Metal content?

Tre · 12-09-2004, 08:52 PM

First off I'd like to point out that I'm a world coin collector. I collect to touch the world, not to invest for value. I recently recieved a lot of coins from various African nations, all in those little cardboard flips. Written on the flip is the date, country, and denomination (but not the grade, oddly)

Some also have a set of letters on them:

SS.
CP
BR/STL
BR
AL

I'm guessing these are meant to indicate the metal to coin was minted from, but I'm not sure. Can anyone clarify?

susanlynn9 · 12-09-2004, 10:20 PM

I think you may be correct. I'm not sure about the "SS", but I would think that:
CP-Copper
BR/STL-Bronze-Steel (is this coin bi-metallic with an outer ring of a different material than the core?)
BR-Bronze
AL-Aluminum
Maybe someone else will have an idea of the "SS".

**GDJMSP** · 12-09-2004, 10:33 PM

SS = stainless steel.

susanlynn9 · 12-09-2004, 10:40 PM

Thanks, GD. I kept trying to make it work with "Silver" somehow.

collect4fun · 12-09-2004, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanlynn9

Thanks, GD. I kept trying to make it work with "Silver" somehow.

Would they make coins of Sterling Silver (SS) ?

**GDJMSP** · 12-09-2004, 11:36 PM

It has been done but rarely - and never a coin meant for circulation.

satootoko · 12-10-2004, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by collect4fun

Would they make coins of Sterling Silver (SS) ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDJMSP

It has been done but rarely - and never a coin meant for circulation.

Oh come on Doug, you know better than that.

The Great Britain pages of the 19th Century Krause are loaded with .925 silver pennies, 1-1/2, 2, and 3 pence, groats, shillings, florins, 1/2 crowns, double florins, and crowns; and the last time I checked, that was sterling silver.

There are even a few in the early 20th Century.

susanlynn9 · 12-10-2004, 01:07 AM

I thought that Sterling silver was jewelry grade and not the same purity as that used for coins.

**GDJMSP** · 12-10-2004, 01:24 AM

You're probably right Roy - what you say makes sense. But I've always thought sterling silver was .999.

satootoko · 12-10-2004, 01:44 AM

I guess anything from .925 to 1.000 qualifies Doug.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [URL=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9069628&query=sterling&ct=

Britannica Online[/URL]] Sterling is the standard of purity for silver. The term sterling silver denotes any silver alloy in which pure silver makes up at least 92.5 percent of the content.

JBK · 12-10-2004, 05:27 AM

Interesting about the Sterling silver. I knew it was .925, but I did not know it was “at least” .925.

I guess someone would be stupid, though to make something of pure silver and mark it “sterling”, since they could alloy it down to .925 and still be able to mark it sterling.

Tre · 12-10-2004, 10:58 AM

Ah, thanks. Yeah, I was trying to make SS Sterling Silver too, but that didn't seem right. The coin is in incredibly good condition for that. Which... is why I decided to ask the experts.

"BR/STL-Bronze-Steel (is this coin bi-metallic with an outer ring of a different material than the core?)"
No, it is all a coppery color.

JBK · 12-10-2004, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tre

Ah, thanks. Yeah, I was trying to make SS Sterling Silver too, but that didn't seem right. The coin is in incredibly good condition for that. Which... is why I decided to ask the experts.

"BR/STL-Bronze-Steel (is this coin bi-metallic with an outer ring of a different material than the core?)"
No, it is all a coppery color.

Probably a steel core, then. That is vetry common these days.

Andy · 12-10-2004, 04:11 PM

The word "Sterling" is the best known and most respected marking in use today. Pure silver alone is too soft for everyday use. Copper is the metal commonly used to give "Sterling" its added stiffness and wearing qualities. Sterling is often referred to as solid silver. It is composed of 925 parts pure silver in every 1000 -- this proportion never varies -- it is fixed by law. Gee I thought everybody learned this at finishing school.