Elements Used in Coins

History

• Cent coins were made out of pure copper when they were first minted in 1793. In 1837, the U.S. Mint switched to bronze which is an alloy containing 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. Between 1857 and 1864 the alloy was changed to 88% copper and 12% nickel before returning to bronze again. The cent stayed that way until 1943 when copper was desperately needed to help fight World War II. That year the cent was made out of steel coated with a thin layer of zinc. After that, bronze was used again until 1962. All the zinc was removed leaving cents made of 95% copper and 5% zinc. In 1982, the rising price of copper prompted the U.S. Mint to change the composition of the cent to 97.5% zinc and just 2.5% copper.

Features

• Before a nickel was called a nickel, there was a coin called a half dime that was worth five cents. They were minted between 1794 and 1873, and were made from silver. For seven years, the U.S. Mint produced two kinds of five-cent coin. In 1866 they introduced the "nickel." It was called that even though it is just 25% nickel. The rest of it is made out of copper. The elements in a five-cent coin remained constant ever since, except for three and a half years during World War II. From mid 1942 until 1945, five-cent coins were made from 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese.

Types

• The dime, quarter and half dollar coins were originally made from silver. This explains why a dime is smaller than a nickel or cent. Silver is a more valuable metal so a smaller amount of it is worth more than the metals in a nickel or cent. Silver prices skyrocketed in the mid 1960's. Since 1965, dimes and quarters have been made from an alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel surrounding a pure copper core. This is called a "clad" coin. Silver content of the half dollar was reduced to 40% that year. By 1971, all the silver was removed from half dollars and they also became clad coins.

Potential

• The U.S. Mint made dollar coins on and off between 1804 and 1935. These were composed of one ounce of silver. Between 1971 and 1978, a similar sized dollar coin with Dwight Eisenhower's portrait was produced in a clad composition. Between 1979 and 1981 then again in 1999, a smaller clad dollar coin was made with Susan B. Anthony's portrait. In 2000, a new golden dollar coin was introduced. It was also a clad coin but contains 88.5% copper, 6% zinc, 3.5% manganese and 2% nickel. It features portraits of Sacagawea and U.S. Presidents.

Identification

• The U.S. Mint produced legal tender gold coins from 1795 to 1933. These were in denominations of $1, $2.50, $3, $5, $10 and $20. They contain 90% gold and 10% silver. This mixture makes the gold coins hard enough to handle and hold their shape. The U.S. Mint currently makes bullion and collectible coins in gold, silver and platinum. These are not legal tender coins and have value based on their precious metal content.