Are there any coins made of this silver alloy (silver, copper, germanium)? I've looked into these silver alloys a bit (Argentium 925 & 960) and it seems like you get the best of both worlds compared to traditional sterling and Britannia silvers, respectively (much higher tarnish resistance, higher luster, harder - higher scratch resistance - despite having purer silver content)... minus perhaps the relative cost and any patent restrictions (and does not tone as easily, whether that is a pro/con). It would be neat to see this alloy used in an ASE or future commemorative, or a different coin that may use standard coin silver. I know it's already used in jewelry a lot, but are there any world coins, or even a silver round made of Argentium 960?
I should say a lot more now than before, and it seems to be growing from what I've noticed in general (925 or 960), but I'm no jeweler.
The higher standard of silver commonly used is .950, which in Britain may be hallmarked as Britannia standard silver. I have never heard of .960 standard and can see no point in it. 925 has been pretty much the go to value for over 800 years. Argentium sounds more like the name for a copper-nickel alloy like alpaca than to a commonly recognised form of silver. I suppose there might be some niche use for it but I can't see it being widely used. Is there all that much Germanium around?
After the hallmarking system change (1 January 1999) "Britannia" silver is marked with the millesimal fineness hallmark "958", associated, on an optional and voluntary basis, with the "Britannia" symbol.
