Coin
- This article is about the trademark coins of the Super Mario franchise. For other uses, see Coin (disambiguation).
- Not to be confused with Koin.
| Coin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from Mario Kart World | |||
| First appearance | Mario Bros. (1983) | ||
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (Ver. 3.2.0, DK Island & Emerald Rush, Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary event) (2026) | ||
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- “You're a pretty greedy little coin-grubber, aren't you?”
- —Pianta, Super Mario Sunshine
Coins are the main currency of the Mushroom Kingdom, and a common collectable item in many games of the Super Mario franchise. Coins have varying effects depending on the game type: In platformer games, they increase a player's score and grant extra lives; in racing games, they increase speed and recovery times; and in role-playing games and a few other games, they can be used to purchase items. The golden variety is the most common throughout the series, and is part of a family of multicolored coins that comprises Red Coins and Blue Coins among others, each with varying properties depending on game appearance. The Super Mario coin is most frequently depicted with an "I", the Roman numeral for one, stamped on both of its faces. Other stamp variants have appeared across the franchise, with some games featuring a star, as well as coins with Yoshi's face appearing in titles starring him.
History[edit]
Mario Bros.[edit]
Coins in Mario Bros. emerge from the top pipes after defeating an enemy. They slide along surfaces until they reach a bottom pipe. They can be obtained by either touching them or hitting them through the floor, earning the player 800 points as a dollar sign displays briefly. Coins are also in bonus stages, where the player character has the goal of collecting ten suspended midair within the time limit, earning a perfect bonus multiplier if they succeed.
VS. Wrecking Crew / Wrecking Crew[edit]
In the Bonus Stages of VS. Wrecking Crew, the player must find the hidden coin within the time limit. In two-player mode, players compete in searching for the coin, and the port Wrecking Crew features Foreman Spike as the rival.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels / Super Mario Bros. Deluxe[edit]
Coins are the most common items in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, appearing hidden inside of blocks and in midair in every level. Coins are worth 200 points when collected, and collecting 100 coins gives the player an extra life.
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario Advance[edit]
Coins in Super Mario Bros. 2 appear only in Sub-Space from plucking grass, and they are used in the Bonus Chance game after the level.
Super Mario Advance introduces Ace Coins, five of which are obtainable in every level.
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Coins in Super Mario Bros. 3 retain the same basic purpose as in Super Mario Bros., rewarding an extra life when 100 are collected. They can also be obtained from the N-Mark Spade Panel minigame. Introduced in this game are Switch Blocks, which turn Brick Blocks into coins and vice versa, sometimes also causing Blue Coins to appear. Coins are also in the 2-Player battle mode, where the player who collects five wins. In the Family Computer and NES version only, a dollar sign ($) at the bottom of the screen represents any coins collected.
In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, thrown objects (like shells or Ice Blocks) can pick up coins in this version, being worth double if obtained this way. Activating the Orange Switch e-Reader card causes any enemy hit by fireballs into coins, as in Super Mario World and its remake. There are also Advance Coins in World-e levels only, and they function like the Dragon Coins in Super Mario World.
Super Mario Land[edit]
Coins in Super Mario Land often appear in Mystery Blocks and mostly in secret stashes or bunches.
Coins have a different sound effect than the usual one introduced in Super Mario Bros., being a lower-pitched version of the Game Boy start-up sound.
Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
- “YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!”
- —Coins message in Funky, Super Mario World
The coins of Super Mario World function similarly as the previous games, but they can now spawn from enemies defeated from fireballs by Fire Mario or Yoshi. These coins move on the ground after appearing. If these coins are not collected, the enemies respawn offscreen. Jumping on a yellow Koopa Troopa also forces a coin to appear from its shell. Control Coins are coins that can be manipulated into moving to certain directions. Everything that Yoshi swallows also count towards Mario's coin total.
The game adds a few varieties of coins: Gray Coins, which some enemies turn into when a Gray P Switch is active; Bonus Coins, ten of which can be collected from a Yoshi Cloud for a 1-Up Mushroom; Dragon Coins, where collecting all of them in a level rewards an extra life; and Peach Coins, which replace Dragon Coins after obtaining all of them in Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 only.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
Coins have the same typical role while platforming in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins, but they can also be spent at the casino for extra lives and power-ups. The number of coins wagered correlates to the payout of the prizes.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Coins, also named Yellow Coins,[1][2] are common in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. Unlike in preceding games of the series, coins now have a star-shaped symbol and can restore Mario's lost health and his oxygen supply while underwater. Coins appear from defeated enemies, and number that appear depends on the enemy type. There are also Red Coins, which are worth two coins, and Blue Coins, which are worth five coins.
Mario gains an extra life for every 50 coins he collects each time he completes a mission and returns to the Mushroom Castle, but only up to three lives (no more than 150 coins). Collecting 100 coins in a course grants Mario a Power Star. The highest number of coins collected in a course are tracked on the score screen.
In Super Mario 64 DS, instead of animated 2D sprites, coins are fully modeled in 3D and, as a result, look octagonal. Yoshi is able to stick out his tongue and swallow coins to obtain them.
- Sources of coins in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS
| Source | Amount and value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Goomba |
 1
|
The Goomba will release the coin once defeated. |
Mini Goomba |
1
|
The Mini Goomba will release the coin once defeated. However, if the Mini Goomba runs into the player, it will disappear and not release a coin. |
Mega Goomba |
1 or  1 (5)
|
Stomping on the Mega Goomba will release one coin, but ground pounding it will make it release a Blue Coin. |
 Bob-omb |
1
|
The Bob-omb will release the coin once it explodes. Bob-ombs respawn when the player walks away from them, but if the player has already defeated it, they will not drop another one. Bob-ombs that come out of ! Blocks in Super Mario 64 DS never release coins. |
 Chuckya |
5
|
The Chuckya will release five coins once defeated. |
 Unshelled Koopa |
1 (5)
|
The Unshelled Koopa will release the blue coin once defeated. |
 Small Koopa Troopa |
1 (5)
|
The Small Koopa Troopa will release the blue coin once defeated. |
 Piranha Plant |
1 (5)
|
The Piranha Plant will release the blue coin once defeated. Piranha Plants respawn when the player walks away from them, but if the player has already defeated it, they will not drop another one. |
Small Piranha |
1
|
The Small Piranha will release the coin once defeated. |
Big Fire Piranha |
2
|
The Big Fire Piranha will release the coins once defeated. |
 Whomp |
5-10
|
Jumping on a Whomp's back will make it release a coin at a time until five coins have been released. Ground pounding the Whomp will release a further five coins, for a potential total of ten. |
 Mr. Blizzard |
3
|
The Mr. Blizzard will release the coins once defeated. |
 Spindrift |
3
|
The Spindrift will release the coins once defeated. |
 Boo |
1 or 1 (5)
|
The Boo will release its coin or blue coin when defeated. It is possible to tell which type of coin a Boo will release when defeated by looking at it, upon which the Boo will turn transparent and its coin will be visible inside the Boo. |
 Mr. I |
1 (5)
|
The Mr. I will release the blue coin once defeated. |
 Scuttlebug |
3
|
The Scuttlebug will release the coins once defeated. Scuttlebugs who repeatedly hop out of pits will only give coins the first time they are defeated. |
 Swoop |
1
|
The Swoop will release the coin once defeated. |
 Snifit |
2
|
The Snifit will release the coins once defeated. |
 Bully |
1
|
The Bully will release a coin into the air after it sinks in the lava. |
 Fly Guy |
2
|
The Fly Guy will release the coins once defeated. |
 Pokey |
1 (5)
|
The Pokey will release the blue coin once defeated. |
 Moneybag |
5
|
The Moneybag will release the coins once defeated. |
 Skeeter |
3
|
The Skeeter will release the coins once defeated. |
 Lakitu |
5
|
The Lakitu will release the coins once defeated. |
 ! Block |
1, 3, 5, or 10
|
Some ! Blocks dispense coins when struck. |
 Block |