Drams in the King James Bible are small gold coins, and almost every mention is about giving. When David prepares for the temple, he and his leaders give ten thousand drams of gold along with silver, brass and iron. Returning exiles do the same in Ezra 2: “They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work.” In Nehemiah 7 the governor, the heads of families and the people each add their share to rebuilding the wall and the worship. The totals differ, but the pattern is the same. Everyone gave something, and the work was shared by all.
6 verses
And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.
And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound of silver.
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments.
Matthew George Easton, 1897
The Authorized Version understood the word ‘adarkonim (1 Chr. 29:7; Ezra 8:27), and the similar word darkomnim (Ezra 2:69; Neh. 7:70), as equivalent to the Greek silver coin the drachma. But the Revised Version rightly regards it as the Greek dareikos, a Persian gold coin (the daric) of the value of about 1 pound, 2s., which was first struck by Darius, the son of Hystaspes, and was current in Western Asia long after the fall of the Persian empire. (See DARIC.)