, maybe instead. If there are more than one of such groups, you’d have a fairly stable exchange system between the different currencies, close to our irl ones. Smaller groups that are part of those huge factions might still have a barter based system instead, but I don’t think that likely.

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TL;DR
read that last part only

As for what would be used as money... something you have enough of to trade, doesn’t get used up, can’t be found in the wild at every corner, ... Like, think of our money, but make it a different object. Again, only once the system has build itself up WAY beyond survival and basic needs.

[Shadic Midnight Blitzer]

I was thinking of maybe a bartering system.

[Brony1337]

I like how the comment following mine has that “Visible confusion” pfp.