  Take
a look in your pocket and you're sure to find a copper coin or two.
And if you go to your local coin shop, you can view ancient coins
- many still in fine condition -made with this timeless metal.
Since the beginning of civilization, copper was used to make coins
for currency. And today, countries all around the world are replacing
lower denomination bills with copper-based coins - because the coins
can last 10, 20, and even 50 times longer!
In the British Commonwealth, when many nations went off the Gold Standard,
they unintentionally initiated a Copper Standard for coins of all
values. This is particularly the case throughout the British Commonwealth.
Before World War One, silver money was about 99 1/4 % pure, the rest
being copper. But as the value of silver increased between the two
world wars, the copper content of British silver coins increased to
50%.
After 1945, the great rise in the price of silver made it necessary
even to call in these coins. In 1947, a cupro-nickel currency with
75% copper and 25% nickel was introduced.
Copper money in the British Commonwealth currently contains approximately
95.5% copper, 3% tin and 1.5% zinc. The three penny pieces are of
brass, containing 79% copper, 20% zinc, and 1% tin.
Total world production of copper coins absorbs thousands of tons of
copper every year. The Royal Mint in London alone minted 700 million
bronze and cupro-nickel coins in one recent year, representing nearly
7,000 tons of metal.
Beginning in 2002, the copper Euro coin will be introduced in Europe.
This will significantly increase the consumption of copper for coinage.
The 1- Euro coin will have an outer ring of 75% copper, 20% zinc,
and 5% nickel (a golden color); the center will be 75% copper and
25% nickel (silvery) clad over nickel. The 2- Euro coin will have
the opposite color scheme, with an outer ring of 75% copper/25% nickel
surrounding a center having the 1-Euro's golden alloy clad over nickel.
In the USA. The new "golden dollar" coin and the new quarters commemorating
each state are made mostly of copper. The US Mint projects that annual
production of the new dollars, which are 88.5% copper, could reach
1 billion, far surpassing the Susan B. Anthony dollars, of which only
900 million were coined in 21 years. The new dollar coin has a copper
core. The gold color comes from a manganese brass that is composed
of 77% copper, 12% zinc, 7% manganese, and 4% nickel. The nickel and
manganese were necessary to reduce copper's conductivity so that the
coins could have an electromagnetic footprint that would be accepted
by electrically-activated vending machines.
Tokens and medals. Coining presses are also used to make vast numbers
of copper badges, tokens, and medals. Copper and brass tokens are
used in slot machines, amusement games, public transportation, bridge
tolls, laundry machines, and commemorative medallions. |
