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Since all circulating British Coins are made from base metals, weight tolerance is no longer a consideration. As long as the coin is recognisable and is in a serviceable condition, it will continue to remain in circulation.

When circulating coins were made from precious metals such as gold and silver, the weight tolerance was very important since the value of the precious metal in the coin represented the actual face value of the coin.

For example, a 22 carat gold Sovereign coin weighs 7.98805 grams when it leaves the mint. If the weight of the Sovereign were to fall by 0.6% to less than 7.93787 grams, it would be no longer regarded as legal tender, returned to the mint for melting down, and new coins minted from the recovered gold.

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13y ago

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