Coin

> “For some reason, Coins appear when you smash enemies! Don’t think about it too hard, Einstein! There are some supernatural phenomena in the world that just can’t be explained!!”
>
> Wario-Wario Land 4

Coins (sometimes known as 1 Gold Coins or Yellow Coins, also called Mushroom coins in the Beanbean Kingdom) are the main currency of the Mushroom Kingdom. They can be collected in most Mario games. They 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 RPGs, they can be used to purchase items, all among other uses.

## History

### Mario Bros.

Coins first appeared in Mario Bros., where they are a rather uncommon item compared to later games. After defeating an enemy, they come out of the pipes and slide along the floor. If obtained, they give Mario or Luigi 800 points. A dollar sign ($) briefly appears whenever a coin is collected.

## Mario Kart series

### Super Mario Kart

In Super Mario Kart, coins are found on each course. Collecting them makes the Karts' top speed faster, though they reach their maximum top speed with ten. When a player jostles another driver, falls off the course, or gets hit by an item (such as a Red or Green Shell), the player loses one, two, or four coins (unless they have less than that), respectively. Jostling a driver without having any coins results in sliding. Coins also appear as items which give the player two extra coins.

### Mario Kart: Super Circuit

In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, coins have the same function as the ones in Super Mario Kart, but without the extra-coin item. There is an option in this game to remove the coins, but it is only applicable to Quick Run mode. There are 50 coins scattered in every track. Unlike the first game, a buzzer will go off if the player has 1 or 0 coins.

### Mario Kart DS

In Mario Kart DS, coins are present only in Mission Mode, where players have missions to get all the coins in a course. They are varied and they can be formed either in a pattern in a battle course or a single line in a race course. The fourth boss fight of that mode, which pits Peach against King Boo, requires her to collect 50 coins while she avoids him.

### Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

In Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, coins can be collected in races, similar to Super Mario Kart and later games. They make the player speed up. Coins can be gained/lost by jostling other racers.

### Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii only has coins during the all new Coin Runners battle game. Players collect them by driving into them, but if they get hit by an item, the players lose coins. The team who has the most coins after the three minutes are up wins. In various coin-collection tournaments, players must collect the set amount to finish the mission.

### Mario Kart 7

In Mario Kart 7, coins return during races, working like they did in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Unlike that game, however, coins collected will respawn on the track seconds later, racers can only have up to ten coins per race, and jostling other racers doesn't affect one's coin count or cause skidding if one does not have any coins. Also, racers will always lose three coins if they are hit by items or fall off the track (excluding being hit by fireballs, which makes them drop one coin, and if they have two or less). In addition to improving a Kart's top speed, collecting a coin also causes a very small speed boost. Starting with this game, every 50 coins still collected at the end of the race will unlock kart parts for the player's vehicle. A glitch causes it to be possible for the player to end the race with more than 10 coins, as long as they don't get hit before finishing, then all coins exceeding the limit will be "destroyed". This exploit allows it to be possible to unlock a new kart part every time a player completes a cup. The Coin Runners Battle Mode also returns, but with a two-minute time limit and it can be played solo; the race courses' max coin limit also applies in this mode.

### Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Coins return in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, serving the same purpose as in Mario Kart 7. Unlike in that game, players can once again hold more than ten coins, though only in Coin Runners in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Vehicle parts are unlocked by collecting coins from races, Time Trials, online races, and battles (the latter only in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). Coins collected by additional players are counted (only in the original game). Coins will count towards the player's coin total only for completed matches -- if the player collects coins then quits during a match, the coins from that race will not be added to their coin total. The Coin item from Super Mario Kart also returns, working as it did in that game. Due to an update in August 2014, it is now possible to view the exact number of coins collected through matches.

On Hyrule Circuit, coins are replaced with Rupees, on Animal Crossing, they are replaced with Bells, and on Urchin Underpass, they are replaced with Cash, the currencies of the series of origin (The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon, respectively). On Mute City and Big Blue, coins are not present on the track, but are instead, obtained from driving over recharge strips on the track, knocking them out of rival racers, or from Item Boxes.

### Mario Kart Tour

Coins appear in Mario Kart Tour, where they work in a similar manner to previous entries. In this game, the counter displays more than ten coins per race, like in Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and coins from Item Boxes are automatically used. However, coins do not provide any speed advantages to the player during races. The player is given points for every coin they get in a race. Red and Blue Coins also appear in Gold Rush and various challenges, and are worth two and five coins, respectively, as in Super Mario 64. Up to 300 coins can be earned from races daily, or 600 if the user is subscribed to the Gold Pass. Coins can be used in the shop to buy drivers, karts, gliders, item tickets and point-boost tickets.

The following gliders increase the chance of getting coins from Item Boxes and points from collecting one.