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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;900fine, post: 429111, member: 6036&quot;]The other 10% is copper. Why ? Gold is too soft to endure the rigors of circulation and needs a harder metal to produce a harder final product.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>US Gold coins have been 90% gold and 10% copper for a very long time... 1837 to be exact. This was late in the Classic Head design and immediately preceding the Coronet type $2.5s, $5s, and $10s. The only exceptions were the experimental Stellas in 1879 / 1880 ($4 &quot;goloid&quot;, a mixture of several metals).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Before that, the earliest US gold coins were 0.9167 gold and 0.0833 gold and silver from 1795 until the Classic head designs in 1834, which were 0.8992 gold and 0.1008 gold and silver (until 1837, at which point they, too, were .900 fine).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Not to be confused with Bullion coins, which are .999 fine. Since they aren&#039;t intended for circulation, they don&#039;t need copper to harden &#039;em up.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Prior posts are right - the gold doesn&#039;t tone, but copper can.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Those copper spots are due to poor mixing of the alloy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Copper spot gold coins are not &quot;problem&quot; coins in the since that they bodybag. They have less eye appeal and often sell for discounts.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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