The original author is unknown. This was reformatted and editted by me.
How many coins can realistically fit into a container?
All coins described here are 3/4“ by 1/12”
| Coin | lb/coin | Coins/lb |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | .03 | 33 |
| Gold | .02 | 50 |
| Electrum | .0175 | 57 |
| Silver | .015 | 67 |
| Copper | .01 | 100 |
All values are approximations for silver coins. Weight capacities are based on the DMG. The Max Coins collumn is the maximum based on weight.
| Container | Stacked | Loose | Max Wt | Max Coins | Dimentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small chest | 70000 | 65000 | 40lb | 2500 | 2'x1'x1' |
| Large chest | 440000 | 380000 | 100lb | 6500 | 3'x2'x2' |
| Small basket | 35000 | 30000 | 10lb | 650 | 1'x1'x1' |
| Large Basket | 280000 | 250000 | 20lb | 1250 | 2'x2'x2' |
| Backpack | N/A | 180000 | 50lb | 3200 | 3'x2'x1' |
| Sm. beltpouch | N/A | 1000 | 5lb | 320 | 4“x6”x2“ |
| Lg. beltpouch | N/A | 1500 | 8lb | 500 | 6”x8“x2” |
| Small sack | N/A | 20000 | 15lb | 950 | 1'x1'x8“ |
| Large sack | N/A | 130000 | 30lb | 1900 | 2'x2'x1' |
| Sm. saddlebag | N/A | 16500 | 20lb | 1250 | 1'x1'x6” |
| Lg. saddlebag | N/A | 25000 | 30lb | 1900 | 18“x1'x6” |
| Small barrel | 55000 | 50000 | 150lb | 9500 | 2'x1' |
| Large barrel | 110000 | 100000 | 500lb | 32000 | 4'x2' |
| Iron pot | 4500 | 4000 | 60lb | 4000 | 6“x8” |
Just to show you how unrealistic a container packed with coins is, some simple math shows that a large chest full of stacked coins would weigh 8800lb. Such a container could never be lifted without breaking, and would probably break long before anyone tried to lift it.
Most of the containers above are made out of wood, with metal supports. An iron chest would hold signifigantly more than a wooden one, but the chest itself would add a huge amount to the overall weight.
Most of the above containers are not built to carry coins. In order to reach the max weight capacity, it is necesarry to properly distribute weight.