Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki
Fo4-pre-war-money
Gameplay articles
Fallout 3Pre-War money
Fallout: New VegasPre-War money
Fallout 4Pre-War money
Fallout 76Pre-War money
Fallout ShelterCut content Pre-War money
MSJ Pay Now, Get Better Later

The United States dollar,[1] commonly called pre-War money, was the official currency of the United States of America before the Great War. In post-nuclear United States, they were superseded by various other forms of currency, principally bottle caps, but also NCR dollars, legion coins, and various forms of scrip.

They appear as a bound stack of banknotes in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.

Background[]

United States dollars (USD) were the pre-War currency of the United States of America.[2][3] Pre-War money appears as a bound stack of banknotes, and is used to represent undisclosed large sums of cash.[4][5] Although the United States and its economy were eliminated in the Great War, automated pre-War vendors such as those at the Sierra Madre Casino & Resort or the Nuka-World amusement park continued to recognize the validity of the dollar.[Non-game 1] Outside of this limited usage, pre-War money is essentially worthless in the wasteland, its value lying entirely in its utility as scrap paper or kindling.[6]

Various coin denominations, such as pennies, dimes, and quarters, are mentioned throughout the games via dialogue and text, such as a 50-cent cost printed on the front of pay phones and 25-cent cost on the magazine vending machines. $20 bills appear most prominently in the games,[7] with $100[8] and $200 denominations mentioned.[9]

Prices throughout the series[]

Throughout the wastelands, pre-War costs and totals of various products, including foodstuffs, vehicles, literature, and entertainment, are shown.

Named prices
Item Price Games Refs
Corvega Coupe $199,999.99 Fallout [10]
Vault 13 construction costs $400 billion (projected)
$645 billion (actual)
Fallout [Non-game 2]
Penalty for private use of a Vault-Tec notebook $50 Fallout 2 [Non-game 3]
Calculator's backup systems in Vault 0 $24 billion
$2.3 billion (after cuts)
Fallout Tactics [Non-canon 1]
Vault 0 leisure amenities $12.4 billion Fallout Tactics [Non-canon 1]
Gasoline per gallon $7450.99 (regular)
$8500.99 (premium)
Fallout Tactics [Non-canon 2]
Giddyup Buttercup $16,000 Fallout 3 [11]
Pulowski Preservation shelter Approx. $1.50 per use ($0.25 in concept art) Fallout 3 [12]
Violation of the New Amended Espionage Act $500.00 Fallout 3 [13]
Capitol Post newspaper $56.00 Fallout 3 [14]
D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine $48.00 Fallout 3 [15]
Big Ranch Nevada State Lotto Jackpot $11,000,000 Fallout: New Vegas [16]
Slots $50 Fallout: New Vegas [17]
Mr. House's claimed net worth at 30 years old, c. 2050 $30,000,000,000 Fallout: New Vegas [18]
Sierra Madre Casino & Resort chip $100.00 Dead Money [19]
Astoundingly Awesome Tales $29.00 per issue Fallout 4 [20]
Boston Bugle $56.00 per issue Fallout 4 [21]
Boylston Club annual membership fee $500,000 Fallout 4 [22]
Vehicle coolant from a Red Rocket station $103.99 (Class A coolant)
$113.99 (Class C coolant)
Fallout 4
Fallout 76
[23]
General Atomics Galleria bowling $5,000.00 per game Fallout 4 [24]
Grognak the Barbarian $23.00 per issue Fallout 4 [25]
Guns and Bullets $33.00 per issue Fallout 4 [26]
Hot Rodder $35.00 per issue Fallout 4 [27]
Joe's Spuckies Meatball Spuckie/Large Tonic special $55.00 Fallout 4 [28]
La Coiffe $43.00 per issue Fallout 4 [29]
Live & Love $39.00 per issue Fallout 4 [30]
Pay phone use $0.50 per call, $0.25 for emergency calls Fallout 4 [31]
Picket Fences $32.99 per issue Fallout 4 [32]
RobCo Fun $40.00 per issue Fallout 4 [33]
Slocum's Joe large coffee/jelly donut special $30.00 Fallout 4 [34]
Tesla Science Magazine $35.00 per issue Fallout 4 [35]
Unstoppables $15.00 per issue Fallout 4 [36]
Bio med gel Approx. $1,000.00 per pint Automatron [37]
Harbor Grand Hotel $118,764.32 per night (including tax/fees) Far Harbor [38]
Vim! Pop factory attractions Tours and Tasting, $70 (adult), $60 (child), $55 (group)
History of Vim, $40 (adult), $30 (child), $25 (group)
Far Harbor [39][40]
Vim! Pop Incorporated quarterly gross income (Oct. 1 to 23) $72,047,501 Far Harbor [41]
Bulk seafood for Vim Captain's Blend Approx. $10,000 Far Harbor [42]
Cappy ashtray Small: $20.00, Large: $30.00 Nuka-World [43]
Cappy's Candy Cigarettes $5.00 per pack Nuka-World [43]
Nuka-World off-site parking $15.00 an hour Nuka-World [44]
Slocum's Joe donuts $22.00 each, $200.00 per dozen Creation Club [45]
Slocum's Joe coffee Single espresso: $12.00, Large coffee: $15.00, Cappuccino: $17.00, Double espresso: $18.00 Creation Club [45]


Appalachian Prosperity Act $2.6 Billion Fallout 76 [46]
Potential fine for improper Watoga Emergency Services report filing $1,000.00 Fallout 76 [47][48][49]
West Virginia "Lucky Hits!" Lottery Company Jackpot $300,000.00 Fallout 76 [50]
Great Appalachian Sweepstakes 2nd Prize $100,000.00 Fallout 76 [4]
Watoga Estates real estate $134,000 Fallout 76 [51]
Cranberry Heights office real estate $220,000 Fallout 76 [52]
Rockwell Clearing House cash prize $100,000,000.00 Fallout 76 [53]
Slocum's Joe coffee $28.00 Fallout 76 [54]
Newspaper $1.00, Monday - Friday Fallout 76 [55]
Refueling for the Kovac-Muldoon orbital satellite Est. trillions Fallout 76 [56]
Parking meter, per minute $0.01 Fallout 76 [57]
Lemonade $50 Fallout 76 [58]
Project Siphon holotape $15,000,000 Fallout 76 [59]
West Virginia "Lucky Hits!" Lottery Company lottery ticket $5.00 Steel Dawn [60]
Donation quota for The Sanctum $155,000 Expeditions: The Pitt [61]
Solcum's Joe gift card for top contributor $300 Expeditions: The Pitt [61]

Variants[]

Green seal[]

Pre-war money
Gameplay articles: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas

A stack of pre-War bills, bound with a green band.

Red seal[]

Fo4-pre-war-money
Gameplay articles: Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Shelter

A stack of pre-War $20 bills, bound with a red band.

Notes[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • In Fallout, bottle caps were designed to be equivalent to the US dollar, at a 1:1 exchange rate, as noted in several comments in dialogue files:
    • HEATHER.MSG: "caps are a form of money. equivalant to a dollar each"
    • HUNTER.MSG: "1500 caps is equivalant to 1500 dollars. Children is considered male plural"
  • High-resolution textures for Fallout 4 identify the banknotes as $20 bills. The strap is placed over the portrait, but the design of the bill is based on the Series of 1905 $20 Gold Certificate, commonly known as the "Technicolor" note.

References[]

  1. Pioneer Scout camp terminal entries; Pioneer badge exam terminal: Atomics Fan
  2. The Courier: "I have a right to know more."
    Robert House: "That's simply not true. I am the only person to hold any rights pertaining to the Chip. I designed it, and I paid for it - dearly. To develop that Chip, I spent a sum of U.S. dollars - not the bottle caps that pass as currency these days - but a sum beyond counting. For decades, I paid salvagers to comb the ruins for it. And when it was finally discovered, tens of thousands of caps spent to have it brought here. We know how that turned out. Complete your contract and it will be the last time I pay for the Chip. Save your questions for then."
    (Robert House's dialogue)
  3. Presidential sub level terminal entries; maintenance department terminal, Log Entry AK197872
  4. 4.0 4.1 G.A.S. prize certificate; second prize
    Note: 50 pre-War money is given to the player character by the Mr. Prize-bot in this random encounter. As the grand prize is $100,000, this would indicate each stack represents $2,000.
  5. Skylanes smuggling manifest
    Note: The hidden compartments in the Skylanes flights both contain 25 pre-War money. As the cargo is described as containing $2,500, this would indicate each stack represents $1,000.
  6. Scavenger: "Damn, no caps! Looks like there is almost 200 dollars in here though. I guess it'll make good kindling."
  7. High-resolution textures for Fallout 4 identify the banknotes as $20 bills. The strap is placed over the portrait, but the design of the bill is based on the Series of 1905 $20 Gold Certificate, commonly known as the "Technicolor" note.
  8. Thoughts of the day
  9. File:MSJ Pay Now, Get Better Later.png
  10. Fallout intro
  11. Giddyup Buttercup poster
  12. Coin chute on model
  13. Tenpenny Tower terminal entries; DCTA emergency access terminal
  14. File:Fo3 Loading 9.png
    File:Fo3 Loading 10.png
    File:Fo3 Loading 11.png
  15. File:Fo3 Loading 23.png
  16. Big Ranch lotto billboard
  17. Nv slotmachine-minigame03.dds texture file
  18. The Courier: "Attack me and you risk destroying the Chip."
    Robert House: "By the time I was 30 years old, I was a billionaire 30 times over. I founded and ran a vast economic empire. Do you really think I'm going to let an upstart come into my home and ransom my property to me? I spent two centuries searching for the Platinum Chip. It's my invention, my property - mine. Now be a good courier and deliver it!"
    (Robert House's dialogue)
  19. The Courier: "Uh... 1 Chip for 1 Pre-War Bill."
    Hologram vendor: "[You place the bill on the counter. A panel rotates, and the bill is replaced with a single Sierra Madre Chip.]"
    (Hologram vendor's dialogue)
  20. File:Astoundingly Awesome Tales collage.png
  21. Boston Bugle volume 12
  22. Boylston Club terminal entries; Boylston Club terminal, Boylston Club Membership Policy
  23. Fallout 4 and 76 Red Rocket coolant price sign
  24. Tenpin: "Here to bowl? Just five thousand dollars a game!"
    (Tenpin's dialogue)
  25. Grognak the Barbarian covers
  26. Guns and Bullets covers
  27. Hot Rodder covers
  28. Joes Spuckies poster
  29. La Coiffe cover
  30. Live & Love covers
  31. Pay phone world object render
  32. Picket Fences cover
  33. RobCo Fun cover
  34. Slocum's Joe large coffee/jelly donut special poster
  35. Tesla Science Magazine covers
  36. Unstoppables cover
  37. RobCo Sales & Service Center terminal entries; brain extraction terminal, Div03-BE-0112
  38. Harbor Grand Hotel terminal entries; safe room terminal, View Bill
  39. Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; tour terminal, Factory Tour and Tasting
  40. Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; tour terminal, History of Vim Presentation
  41. Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; Madison's terminal, Quarterly Earnings Report
  42. Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; R & D terminal, [MYoung] - Weird expense reports?
  43. 43.0 43.1 Bradberton terminal entries; Little Nuka Gift Shop, New Products!
  44. Bradberton terminal entries; Little Nuka Gift Shop, Off-Site Parking
  45. 45.0 45.1 Slocum's Joe Menu prices
  46. Voter services terminal; voter services terminal, Active Ballot Measures
  47. Watoga Emergency Services terminal entries; emergency report terminal, File Police Report
  48. Watoga Emergency Services terminal entries; emergency report terminal, File Medical Report
  49. Watoga Emergency Services terminal entries; emergency report terminal, File Fire Report
  50. Lucky Hits! lottery recording
  51. Watoga Estates real estate
  52. Cranberry Heights office real estate
  53. Junk mail
  54. Slocum's Woes
  55. News stand
  56. The Whitespring bunker terminal entries; archival terminal, Kovac-Muldoon: Final Report
  57. Parking meter
  58. Mr. Squeeze lemonade stand
  59. Sugar Grove terminal entries; advanced research terminal, CX-15 "SIPHON" - Data Exfiltration Program
  60. Lottery ticket
  61. 61.0 61.1 Memo to team
  62. The Lone Wanderer: "I have a collection of pennies with Lincoln's face on them."
    Hannibal Hamlin: "I suppose these have some small value to the faithful. I'll give you 15 caps for it."
    (Hannibal Hamlin's dialogue)
  63. The Lone Wanderer: "I have a collection of pennies with Lincoln's face on them."
    Leroy Walker: "Not exactly something that will rally slaves, eh? I'll give you 15 caps for it."
    (Leroy Walker's dialogue)
  64. The Lone Wanderer: "I have a collection of pennies with Lincoln's face on them."
    Abraham Washington: "Pennies, eh? That's the old money they used long ago. Well, any artifact from American history would benefit the museum. How about 15 caps for the lot of them?"
    (Abraham Washington's dialogue)

Non-game

  1. Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Rulebook p.84: "Pre-War money can still be found, but it’s more of a novelty or collector’s item these days. Those stacks and bundles of green banknotes can be traded for a tidy little stack of caps if you know who to sell them to, and there are a few places— often with still-functioning vending machines— which still accept these old notes as money."
  2. Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p.1–1: Important Vault statistics
  3. Fallout 2 manual page footers

Non-canon

Advertisement