I once read, and I do not remember where, that the Nephite coin system was the most efficient coin system possible. I think it might have been an old FARMS paper or something. I am a bit skeptical of such a claim, because proving something like that would be quite a mathematical feat. And once one set up the equations or simulations they well may have stacked things in favor of the system in question.

But something that can be easily done is comparing the Nephite coin system with other systems in a brute force way. So I would like to compare the Nephite coin system to the American coin system in terms of efficiency in making change. Efficiency will be defined as using the least amount of coins to make a given amount of change. I will compare the number of coins needed for amounts from 1 to 25 cents. After that I believe patterns would begin repeating. I will only assume the Nephite coins are in amounts of 1, 2, 4, and 7 without corresponding 10, 20, 40, and 70 amounts. American coins have a value of 1, 5, 10, and 25. I will keep a tally of the number of coins for each system, and an accumulative advantage of the leading system.

Ready, set, go.

Amount        AM      NM      Advantage

     1                 1           1               E
     2                 2           1             NM+1
     3                 3           2             NM+2
     4                 4           1             NM+5
     5                 1           2             NM+4
     6                 2           2             NM+4
     7                 3           1             NM+6
     8                4            2            NM+8
     9                5            2            NM+11
   10                1            3            NM+9
   11                2            2            NM+9
   12                3            3            NM+9
   13                4            3            NM+10
   14                5            2            NM+13
   15                2            3            NM+12
   16                3            3            NM+12
   17                4            4            NM+12
   18                5            3            NM+14
   19                6            4            NM+16
   20               2             4            NM+14
   21                3             3           NM+14
   22               4              4           NM+14
   23                5            4            NM+15
   24               6              5           NM+16
   25               1             4            NM+13

Well, there you have it. For smaller amounts of money the Nephite system clearly wins. But if this continues, the powerful quarter and dime will even things up. So the early advantage of the Nephite system will not last very long if we do not add larger coins like the 10, 20, 40, and 70 which may not have existed.

But even if large coin values did exist, and the Nephite coin system were the most efficient system, would that be meaningful to anybody? Would this imply that God had revealed the monetary system? Would this lend credibility to a translation by Joseph Smith? Would this make the Book of Mormon more true?