Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination

Unit
Nickname	Quid
Demographics
User(s)	None

The Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination (QUID) is a proposed "space currency" created as a viral marketing campaign launched by Travelex with the London-based public relations and advertising firm, talkPR. The full name is a backronym from 'quid', a slang term for the British Pound.^[1] The campaign stated that Travelex was launching a new form of money for space tourists that had no sharp edges, was chemically inert, and had other advantages over paper money.^[1]

The QUID

After coming up with the idea of a space-money campaign, talkPR and Travelex contacted the National Space Centre, whose employees were presented with a number of mockups made by the campaign artists and were asked to select one.

The end result was a series of circular clear discs with colored centers, symbolizing the eight planets of the Solar System inside, and denominations ranging from 1 to 10.^[1] Each quid coin would have its own unique code number, similar to the serial number on paper currency, to allow tracking, and to prevent counterfeiting.^[1] Travelex stated it planned to work with the Bank of England to begin registering the QUID as possible legal currency in the future.^[1]

On October 5, 2007, a one-page press statement announcing the QUID was released and placed on the United Press International press release newswire.^[1][2] The campaign was launched in the midst of intense press coverage of the Virgin Galactic news. The story was picked up by major news agencies in the UK,^[3][4][5] and soon after, the US.^[6][7] Science magazines and technological blog writers weighed in on the topic, calling it "useless" and "nonsense", further spreading the story.^[6][7][8]

Statements by members of the NSC and the University of Leicester (who started the NSC) were added to the campaign release.^[1] When the campaign concluded, NSC received the resulting coins and put them on display in their Space|Now display.