CuNi
I've noticed that nickels don't rust. They also are wear resistent. So is CuNi or Ni the best metal for coins. Gold and silver are too soft. Other metals darken easely. So it seems that CuNi is the best metal for coinge. Any toughts?

But they're expensive too.

What about stainless steel?

expensive. bad for the environment.

Aluminium FTW!!

"Gold and Silver are too soft..." which I don't understand; the softness is what makes the metal more malleable which makes it possible to imprint with such artistic detail and to a much greater level of fineness.
By the way, silver is quite tarnish-proof as well, and gold I believe is completely without this flaw???
Gold is like the honey of metals, it will never go bad!

Yep. But the expense...

Well put.

For those who don't know, honey is the one and only food that never spoils.
I learned that on a cruise ship when my wife dragged me to a trivia contest.

Olive oil too.
Back to metals, I think the silver ang gold are the best metals for coinage. Thousands years of real experience proved that!

I have silver coins from Roman to Medieval to Georgian to Modern Day and they all seem fine to me...

And Twinkies!

If only I was more familiar with this exotic vernacular word "twinkies"....

They are small sweet treats with a outside yellow bread and white filling. They happen to put almost every preservative know to man in them too .

mmmmm sounds yummy - delicious e numbers...

They look like a cross between chips and pancakes stuffed with cream...

More like a creme-filled sponge cake. Perhaps completely devoid of nutritional value other than a sucrose rush, they are a delicious morsel of Americana - the junk food icon, and, believe it or not, they have been around for more than 75 years. I wish I had a couple right now!

How Twinkies Work Site

You can have tantalum too!



It really looks wierd!!!

They're also good as a defensive strategy in a murder trial:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

Oh dear...

Pure gold is unlikely to go bad, but gold alloyed with other metals (as it often is in coins to strengthen them) will suffer the same chemical reactions as everything else, just less intense. Pure gold CAN be altered as well, but the conditions are difficult to reproduce in surficial temperature and pressure regimes. One place where I would not throw a gold coin is the Champagne Pool, North Island, New Zealand, a hot spring that possess elevated concentrations of dissolved gold and plenty of negatively charged sulfur. The coin's surface would likely be eroded as gold was taken into solution, and end up looking like those silver pieces of eight that come out of shipwrecks.

COOL!!!

What happends to Ni and CuNi. Do they tarnish or just loose color? Does anyone have old CuNi coins?

Both! I'd say tarnish results in a loss of color.

sterling silver with a mirrored background and frosted images sigh....

and brass and CuNi when they are new

ofcourse gold also !

in that order

Hmm..interesting, but, how did we get onto this??

Completely wrong. Not expensive anymore. Maybe a few hundred years ago but not today. Bad for the environment??????? This is truely rediculous. HOW?
If you noticed that so many things from China or Pakistan are all made from Stainless Steel. They produce a lower grade but it is Stainless Steel. The knives most people today use in the kitchen are Stainless Steel. Many, many cookware items are Stainless Steel. Many construction sites utilize Stainless steel products such as structs and associated nuts, bolts, washers. Hospitals use Stainless Steels for surgery. Just how is Stainless Steel bad for the environment????????

Just carl, just a point to add to that, it's actually the chromium content in stainless steel that can cause a concern.

Yep and if I remember correctly there is a bunch of nickel and other nasties in there. Oh, don't forget the production energy is much higher than regular steel, but probably not much compared to Aluminum.

Chromium is of no concern for any reason I know of or else your kitchen knives would not be made of Stainless Steel as well as many, many pots and pans. And if Stainless Steels were dangerous, then why are all doctors and hospitals using what is called Surgical Stainless Steel. Also, it was stated that Stainless Steel also contains Nickel. SO WHAT. Our Nickels contain Nickel you know. And Nickel is not lethal to humans unless it is in the shape of a knife and plunged into someone.
If you look up Stainless Steel you would find there are virtually hundreds of varieties. Stainless Steels have a numerical rating that is explanatory as to what products or substances it contains and the end results as to it's capabilities and usefullnesses.
We just completed a massive reconstruction project in Chicago where most of a street called Waker Drive was completely rebuilt. This is in some areas a 3 level street. Stainless Steel materials were used extensively due to no magnetic properties, long lasting, no rusting, no tarnishing, no corroding, etc., etc., etc. This street runs along the Chicago River and moisture is of a major concern. Also, massive communication cabling was installed for numerous purposes above, below and inside so non magnetic steel was a necessity so as to not interfer with any communications.
There is NO HEALTH problems with Stainless Steel. It is now becoming excessively very economical to utilize in volume. Virtually many tons of this product was used for that project and the cost was very acceptable.

Oh sorry for the long, boring explanation of Stainless Steels but since I have spent many years working with this product and still alive, or am I, I could only assume it is OK.
Electrical and Chemical Engineering is my thing. Actually taught Chem in a Junior College. Doesn't mean I'm smart, just having a great time in my field.

for more info about stainless steel (Health & environment) see : - http://www.plandstainless.co.uk/stainlesss...environment.php ..... so i think just carl is right in that it is more economicly friendly than most metals and is partily envirnoment friendly also in that it can be recycled

Gold's my favorite.

Interesting question. If anyone has an old Indian Head (Buffalo) Nickel, they have a .750% / .250% CuNi. Then too someone made those Liberty Head Nickels out of the same stuff. Also, Shield Nickels and those unusual things called Jefferson Nickels and I'll bet almost every one on this forum has a few of those.
I still want all coins to be made of steel.
Of course if they were made of Radium you could not loose them so easily. They would glow in the dark and you could find them with a Gieger counter. Recycling would be to just turn them into a Nuclear Power Station and in return you would get your electric bill reduced accordingly.

I like silver myself. Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to own silver. I once found a bar of something when I was about 6 or 7. I distinctly remember thinking I had a bar of pure silver!!!

haha. i bet you found lead. When i first used my metal detector the same thing happened.