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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,028 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
595 Posts |
I have two 5 ore coins from Denmark, 1960 and 1958, and they are basically black. What metal are they made out of?
Thanks.
Jan
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Moderator
 Australia
16816 Posts |
Zinc. Many countries, particularly Nazi-occupied ones, issued zinc coins during WWII because zinc was cheap and unnecessary for the war machine. Denmark was unusual in continuing to issue zinc coins well after the war ended.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
965 Posts |
I think Austria used zinc on one of their smaller coins well after WWII. Now I'm gonna have to check my Krause, 'cuz it will bug me until I do.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
595 Posts |
Thanks, Sap. I can always count on you to know the answers.
jk
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1238 Posts |
quote:
I think Austria used zinc on one of their smaller coins well after WWII.
Right, they made a zinc 5 Groschen coin until 1994. That was legal tender until early 2002, but (at least in later years) hardly ever occurred in circulation. By the way, even the Nazi Germany and Allied Occupation zinc 1 Pf coins (1940-1948) continued to be legal tender in Austria until the end of February 2002. Don't think they were used much though.  As for the Danish 5 øre coin, 1960 was actually the last year they were made from zinc. King Frederik (1960-72) had bronze 5 øre pieces, and in the first years of Queen Margrethe they were copper plated steel. Christian Edited by chrisild
06/19/2007 07:41 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
595 Posts |
Interesting information, fellas. Thanks.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
965 Posts |
Thanks Chris, that's some good info there.
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Pillar of the Community
Luxembourg
588 Posts |
Belgium had also large 25 centimes coins with a hole in zinc until it was replaced by a very small copper-nickel piece in 1964.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
Zinc as a metal for use in coins is a VERY POOR choice. It comprises the bulk of the metal in the US one cent piece. It corrodes quickly so most zinc coins are usually very ugly. The strike is usually a problem as well because zinc is a non-malliable metal (does not flow under pressure like copper or silver) so there is no mint luster on even MS 65 copies. Historically zinc was a JUNK metal and for centuries it was called Spelter or Flue Metal because it was found fouling up the vent stacks above smelters. It was a nuisance that required closing down furnaces to remove build-ups of the stuff. Zinc collects in stacks because it has a very low boiling point. It boils away BEFORE either silver or copper even melt. Therefore in most precious and semi-precious metal smelting operations, the zinc boils off quickly but then condenses in the relatively cool chimney. The greatest value zinc has for me is that you can use it as an absolute date marker for determining when cetrain counterfeits were made. If a fake contains zinc (above a very minor trace) it had to be made AFTER about 1840. Open chamber (open crucible) metal work could not create an alloy of zinc with copper or most other metals. German Silver (which is just such an alloy and which is extensively used for silver counterfeits) requires a closed crucible for manufacture. This process was not introduced in the US until about 1837. |
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Valued Member
Netherlands
376 Posts |
If their is a war and occupation going on, all nickel copper and other metals are going to be stolen by occupying forces to melt them down into the munition factories. Therefore many countrie only had aluminium and zinc at their disposal used for coinage, as the USA did with the cent of 1943.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,028 |
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Posted 06/18/2007 9:08 pm
