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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;quick dog, post: 86306, member: 4093&quot;]Gold is inert, true enough.&nbsp; But, how pure is the gold in ancient coins?&nbsp; I suspect that the metal ratios in ancient coins vary from country to country, and from historic period to period.&nbsp; How pure were the ancient peoples able to refine their gold?&nbsp; They didn&#039;t have <i>Mid-States Recycling &amp; Refining </i> to electrolytically refine their dore bars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Native gold (lode gold) in quartz veins and mineralized rock in the Sierra Nevada and western United States generally ranges from 80 to 90 percent gold (Au).&nbsp; Alluvial gold (placer gold) generally ranges from about 90 to 95 percent gold.&nbsp; Other metals present in native gold include silver, copper, lead, zinc, and traces of other metals.&nbsp; Since everything but the gold is relatively soluable in aqueous solutions, native gold becomes more pure the longer it is washed around in streams or the ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, what did the ancient metallurgists do?&nbsp; I would be a little bit surprised if their coins were much more than 95 percent gold.&nbsp; I suppose that silver and copper would be the dominant minor metals.&nbsp; Given that, even ancient gold coins should tarnish with time.&nbsp; Just asking.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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