Coin

Coin is a resource in Age of Empires III, obtained by various means. It is primarily used as a form of currency and replaces the resource gold from previous titles in the series.

Acquiring coin
Coin can be found and acquired through a large number of ways, some depending on the civilization that a player chooses.

Mines
Coin can be mined from four different types of deposits. These are Tin Mines, Copper Mines, Silver Mines, and Gold Mines. Tin Mines hold, Silver and Copper Mines each hold , and Gold Mines hold. To mine coin, all a player must to do is task a Villager (or any other resource gathering unit) on the mine and the unit will automatically mine from it. Gathering rates can be improved with Market upgrades and Home City shipments.

Whaling
Players can fund their military efforts by assigning Fishing Boats to gather coin from various animals of the sea such as Humpback Whales, Beluga Whales, and Minke Whales. Each spot can supply an infinite amount of coin, but only up to four Fishing Ships may gather from a single spot at a time. Whaling is slower than mining gold, copper, and silver but is recommended for a late game supply of gold when mines are depleted. Gather rates can be improved from Home City shipments and via Dock upgrades.

Buildings
There are a couple buildings that can be used to generate coin.

All civilizations are able to produce coin through either Rice Paddies (Asian civilizations) or Plantations (European civilizations and Native Americans). These buildings have upgrades which make for faster gather rates and there are also cards that can be sent from the Home City to improve the gather rates.

Banks are buildings that are unique to the Dutch civilization. There is a limit to the number of Banks that the Dutch can build. Home City Cards allow for cheaper Banks, better Bank generation rates, and a higher Bank build limit. The Japanese are also able to build a single Bank. To do this, the player must ally with the Dutch through the Consulate and pay 400 export to receive a Bank Wagon that can be turned into a Bank. However, this Bank will not be able to be upgraded and no more can be built.

Factories can be built by all European civilizations as well as some other civilizations, such as the Chinese and Indians (campaign only). European civilizations can build up to two Factories that can be improved with researchable technologies at the Factory. For the Chinese or the Indians to receive a Factory, the player must ally with the Russians at the Consulate. India cannot ally with Russia outside of the campaign, however. For 800 export, the player can send a Factory to their Home City shipment point.

The Capitol building does not produce coin, however this building (for European civilizations, Town Center for expansion civilizations) can be used to research Excessive Taxation, which will increase gather rates for coin production and provide a +2 limit to Banks for the Dutch.

Shrines can be built by the Japanese and can be configured to automatically produce coin. The generation rates can be increased through a few Home City Cards as well as by building the Toshogu Shrine.

Wonders such as the Toshogu Shrine and the Porcelain Tower will also automatically produce resources. The Toshugu Shrine will boost the rates of other Shrines as well as act as a powerful shrine itself. These resources will be deposited directly into the players stockpile. The Porcelain Tower will produce resources in increments of 300 which will be represented as crates spawning around the base of the structure. Both can be configured to generate coin.

Trade
Trade is another way to acquire coin. Players can sell wood or food in exchange for coin. The Advanced Markets card can be sent from the Home City to improve the exchange rates between resources.

Treasures
The player can also get coin from finding Treasures. Treasures can award units, XP, bonuses, food, wood, and coin.

Allies
The player can get coin from friendly players. Demands can be sent to computer players for instant payments of coin or for many amounts over time. In multiplayer, players can also ask teammates for some spare coin if they have run out.

Other methods
Building Trading Posts on Trade Routes is another way to obtain coin, and produce around 40 coin each time a Stagecoach or Trade Cart passes a single Trading Post, and 48 each time a Train passes.

Building Trading Posts at some Minor civilization settlements can enable coin gather rate improvements, and at a Mapuche settlement to gain 1 crate of coin for every two minutes the game has lasted, up to thirty minutes (1500 coin) in the Fortress Age.

The Home City Card Capitalism, available to the Spanish, Germans, and Ottomans in the Discovery Age, grants a permanent trickle of 1.25 coin per second, or 75 a minute. This is equivalent to 2.1 Settlers or Villagers, 1.7 Coureur des Bois, or Cree Coureur des Bois, or 1.1 Settler Wagons gathering from a mine without any gather rate bonuses. For this reason, it is of questionable use, as the 3 Settler cards available to those civilizations are unlocked by the time this card is available, and can be tasked on gathering coin instead. However, there are two conceivable uses: The first is if three Discovery Age shipments are rapidly earned (most realistic with the Spanish), instead of sending a 2 Settler card, a resource crate, resource gather rate card, or saving the third shipment for the Colonial Age. The second is to free up 1-2 Settlers to garrison a Town Center (9.9-19.8/11-22 damage) temporarily in order to damage or kill early game scouts (all possess 10% ranged resistance), or assist in turning back a rush with the assistance of a Minuteman force without damaging the economy too badly.

Selecting the Germans as an ally for the Chinese at the Consulate will grant an upgrade identical to the above mentioned Capitalism in the Industrial Age. However, it is superior due to the fact it does not require a Home City shipment, only 350 Export (to select the Germans, then buy the upgrade).

Age of Empires III also offers the option of Home City shipments as a means to get extra coin. Once selected, coin arrives in the form of chests to the shipment point which by default is Town Center. Villagers must work on them to unpack them to the coin supply.

Civilization differences:
 * Every civilization can ship the 300 Coin card infinitely in the Discovery Age.
 * Every civilization may ship the 600 Coin card and 700 Coin card in the Colonial Age.
 * The Ottomans also ship and share with allied players TEAM 600 Coin card in the Industrial Age.
 * Every civilization except the Spanish may ship the 1000 Coin card in the Fortress Age.
 * The Ottomans may also ship and share with allied players the TEAM 1000 Coin card in the Industrial Age.
 * The Portuguese and Russians may ship the 1600 Coin card in the Industrial Age.
 * The Ottomans may ship and share "TEAM Silk Road" card which will increase all the coin, food, and wood shipping containers above from 100 to 130 among allied players as well.
 * Every shipment card can be unlocked among the New World Trading cards in the consequent order as listed below, except for the Ottomans.
 * The Ottomans' 700 Coin and TEAM 600 Coin cards both require the 600 coin card to be unlocked.
 * The 1,000 Coin card needs the 700 Coin card to be unlocked.
 * "TEAM Silk Road" requires the 1000 Coin card to be unlocked.
 * "TEAM 1000 Coin" needs the "TEAM 700 Coin" card to be unlocked.

Cheats
Coin can also be obtained by entering the cheat code give me liberty or give me coin. Doing so instantly grants +.

Gather rates
This table shows the initial gathering rates.