Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Zorkmid
The zorkmid (abbreviated zm) is the fictional unit of currency in the Zork series of interactive fiction computer games. Infocom minted zorkmid coins for inclusion in The Zork Trilogy package released in 1987. They depict the image of Belwit the Flat, ruler of Quendor in 699 GUE. The date on the coin is an anachronism, as in the Zork timeline Quendor was not renamed the Great Underground Empire ("GUE") until 770.
 1 zm, obverse |
 1 zm, reverse, "In Frobs We Trust" |
 1 zm, gold, obverse, "Idwit Oogle", "857 GUE". As seen in Zork: Nemesis. |
 500 zm bill, obverse. As seen in Zork Grand Inquisitor. |
Denominations
These are the known denominations of zorkmid currency:
| Value | Type | Material | Shape | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 zm | coin | copper | round | Obverse depicts Belwit the Flat, 2nd ruler of the Flathead Dynasty, and the date 699 GUE. Reverse depicts Egreth Castle and the motto "In Frobs We Trust" |
| 1 zm | coin | gold | round | Obverse depicts Idwit Oogle Flathead, 11th king of the Flathead Dynasty, the date 857 GUE, and the motto "In Frobs We Trust" |
| 5 zm | coin | round | Also called a "quint-zorkmid" coin. It has a square hole in the center. Obverse bears the phrase "5 Zorkmids." | |
| 5 zm | bill | paper | Accepted in the change machine at the GUE Tech school. | |
| 10 zm | bill | paper | Accepted in the change machine at the GUE Tech school. | |
| 100 zm | bill | paper | Contains the motto "In Frobs We Trust." This bill is not accepted in the change machine at the GUE Tech school. | |
| 500 zm | coin | gold | ||
| 500 zm | bill | paper | A green paper bill which is accepted in the change machine at the GUE Tech school. | |
| 10,000 zm | coin | gold | octagonal | It bears the phrases "Ten Thousand Zorkmids" and "In Frobs We Trust". It is also a valuable collector's item. |
| 100,000 zm | bill | paper | Only one of these bills was ever printed, at the personal request of J. Pierpont Flathead. |
Other uses
The term "zorkmid" has since been adopted in NetHack and tends to make appearances in hacker-written games.
See also
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