Latinum


 * "Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever."
 * - 102nd Rule of Acquisition

Latinum is a rare silver-colored liquid used as currency by the Ferengi Alliance and many other worlds. It cannot be replicated. For ease of transaction, latinum is usually suspended within gold as a binding medium to produce "gold-pressed" latinum. 

Denominations of gold-pressed latinum, in order of increasing value, include the slip, the strip, the bar and the brick.

Latinum items

 * Renewal scroll inscription pens : Quark was selling renewal scroll inscription pens during the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. The pens were latinum-plated.


 * Hair brooch : Lwaxana Troi's latinum hair brooch was stolen while she was on Deep Space 9 in 2369.


 * Tooth sharpener : Quark had to use wooden chew-sticks while Rom used a latinum tooth sharpener when they were children.


 * The Divine Treasury : Quark states that the Divine Treasury is made of pure latinum.


 * Bucket : Quark suggests that Odo could have a latinum-plated bucket to sleep in.


 * Waste extraction fixtures : According to Nog, the waste extraction fixtures in the Nagal Residence are plated with latinum. Quark suggests that, if made Grand Nagus, he would (rather indulgently) replace them with solid latinum fixtures.


 * Bajoran earring : Maihar'du gives Kira Nerys a latinum Bajoran earring.

Slips
One hundred slips of gold-pressed latinum are equal to one strip. 


 * 1 slip : Ferengi put one slip of gold-pressed latinum into the throne of the Grand Nagus.


 * A Ferengi traditionally pays a toll of one slip of latinum per head upon entering the house of another Ferengi.


 * Quark gives Brunt one slip of latinum 'for his troubles' during his visit on behalf of the Ferengi Commerce Authority.


 * Quark pays his Bajoran employees one slip of latinum a day during the Cardassian Occupation.


 * 2 slips : Quark puts two slips of gold-pressed latinum in to his bust of the Blessed Exchequer, adding another two when making an extra request.


 * Quark offers two slips to the first Ferengi to reach the infirmary.


 * 3 slips : In the Tower of Commerce in 2372, it cost three slips of gold-pressed latinum to sit down.


 * 7 slips : In the Tower of Commerce in 2372, it cost seven slips of latinum to use the elevator. Quark exclaims that this is more expensive than it was on his previous visits to the tower.


 * 8 slips : Quark sells a sick Changeling to Odo for eight slips of latinum. When he thought it was dead he asked for five slips and when he thought it was alive he increased this to ten slips, finally leveling the deal at eight because it was "sick".


 * 10 slips : Quark charges Rom ten slips of latinum for a crate of root beer to be given to Nog.


 * In the last game of tongo that Jadzia Dax plays with Quark she wins with a Full Consortium and is owed ten slips.

Strips
Twenty strips are equal to one bar of latinum. 


 * 1 strip : Quark says that a strip of latinum would pay for a couple of spins of the dabo wheel.


 * Nog and Jake Sisko plan to play dom-jot for a strip of latinum a go.


 * 2 strips : Doctor Orpax, one of the most expensive doctors on Ferenginar, charges two strips of latinum just to walk into the waiting room.


 * With two strips Elim Garak almost buys Jadzia's freedom from a Cardassian guard during the Occupation of Bajor.


 * On Cardassia IV, an overseer is offered the services of Kira Nerys for two strips of latinum.


 * 3 strips : Quark asks for three strips of latinum for one memorial disk of Plegg.


 * Nog offers to sell his pyjamas to Rom for three strips of latinum but settles for two.


 * Jadzia Dax staked Thomas Riker three strips of gold-pressed latinum when his winning streak ran dry, thinking he was William T. Riker.


 * During a game of tongo, Jadzia Dax stated that the purchase price would be three strips.


 * Quark owed Jadzia Dax three strips of latinum.


 * 5 strips : During a game of tongo, Jadzia Dax stated that the opening risk would be five strips.


 * A cadet's uniform from Garak's shop for Nog cost Rom five strips of latinum.


 * 8 strips : During a game of tongo, Jadzia Dax stated that the sell price would be eight strips.


 * 10 strips : Nog sells the holosuite program A Visit with the Pleasure Goddess of Rixx to Jadzia Dax for ten strips of latinum, who then gives it to Julian Bashir as a gift.


 * 14 strips : Quark pays a dabo girl 14 strips of latinum on payday.


 * 15 strips : Jadzia Dax wins fifteen strips of latinum off of Quark in a tongo game.


 * 17 strips : A dress from Garak's shop would cost seventeen strips of latinum, but Quark offers twenty for it.

Bars
One bar of gold-pressed latinum is equal to twenty strips or 2,000 slips of latinum. 


 * 1 bar : Tiron pays Quark one bar of latinum and a precious jeweled ring for a custom holosuite program. Apparently, this is quite generous, as Quark suggests that he could "move into a holosuite" with that much latinum.


 * 2 bars : Jadzia Dax loses two bars in a tongo game.


 * 3 bars : Ishka made three bars of gold-pressed latinum by investing in a Hupyrian beetle farm.


 * Quark pays three bars of gold-pressed latinum for the wreckage of a ship that crashed in the Gamma Quadrant.


 * 4 bars : Nog predicted that he could earn four bars of gold-pressed latinum from selling 5,000 wrappages of Yamok sauce.


 * 5 bars : The Noh-Jay Consortium traded seven tessipates of land on Bajor for five bars of gold-pressed latinum.


 * Nog's life savings in 2373 equaled five bars of gold-pressed latinum.


 * Yranac asks for five bars of gold-pressed latinum in exchange for sharing information.


 * Quark wagers Vash five bars of latinum that Benjamin Sisko would win a fight against Q.


 * Quark accepts five bars of latinum to retrieve a strongbox from Deep Space 9 for Pallra.


 * Quark says that five bars of latinum will buy him five Nausicaans, a fast ship and very few questions to break Rom out of the Dominion's cells.


 * Quark estimates (possibly generously) that a day's business in his bar is about five bars of latinum.


 * Morica Bilby received a wage of five bars of latinum a week for services rendered as a shipping consultant. The salary increases to ten then twenty and finally thirty bars a week.


 * 7 bars : Quark offered to take the Promethean quartz-like lifeform off of Vash for seven bars of gold-pressed latinum rather than to auction it off.


 * 10 bars : Bidding for the Verathan statue in Quark and Vash's auction started at ten bars.


 * Elias Giger paid ten bars of gold-pressed latinum for an Andorian chest containing a pre-Surak Vulcan bracelet, a 6th century Bajoran mandala, a 23rd century ion-transtator and a Willie Mays baseball card from Earth dated 1951.


 * Rom concedes that ten bars of latinum is an overly generous finders fee.


 * Quark offers Pel ten bars of latinum to help start a new life.


 * Quark offers to sell one hundred gross of self-sealing stem bolts to Emi for ten bars of latinum.


 * 12 bars : When William Riker becomes the only customer in Quark's to win triple down dabo, Quark gives him vouchers for twelve bars of latinum.


 * 18 bars : Quark reluctantly increased the amount he would pay Vash for the Promethean quartz-like lifeform from seven bars to eighteen, which Vash declined.


 * 20 bars : Krax sells one memorial disk of Zek for twenty bars of latinum, suggesting it will double in price within a year.


 * During an evacuation of Deep Space 9, Quark offers twenty bars for a seat on a transport off the station, increasing this from an original offer of five, followed by ten.


 * 22 bars : One of Quark's customers didn't pay a "rather extensive" bar tab that came to twenty-two bars including the interest it accumulated. Quark said, although he would be offered eight bars, he would accept twelve.


 * 30 bars : Quark's last offer to Vash for the Promethean quartz-like lifeform was thirty bars, which Vash declined.


 * 36 bars : Quark sells an item in his auction of Vash's finds to a buyer called Kolos for thirty-six bars of latinum.


 * 40 bars : Bidding for a knife in Quark and Vash's auction started at forty bars.


 * 50 bars : Zek offered a reward of fifty bars of gold-pressed latinum for the return of Ishka.


 * 105 bars : Quark sells an item in his auction of Vash's finds to his cousin Stol for one hundred and five bars of latinum.


 * 151 bars : Quark sells a necklace (an item in his auction of Vash's finds) to a buyer called Rul the Obscure for one hundred and fifty-one bars of latinum.


 * 189 bars : Zek can buy two thousand tons of Kohlanese barley for one hundred and eighty-nine bars of latinum.


 * 199 bars : Quark sells 42 of the 80 Rings of Paltriss to Ashrock for one hundred and ninety-nine bars of gold-pressed latinum.


 * 200 bars : In late 2374, Quark made a profit of 200 bars of gold-pressed latinum when he sold Denevan crystals to a Nausicaan entrepreneur.


 * Vash suggests that they start the bidding for one of her artifacts from the Gamma Quadrant at two hundred bars of latinum.


 * 350 bars : Vash predicts the value of the Promethean quartz-like lifeform at around 350 bars of gold-pressed latinum, rather than Quark's prediction of seven bars.


 * 500 bars : In 2373, Brunt bids 500 bars of gold-pressed latinum for all 52 disks of Quark's remains.


 * 600 bars : On stardate 47182.1, Quark attempted to evacuate with six hundred bars of gold-pressed latinum.


 * 1,000 bars : Ah-Kel and Ro-Kel intend to charge one thousand bars (non-negotiable) for an 'ornately carved metal sphere'.


 * Janel Tigan said that the broken waveguide in 14-3-A would make him lose one thousand bars a day.


 * 3,000 bars : A buyer called Kolos offers three thousand bars for an item from the Gamma Quadrant in an auction of Vash's finds.


 * 5,000 bars : Rom offers to buy Quark's Bar for five thousand bars of gold-pressed latinum, although he expected Quark to haggle up to at least eight thousand.


 * 1,000,000 bars : Q offers one million bars of gold-pressed latinum for the boxed quartz from Vash's collection (although we're sure he was insincere about his bid).


 * 10,000,000 bars : Gaila offers ten million bars of gold-pressed latinum to Quark in an attempt to keep him in the world of weapon sales.

Bricks



 * 60 bricks : Brunt bribes Quark with sixty bricks of gold-pressed latinum to make him financial adviser to the Nagus.


 * 100 bricks : After Morn faked his death and used Quark to get rid of his cohorts, he regurgitated 100 bricks worth of latinum as compensation.


 * 1,000 bricks : During the Lissepian Mother's Day Heist that took place on Lissepia in 2365, 1,000 bricks of gold-pressed latinum were stolen. Larell had told Quark that Morn had won the 1,000 bricks of gold-pressed latinum in the Lissepian Lottery.

Further values

 * Seventeen bars, three strips, and five slips : The total of Rom's life savings in 2373 and the amount he bids for Quark's remains.


 * Thirteen kilograms : Tahna Los gives Lursa and B'Etor thirteen kilograms of latinum in exchange for a canister of bilitrium.


 * Three cases : The dowry for the wedding of Tholian Ambassador that visited Deep Space 9, stolen while at the station.


 * A case : All the latinum in Quark's possession at the time of an evacuation of Deep Space 9 can fit in one case.


 * Values to be evaluated:

Comparative values
The following provides comparison on the value of latinum for specific items. Further details of each item may be seen above.


 * Clothing :
 * Cadet's uniform - 5 strips
 * Dress from Garak's Clothiers - 17-20 strips


 * Life savings :
 * Nog - 5 bars
 * Quark - 600 bars
 * Rom - 17 bars, 3 strips and 5 slips


 * Wages :
 * Morica Bilby - 5-30 bars a week
 * Quark's employees during the Cardassian Occupation - 1 slip per day
 * Quark's dabo girls on DS9 - 14 strips per pay cycle (undetermined)


 * Profits :
 * Janel Tigan - more than 1,000 bars a day
 * Quark - 5 bars a day


 * Holosuite programs :
 * A Visit with the Pleasure Goddess of Rixx - 10 strips
 * Custom holosuite program - 1 bar


 * Cost of Quark's Bar (Purchased by Rom)
 * 5000 Bars

Apocrypha
Star Trek: Armada II depicts the natural form of latinum occurring in sparse nebulae in a form that can be harvested. The Federation uses it for trade, while the Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, and Cardassian Union also use latinum for research. The Borg do not use it, and Species 8472 converts it into biomatter.

External link


Latinum ラチナム Latinio