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FalloutBottle caps
Fallout 2$1 NCR
Morningstar mine scrip
Kokoweef mine scrip
Bottle caps
Fallout TacticsBrotherhood scrips
Ring pulls
Fallout 3Bottle caps
Pre-War money
Fallout: New VegasBottle caps
Legion currency
NCR dollars
Pre-War money
Casino chips
Fallout 4Bottle caps
Pre-War money
Nuka-Cade token
Fallout 76AmmoPoints
Cap
Claim token
Gold bullion
Legendary scrip
Mr. Fuzzy token
Pre-War money
Treasury Note

The currency throughout the world of Fallout varies between areas and factions.

Pre-War money[]

Pre-war money
Fo4-pre-war-money
Main article: Pre-War money

United States dollars (USD) were the pre-War currency of the United States of America.[1][2] Pre-War money appears as a bound stack of banknotes, and is used to represent undisclosed large sums of cash.[3][4] Although the United States and its economy were eliminated in the Great War, automated pre-War vendors such as those at the Sierra Madre Casino & Resort or the Nuka-World amusement park continued to recognize the validity of the dollar.[Non-game 1] Outside of this limited usage, pre-War money is essentially worthless in the wasteland, its value lying entirely in its utility as scrap paper or kindling.[5]

Bottle caps[]

Botlcaps
Bottlecap
SunsetSarsaparillaBottlecap
Bottlecap fo4
Caps
Main article: Bottle caps

Durable, portable, and instantly recognizable, bottle caps (predominantly from Nuka-Cola) rapidly became one of the most common currencies accepted by traders in post-War North America,[6] in line with speculation by Doctor Mobius about the role they might play in post-War economies.[7] The earliest known adoption of bottle caps as currency took place in New California: Within ten years of Hub's founding in 2093,[Non-game 2] caps became the standard currency of the wasteland.[Non-game 3] The widespread use by Hub merchants leading to the nickname Hub bucks,[8] Hubbucks,[9] bucks,[10] Hub script,[11] or just script.[12]

The Hub merchants selected bottle caps because of two factors: First, the technology to manufacture them and paint their surfaces had been mostly lost in the Great War, which limited any counterfeiting efforts: The paint used, machining, and metal type all have to be very specific in order for a bottle cap to be genuine.[13] Second, there is a limited number of bottle caps, which preserves their value against inflation to some degree.[14] Finally, the Hub merchants in New California could support it as a common unit of exchange by backing it with water.[15]

For similar reasons the East Coast merchants also recognized bottle caps as a currency. However, their earliest recorded use by survivors in Appalachia in 2096, appears to be an unintended result of a cross-promotional campaign: The Nuka-Cola Corporation partnered with the Whitespring Resort to promote the newly released Nuka-Cola Quantum. As part of the event, all Whitespring robots were programmed to accept bottlecaps as currency, allowing visitors to enjoy numerous deals.[16][17]

While caps were the de facto standard currency in the West, the rise of the New California Republic (NCR) led to the widespread adoption of dollars, backed by gold reserves, which displaced the water-backed caps.[18] However, during the Brotherhood War the Republic's gold reserves out in the frontier were destroyed by Brotherhood raids to the point where the NCR was forced to stop minting new gold coins so as to put an end to the raids completely. An act that indirectly resulted in Republic paper money no longer being properly backed with gold. NCR citizens panicked and rushed to reclaim the listed face value of currency from NCR's remaining gold reserves. Since the NCR was unable to realize these withdrawals, particularly towards the frontier, faith in their currency considerably dropped. In order to contain the financial fallout that would be caused by the inevitable inflation to come, the NCR government abandoned the gold standard and established fiat currency, not payable in specie. Since then many wastelanders lost faith in it as a medium of worth, both as a result of it not being backed by anything but the government's word and the inevitable inflation. In response to the loss of faith, merchant consortiums of the Hub established their own currency, the venerable bottle cap, backing it with water (exchanging a standardized measure of water for caps).[Non-game 4][Non-game 5][Non-game 6][Non-game 7]

It was not a random occurrence: The merchants conspired to reintroduce the bottle cap as a currency, out of frustration at NCR's ineptitude in handling the currency crisis. Furthermore, since Hub bridges the NCR core region with the Mojave and lands beyond, the cap could bridge the gap between NCR and Legion territories by providing a neutral form of money. In the time leading up to the introduction the merchants laid the foundations for bottle caps as a currency, establishing control of or destroying facilities that could fashion new bottle caps and seizing excessively large caches of old bottle caps (smaller ones in private hands were left alone, as their owners would readily embrace the returning bottle cap).[Non-game 7]

To protect their monopoly on the currency, Republic merchant companies, particularly the Crimson Caravan Company, aggressively sought to control all bottle cap production and ensure that no one can mass produce them and inflate the currency. Controlling bottle cap presses also allows them to replace worn out and damaged bottle caps, keeping the pool of currency stable. Due to the challenges of the bottle cap production process, small scale counterfeiting is ignored, as it's impossible to manufacture enough caps by hand to truly upset the balance.[19][13][14]

Bottle caps, NCR dollars and Legion currency are all considered legal tender by the various caravan companies and on the New Vegas Strip. Mojave merchants also accept nonstandard variants, such as Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle caps.

Casino chips[]

In Fallout: New Vegas, casino chips are used to play games like blackjack, roulette or slots throughout the many casinos in the New Vegas area. Depending on the outcome of these games, gamblers can gain or lose chips. Each casino uses their own set of chips, which may be purchased or redeemed for bottle caps, NCR dollars or Legion coins at a cashier's kiosk within each casino.

Casino Chips
Yellow poker chip
Atomic Wrangler chips
Ultra-Luxe chips
Vikki & Vance chips
Red casino chip
The Tops chips
Blue poker chip
Gomorrah chips
Sierra Madre chip
Sierra Madre chips

Gold bullion[]

Gold scrap
Main article: Gold bullion

Gold bullion are solid bars, or ingots, of pure gold. Once forming the backbone of most currencies before fiat currencies and rapid inflation, gold holds its value as a precious metal of finite quantity.[Non-game 8] Even after the Great War, gold bullion is still accepted by merchants and by traders specializing in gold.

NCR dollar[]

FNV $100 bill
F2money
Main article: NCR dollar

The NCR introduced its own money around the turn of the 22nd century, initially relying on coins minted from gold. By 2241, the economy of NCR dominated the West Coast and coins became universal currency, used by the three regional powers: NCR, Vault City and New Reno. During this time bottle caps had become worthless in these regions.[20][Non-game 9][Non-game 4]

During the conflict with the Brotherhood, the Republic's gold reserves out in the frontier were raided by the Brotherhood to the point where the NCR was forced to stop minting new gold coins so as to put an end to the raids completely, indirectly resulting in Republic paper money no longer being properly backed with gold. NCR citizens panicked and rushed to reclaim the listed face value of currency from NCR's remaining gold reserves. Since the NCR was unable to realize these withdrawals, particularly towards the frontier, faith in their currency considerably dropped. In order to contain the financial fallout from the inevitable inflation to come, the NCR government abandoned the gold standard and established fiat currency, not payable in specie.[21][Non-game 4] Since then, many wastelanders lost faith in it as a medium of worth, both as a result of it not being backed by anything but the government's word and the inevitable inflation.[Non-game 5] In response to the loss of faith, merchant consortiums of the Hub re-established their own currency, the venerable bottle cap, backing it with water (exchanging a standardized measure of water for caps).[Non-game 6][Non-game 7]

By 2281, the NCR dollar is valued at about 40% of a water-backed cap[22] and only 10% of a silver Legion Denarius. In the Mojave Wasteland, these notes can be seen in the $5, $20, and $100 denominations. The notes are issued by the Republic Reserve Bank located in Angel's Boneyard. In 2281, the current Treasurer of the Republic and head of the NCR Treasury is John Michael Henderson, whose signature can be found on the front face of all NCR notes found in the Mojave Wasteland.[23]

Mine scrips[]

FO2 Morningstar Mine Scrip

The town of Redding uses Morningstar mine scrips and Kokoweef mine scrips as secondary currency, supplementing NCR dollars.

Legion money[]

Main article: Legion currency

Caesar's Legion uses two forms of currency, named for coins used by the Roman Empire. They are minted by the Legion from scavenged silver and gold, with each coin bearing the profile of Caesar.[Non-game 10]

Despite Caesar's poor relations with the other factions in New Vegas, Legion currency is still accepted as payment in the Mojave Wasteland, owing to the rare precious metals that they consist of.[Non-game 11] The exchange rate is 4 bottle caps to 1 denarius, and 100 bottle caps to 1 aureus.

Denarius

The denarius (silver), which bears an image of a younger Caesar on the obverse and Caesar, Joshua Graham and Bill Calhoun on the reverse. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Caesar Dictator" meaning "Dictator Caesar" or "Absolute Ruler Caesar" on the front and "Magnum Chasma" meaning "Great Abyss" or "Great Fissure" on the back, referring to the Grand Canyon. The symbolism is simple - the denarius commemorates young Caesar's journey to the Canyon and his first victories as a dictator of the Grand Canyon tribes.

Aureus

The aureus (gold), which bears the portrait of the older Caesar on one side and the symbol of the wider Legion, the bull, on the other. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Aeternit Imperi" meaning "For the eternity of the empire" on the front and "Pax Per Bellum" meaning "Peace through War" on the back.

Nuka-Cade token[]

FO4NW Nuka-Cade token
Main article: Nuka-Cade token

In the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World, Nuka-Cade tokens are used to play arcade games in the Nuka-Cade. Up to 30 can be purchased from Fritsch for caps or with pre-war money via token dispensers, with one stack equating to three tokens.[24]

Legendary scrip[]

LegendaryScrip
Main article: Legendary scrip

In Fallout 76, Legendary scrip is accepted by Purveyor Murmrgh in exchange for legendary gear and special crafting components. Scrip may be obtained as quest rewards or by depositing unwanted legendary items in a legendary exchange machines.

Treasury Notes[]

Treasury note
Main article: Treasury Note

In Fallout 76, Treasury Notes can be exchanged at a gold press machine for 10 gold bullion each. Outside of special community events, up to 20 notes may be exchanged every 20 hours, with the clock resetting after the first exchange of the new 20-hour period. Treasury Notes are obtained as a reward for completing public events or from daily quests offered by the Settlers and Raiders factions.

Claim tokens[]

FO76 Token
Main article: Claim token

In Fallout 76, claim tokens are used to redeem prizes from the Claim token exchange terminal located outside abandoned mine shaft Elaine and abandoned mine site Kittery. They are acquired by completing Lode Baring.

Mr. Fuzzy tokens[]

FO76 Token
Main article: Mr. Fuzzy token

In Fallout 76, Mr. Fuzzy tokens are used to redeem prizes from the Camden Park Company Store terminal. They are acquired by completing Lucky Mucker, Dross Toss and The Chow Line.

AmmoPoints[]

Main article: AmmoPoints

In Fallout 76, AmmoPoints are used to exchange ammunition using a Ammo Converter. Depositing bulk quantities of unwanted ammunition will add points to the account, which may then be spent to obtain a more desired ammunition type.

Brotherhood scrip[]

BrotherhoodScrips
Main article: Brotherhood scrip

Brotherhood scrip is a currency used only by the Brotherhood of Steel for trade within the Brotherhood. Brotherhood traders accept only this currency with the exception of some outsider traders that are present in most bases and accept ring pulls.

Ring pulls[]

RingPulls
Main article: Ring pull

Ring pulls are used as currency by people in the area of Chicago. They are tabs from soda cans. Ring pulls can be found all over the settlements in early missions and traders will accept them. There are usually some outsider traders in Brotherhood bases who will accept ring pulls as well.

Behind the scenes[]

Developer quotes[]

Fallout: New Vegas
Unlike Pre-War money, Legion Money and NCR Money are not affected by the Barter skill. I.e. $5 NCR is always worth 2 caps and a Legion Aureus is always worth 100 caps. I don't think I ever suggested some Bardi-esque currency inflation/speculation gameplay, just that the different factions had different forms of currency and that each was 'backed' differently: caps are water-backed by Hub merchants due to the decline of the inflated NCR fiat currency and Legion money is not 'backed' at all, but of value due to the use of commodity rare metals. The currencies are there for flavor and to reflect something larger about the societies that use them.J.E. Sawyer

References[]

  1. The Courier: "I have a right to know more."
    Robert House: "That's simply not true. I am the only person to hold any rights pertaining to the Chip. I designed it, and I paid for it - dearly. To develop that Chip, I spent a sum of U.S. dollars - not the bottle caps that pass as currency these days - but a sum beyond counting. For decades, I paid salvagers to comb the ruins for it. And when it was finally discovered, tens of thousands of caps spent to have it brought here. We know how that turned out. Complete your contract and it will be the last time I pay for the Chip. Save your questions for then."
    (Robert House's dialogue)
  2. Presidential sub level terminal entries; maintenance department terminal, Log Entry AK197872
  3. G.A.S. prize certificate; second prize
    Note: 50 pre-War money is given to the player character by the Mr. Prize-bot in this random encounter. As the grand prize is $100,000, this would indicate each stack represents $2,000.
  4. Skylanes smuggling manifest
    Note: The hidden compartments in the Skylanes flights both contain 25 pre-War money. As the cargo is described as containing $2,500, this would indicate each stack represents $1,000.
  5. Scavenger: "Damn, no caps! Looks like there is almost 200 dollars in here though. I guess it'll make good kindling."
  6. Fallout 76 loading screens: "Durable, easy to carry, and quickly recognizable, the Nuka-Cola bottle cap is one of the most common currencies used by traders in post-war America."
  7. Borous: "*{Quiet, trying not to embarrass himself}What? Like... stuff? Things?*"
    Klein: "YES. THINGS.
    Borous: "*{Quiet, skeptical}I don't know... might be some old Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla bottlecaps lying around. It... It's not "currency" per se... Still, might be enough to trick the Sink's trade routines. Mobius put that test line for caps in the code as a debug command, I think.*"
    Dala: "I don't believe that was Mobius' reason. His wild speculation concerning post-holocaust economic systems was quite extensive. And of high decibel."
    Klein: "ENOUGH! SURRENDER THESE SO-CALLED BOTTLECAPS, NUKA AND SUNSET ALIKE. IN THEIR ROLE AS THINGS, THEY WILL SERVE AS ADEQUATE TEST SUBJECTS."
  8. Demetre Romara: "{118}{}{We pay 600 hub bucks a job! That's each way! Hell, people say we take all the dangerous routes but I say they're the most excitin'! You need a little excitement in your life, am I right? Of course I am!}"
    (Demetre Romara's dialogue)
  9. Caravan driver: "{106}{}{You'll get 400 hubbucks. You might be sayin' that it ain't that much, but we go out often and you ain't gonna lose your life that easy. But you get that pay going each way, not that you have to go each way, but you'll get a total of 800 if you do. }"
    (Caravan drivers' dialogue)
  10. Jasmine: "{118}{}{Well done, lad. Here's your reward. [Jasmine gives you 3000 bucks]}"
    (Jasmine's dialogue)
  11. Aradesh: "{238}{Ara_41}{Of course, I will reward you. Bring her and you will receive 500 in Hub Script. Will you help me?}"
    (Aradesh's dialogue)
  12. Referred to as such by Lorri, Justin Greene, Decker, Keri Lee, Hub cops, caravan drivers and guards in Fallout.
  13. 13.0 13.1 The Courier: "What makes a bottle cap genuine?"
    Alice McLafferty: "Lots of little things - the paint on the label, the machining, the type of metal it's made from. I know there's counterfeit caps floating around, of course. Fortunately, they're very time-consuming to make, so the numbers are small."
    (Alice McLafferty's dialogue)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Pressing Matters
  15. The Vault Dweller: "{134}{}{Tell me more about bartering.}"
    Katrina: "{139}{}{Bartering is the exchange of goods. You give me some items, and I give you items in trade. Since you initiated the barter, I will let you pick and choose what you want. But the deal must be one that I think I will like, so you will probably want to give me more valuable goods that you don't need in exchange for less expensive things that you want. And if you don't have enough items to trade, there are always caps. Bottle caps are the only common money found out here. The caps are backed by the merchants of the Hub, so you can trade them anywhere.}"
    (Katrina's dialogue)
  16. The Whitespring Resort terminal entries; Candy Shoppe Office terminal, Staff Bulletin, October 2077
  17. Whitespring concierge: "To celebrate the release of Nuka-Cola Quantum, The Whitespring has partnered with the Nuka-Cola Corporation to accept bottlecaps at all of our shops. For a limited time, you can take advantage of some truly amazing deals if you have the caps."
    (Whitespring concierge's dialogue)
  18. Appearance and gameplay mechanics in Fallout 2.
  19. The Courier: "Are new bottle caps ever made?"
    Alice McLafferty: "Certainly. Bottle caps do wear out or get damaged. Some people even insist on using bottle caps in explosive devices for some reason. We make it a point to scour Pre-War bottling plants and recover or disable the bottle cap presses. It seems we missed one."
    (Alice McLafferty's dialogue)
  20. Vault City travel log: "The territories of NCR are located far to the south of Vault City. Trades mechanical equipment, gold, and various surplus products in exchange for Vault City medical technology. "
    Note: Only the NCR trades in gold; other cities - Redding and New Reno - trade in gold ore, indicating NCR processing.
  21. All paper bills state Not Payable in Specie"
  22. The Courier: "You don't get paid in caps?"
    Chomps Lewis: "Nope. The NCR's been trying to switch over to using paper money, like in the Pre-War days. Trouble is that the exchange rates ain't exactly fair. For example, a hundred bucks in NCR money is valued at roughly half that in caps around here. Seems like a rotten deal for us, but work is work."
    (Chomps Lewis' dialogue)
  23. Appearance of NCR dollar bills.
  24. Sole Survivor: "Please tell me that you sell the tokens."
    Fritsch: "Of course I do, but that isn't the only way you can get them. You can also get tokens from the pre-war token machines in the Nuka-Cade, but they only take pre-war money."
    Fritsch's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Rulebook p.84: "Pre-War money can still be found, but it’s more of a novelty or collector’s item these days. Those stacks and bundles of green banknotes can be traded for a tidy little stack of caps if you know who to sell them to, and there are a few places— often with still-functioning vending machines— which still accept these old notes as money."
  2. Fallout Bible 0: "2093 The Hub is founded by a man named Angus, who sets up camp around a filthy oasis in the desert, and he proceeds to begin trading with other settlements."
  3. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 May 22 Increasing mutant attacks on Harold's caravans cause Harold to get so pissed he finances one of the first adventuring parties of Fallout to try and find out where these dagnab mutants are coming from. Consulting with a scientist and doctor at the Hub, a man by the name of Grey, the two of them decide to join forces."
    "2102 June 23 Richard Grey's Expedition [including Harold] finds the Mariposa Military Base and the Expedition is scattered and defeated by mutants at the base. Grey is knocked into one of the vats of FEV by a robotic arm, and Harold is knocked unconscious, only to awaken later out in the wasteland."
    "2102 June 27 Harold, already mutating, is found by traders and taken back to the Hub. His former caravan partners and employees, horrified by his condition, abandon him and he is soon left without even two bottlecaps to rub together."
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "And this is discussed in-game: BoS raided NCR's gold reserves until NCR could no longer generate gold coinage nor back their paper money. They abandoned the gold standard and established fiat currency, which is why its value is inflated over both caps and (especially) Legion coinage. (...) People in eastern NCR and the Mojave Wasteland lost faith in the NCR government's a) ability to back the listed value of paper money and b) stability overall. If you're living in Bakersfield, staring at a piece of paper that says "redeemable for value in gold" and you have no faith in the government's ability or willingness to do that -- or if you see that the government has changed the currency to say that it is not able to be exchanged for a backed good -- you may very well listen to the strong consortium of local merchants offering to exchange that paper note for currency backed by water."
  5. 5.0 5.1 Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "Traders from the Mojave travel the Short Loop into NCR, which means that they have to go through a few hundred miles of solid desert. Carrying enough water to travel from New Vegas to the Boneyard (or vice versa) would undercut cargo capacity significantly. Even the communities around the Mojave Wasteland (other than New Vegas itself) have water brought in and stored in local towers. Of course, the Colorado River is nearby as long as you don't mind walking through an active war zone."
  6. 6.0 6.1 Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "'How does the Hub 'back' caps? Can you exchange a certain number of caps for a standard measure of water?' Yes."
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "It happened during the BoS-NCR war. I believe Alice McLafferty mentions it, but I'm not positive. She doesn't detail the events in this much detail, but here they are:
    The attacks caused NCR citizens (and others who held NCR currency) to panic, resulting in a rush to reclaim the listed face value of currency from NCR's gold reserves. Inability to do this at several locations (especially near the periphery of NCR territory where reserves were normally low) caused a loss of faith in NCR's ability to back their currency.
    Though NCR eventually stopped the BoS attacks, they decided to protect against future problems by switching to fiat currency. While this meant that BoS could no longer attack a) reserves or b) the source of production (all NCR bills are made in the Boneyard), some people felt more uneasy about their money not having any "real" (backed) value. This loss of confidence increased with NCR inflation, an ever-looming spectre of fiat currency.
    Because the Hub links NCR with the Mojave Wasteland and beyond, the merchants there grew frustrated with NCR's handling of the currency crisis. They conspired to re-introduce the bottle cap as a water-backed currency that could "bridge the gap" between NCR and Legion territory. In the time leading up to the re-introduction, they did the footwork to position themselves properly. If some old-timer had a chest full of caps, they didn't care (in fact, they thought that was great, since the old-timers would enthusiastically embrace the return of the cap), but they did seek to control or destroy production facilities and truly large volumes of caps (e.g. Typhon's treasure) whenever possible."
  8. Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Rulebook p. 84: "Gold still has value for the reasons it always did— it’s rare, relatively inert, and looks nice. Often found in jewelry and other fine items, but also as coins (old, or newer ones from a failed attempt to produce a new currency) or in heavy ingots (gold bullion). Most people consider accepting gold, unless they’re travelling: gold is heavy and cumbersome."
  9. Fallout 2 manual: "Not all trade is done by pure barter. Some of the towns are printing money again. Money makes a great way to store lots of value, since it is very lightweight and takes up no real room in your inventory. When you have the chance, convert your heavy loot into portable cash."
    Note: This is cross-referenced with the later reference where Joshua Sawyer states that BoS raided NCR's gold reserves until NCR could no longer generate gold coinage, explaining the origin of the gold coins in Fallout 2.
  10. Joshua Sawyer on Something Awful Forums: "Gold and silver have low melting points. They don't need to mine for it if they find it in some other form."
  11. "Unlike Pre-War money, Legion Money and NCR Money are not affected by the Barter skill. I.e. $5 NCR is always worth 2 caps and a Legion Aureus is always worth 100 caps. I don't think I ever suggested some Bardi-esque currency inflation/speculation gameplay, just that the different factions had different forms of currency and that each was 'backed' differently: caps are water-backed by Hub merchants due to the decline of the inflated NCR fiat currency and Legion money is not 'backed' at all, but of value due to the use of commodity rare metals. The currencies are there for flavor and to reflect something larger about the societies that use them." J.E. Sawyer
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