The Red Book labels the Wheat Ear Cent section as bronze. The alloy used was 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, so because it has some tin in it they used “bronze” as a descriptor. A true bronze alloy has 88% copper and 12% tin. There’s a lot of leeway employed in the usage of the term. For alloy content questions for specific dates, consult a Yeoman Red Book, it has all of the info delineated as far as composition and dates utilized.
Yes. If you're wondering about the odd, streaky color, it's a result of the alloy not being mixed thoroughly. Some call it wood grain toning or woody. From what I understand, 88% Copper, 12% Tin is the typical composition, but it doesn't need to be those exact percentages to qualify as bronze. Webster's 1828 Dictionary: BRONZ A compound of copper and tin, to which other metallic substances are sometimes added, especially zink. It is brittle, hard, and sonorous, and used for statues, bells and cannon, the proportions of the respective ingredients being varied to suit the particular purposes. Wikipedia: Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloids (such as arsenic or silicon). Britannica: bronze, alloy traditionally composed of copper and tin. Modern bronze is typically 88 percent copper and about 12 percent tin.
Yup. Saw all of that amid the 6 sources I researched, and, like I said, there is a lot of leeway in the usage of the term because there is such a large range of possible alloys that qualify as “bronze”.
