What were the first zinc and aluminum coins?

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by sakata, Jul 22, 2017.

  1. sakata

    sakata Devil's Advocate

    The Bermuda penny from 1793 was copper. There are restrikes in several different metals, incling, silver, aluminum, pewter and gold, but no indication in Numismaster as to when those were made.
     
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  3. Muzyck

    Muzyck Rabbits!

    Last edited: Jul 23, 2017
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  4. frech001

    frech001 New but Old

    I failed to notice that the 1793, was a restrike, since the original was silver, it was obviously minted quite a bit later. Krause has a number of tokens, patterns, trial strikes, piedforts and essais minted in aluminum as early as 1855, and many patterns in the U.S. from the mid 1860s, though the earliest circulated coin I found listed was from British India in 1891, a ½ Rupee KM# 491a. I didn't search their catalog of rare coins since it isn't in digital format.
     
  5. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

  6. harley bissell

    harley bissell Well-Known Member

    Before 1900 aluminum was scarcely known and very hard to produce before the Bessemer Process kicked in. Aluminum was so valuable that Czarist Russia recalled all of their platinum coins and replaced them with aluminum. No one complained about making money on the deal until a few years later when aluminum became plentiful.
     
  7. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    I think you meant the Hall process -- Bessemer is for steel.
     
  8. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    Any reference of Russia replacing the platinum coins with aluminum ones?
     
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