History Main / WeirdCurrency

* ''Super Snail'' from [=QCplay=] Limited has black tadpoles as it's main currency with white tadpoles being reserved for premium items. Tadpoles are used because they store large amounts of DNA which is valuable in a world that has significant biotechnology.

* ''Fanfic/WhenReasonFails'': The Contribution Points that a Black Course student earns can be redeemed for yen or used to buy things on the school's online shop, which gives them real value among the students and is the basis of the internal economy of UA's Black Course.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', the town of Dirt uses water as currency, as they are in the middle of a desert.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':

** ''VideoGame/FalloutTactics'', which is of questionable canonicity, has locals around Chicago use the ring pulls off of soda cans instead. This can be problematic, as Brotherhood of Steel vendors only accept Brotherhood scrips and wasters only accept ring pulls. Both have identical value for gameplay reasons, but players need to be careful about who they sell items to, lest they find themselves needing to trade with someone who finds all of your money worthless.

** Ankh-Morpork goes through a brief period of using stamps as currency between the transition from gold-plated coins to paper money.

** In-universe, there's pre-War money, primarily American dollars. Selling it gets a pittance of caps most of the time, but some automated pre-War vending systems will accept them in place of caps. The only places it's really useful are the Sierra Madre casino, where it can be exchanged for chips to gamble with, and the Nuka-Cade, where they can be exchanged for tokens which are worth 1 cap each. Otherwise, it's only good for either kindling or crafting material.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Early editions have it so that Larvae (NeutralEvil souls) are used as currency by the denizens of the lower planes, especially the Night Hags. 5th Edition introduces Soul Coins, which are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin coins forged from souls that devils have acquired]]; they are used both as high-value currency and as a method of powering certain diabolic machinery.

** Physical objects are extremely difficult to move between the Corporeal, Ethereal, and Celestial planes, and neither Heaven, Hell, nor the Ethereal spirits would ever recognize currency backed by any of the other factions. Consequently, the default currency in the setting is essence, the spiritual energy used by celestials, ethereal spirits and mortals alike to work supernatural acts. Accumulated essence can easily be transferred between willing individuals, and this has become the most common way to give and ask for recomposes for favors and services.

** Bottle caps are used, most prominently Nuka-Cola caps (though folks in the Mojave Wasteland accept Sunset Sarsaparilla caps), which can even be taken off of sealed bottles of soda when you drink them; effectively, anyone who buys a bottle of Nuka-Cola gets a 1 cap discount. Actually [[FridgeBrilliance quite clever when you think about it]], because not only are they harder to counterfeit than any coin or banknote that could be made in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, they're backed by the most valuable commodity in the region: clean drinking water. ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' made a temporary switch to gold coins minted by the New California Republic, but after the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed their gold reserves, everyone switched back to caps and new NCR paper fiat dollars are often worth less than half their face value in caps, at least in regions outside of the NCR's grasp such as the independent city-state of New Vegas (and the tribes around it).
** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' not only has a bottle cap counterfeiting shack in the middle of the Mojave Wastelands, but the head of the Crimson Caravan company sends you on a quest to the Sunset Sarsaparilla plant to shut down a bottle cap machine. There's been an influx of newly-minted bottlecaps, which means someone has the technology to make them. Making new caps is a common practice, since old ones get worn out and even used for [[AbnormalAmmo explosive devices]], but [[TruthInTelevision having too many new ones enter the economy is bad for inflation]].

* ''Pickle Pete'' by Frojo Apps uses pickles as the main currency. They serve as both [[MoneyIsExperiencePoints experience (but only those freshly picked from a slain enemy) and money for the level store]], however what the pickles get you is [[BagOfSpilling just temporary]] and only lasts until you beat the level boss. For permanent improvement, you earn gold for killing bosses and this more mainstream currency is used to buy randomized perks such as increased damage plus permanent items are rewarded so you don't start [[WithThisHerring with nothing]].

* ''Pickle Pete'' by Frojo Apps uses pickles as the main currency. They serve as both [[MoneyIsExperiencePoints experience and money for the store]], however what the pickles get you is [[BagOfSpilling just temporary]] and only lasts until you beat the level boss. For permanent improvement, you earn gold for killing bosses and this more mainstream currency is used to buy randomized perks such as increased damage plus permanent items are rewarded so you don't start [[WithThisHerring with nothing]].

* ''WebAnimation/DorklyOriginals'': In''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7C65duvdoQ&ab_channel=Dorkly The Money In Star Wars Is Awful]]'', because the machine that accepts imperial credits is down, the two patrons at the establishment tries other forms of currency, including Drugets[[note]]They stopped accepting them a few years ago[[/note]], Republic datears[[note]]Implied to be just another version of imperial credits, meaing the place cannot read them too[[/note]], Kyber crystals[[note]]Too little known[[/note]], whoopie whoopie[[note]]They stopped accepting them a few years ago[[/note]], pegats[[note]]Actually blood money[[/note]], man-calariman flan[[note]]Too fresh and smelly[[/note]], baton spira, nova crystal, Death Mary Spider silk, candy coin[[note]]Provided it comes with a copper room for the night[[/note]], corn credit, crystalliae vertex, wookie bucks, and sith hologram. At the end, one of the patrons provide a child as child labourer. It was accepted.

* ''Pickle Pete'' by Frojo Apps uses pickles as the main currency. They serve as both [[MoneyAsExperience experience and money for the store]], however what the pickles get you is [[BagOfSpilling just temporary]] and only lasts until you beat the level boss. For permanent improvement, you earn gold for killing bosses and this more mainstream currency is used to buy randomized perks such as increased damage plus permanent items are rewarded so you don't start [[WithThisHerring with nothing]].