Mr. Wick pores over his treasure trove of coins.
You may be looking for a simple answer, and I'm a simple man. The coins appear to be one ounce stamped coins, and in today's gold market as of September 11th, 2021, an ounce of melt gold goes for $1630.85. So there you go, article over, the cash value of the coin has been explained in the most simple terms. Use them anywhere! They open doors, buy silence and weapons, even a drink. When a contract is put out, it's always in real world dollars. Never are coins used outside the industry of the Wick Universe to pay for anything truly tangible.. sort of.
It's not that simple.
I've watched the John Wick movies back to back at least five times now. I like modern fantasy, I think this counts. There is a certain majesty to the underworld they created, the freeness of it all, but still has a super strict set of rules; Rules based on respect. Earned or otherwise. These coins are less about the actual cost of the coins, but more accurately represent a token of respect given and respect earned. The inscription on the coin reads: "End Causa Sui," or "Something generated within itself." and on the reverse: "ex Unitae Vires," or "Out of unity comes strength."
"It represents the commerce of relationships, a social contract in which you agree to partake." -Barrada
Let's think about it completely different for a moment. Take the the whole 'Gold is Worth X' out of the equation and out of your thoughts.. pretend they are wood instead for the sake of this paragraph. Treat the coins as if they each can be traded for a favor, and favors in this world are worth everything. One coin opens a door, one coin is one drink, one coin buries people for you, it's all over the place on what exactly the perceived value is, but if you have the mindset each coin is a personal favor, the viewpoint drastically changes. The coin or favor token change depending on the movie as well. In the first film the coins represented entry and access to exclusivity, the second film a "Marker" is used to represent the ultimate favor, above all else, a forbidden contract known to all. The third movie the Rosary is used to brand the flesh, and is honored even after John Wick is considered banned or, Excommunicado, so is even above the coins and markers.
Still hard to wrap your mind around.
He tipped someone, got a cache of guns, paid for a drink, opened a door, nights in an exclusive swanky killers resort that offers 24hour security.. the list goes on and on. At one point in the second movie, a man shows Wick a map of the ruins for his next kill and gives him a handful of coins as a reward. Hide some bodies? Here is a whole handful. Internal coinage for Assassins currency has to be hell to keep track of. How do they enter circulation? We see Winston looking them over, and learned that high table doles out the coins in the third installment. Can you buy them? I would say you could, if you could buy a life with money and/or coin, then it works the other way around as well, even if we can't seen it. Who cares if the coins are tokens of respect and considered favors in the business, getting a peak at a map is not worth six full assassin favors.
The rules don't apply everywhere, and to everyone.
Like anything in life, some people just don't give a shit, plain and simple. The Bowery has no use for the Gold Coins, does not respect the foundation of the underworld as most people see it. They reject the reality of this universe, and substitute their own. Lawrence Fishbourne passes on 7 Million dollars easily, and in the second movie, you can see him passing tables with heaps of money on everyone being counted and collected. They deal in dollars, and favors to them have no representation in coins or anything else.
Did we cover it all? I think so. I didn't do much research for this, I'm just watching the movies again and thought it would be as interested to explore. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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