My work colleague hates 5p coins and although they're silver in colour we want to know why they have to be so small. Is it to do with their value (I guess not) or just to make them different?
2006-12-21 07:22:41 · 12 answers · asked by Smiler 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
prior to 1947 all silver coins had a silver content , this goes back to the old days where the metal matched the value it was used for . People used to cut pieces off of them so they started to mill the edges thats the grooves around the coin edge. Today all silver coins are made of copper and nickel . Coins are smaller today to show how their value has ceminished and also to get us used to the pitifully small euro coinage.
2006-12-21 07:30:16 · answer #1 · answered by paul t 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Coins are made of either nickel or copper. They are not worth their face value - eg, a 5p is not really worth 5p in scrap metal when melted down. Like notes, they are only a promisory note to pay and exchanged. However, there was a period eariler this year when the price of copper went up so much that the 2p was worth its face value.
2006-12-21 15:31:39 · answer #2 · answered by beanie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'copper coins' are made of steel with a copper coating, 'silver coins' are made from cupro-nickel the 5p coin is small because the cost of manufacture and the metal would exceed the face value of the coin if it was larger
2006-12-22 04:45:17 · answer #3 · answered by barn owl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A copper and nickel alloy. All British coins have been made from one combination or other of these two metals for years.
2006-12-21 15:33:48 · answer #4 · answered by efes_haze 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well...1 and 2p's are made from copper 5 10 20 and 50p are made from silver different metal
2006-12-21 15:28:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I'll give you my collection of 5p's when you resolve this question yourself...
2006-12-21 15:33:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Whatever mixture, you can now pick them up with a magnet, true.
2006-12-21 15:30:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Coins.html
2006-12-21 15:39:48 · answer #8 · answered by alicias7768 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they're made of the sweat and tears of the empire.
just kidding. zinc i think...
2006-12-21 15:25:47 · answer #9 · answered by phedro 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
try sniffin it its glu
2006-12-21 16:31:04 · answer #10 · answered by sheepy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋