No British coin has ever been 100% silver.
For hundreds of years, British silver coins had a very high proportion of silver in them.
From the Great Recoinage Act of 1816, British silver coins were standardised to sterling silver with a 92.5% silver content.
The use of sterling silver to mint silver coins continued until 1919/1920 when, due to a sharp increase in the price of silver, British Coins were debased to 50% silver.
The 50% silver content continued to 1946 when, due to Britains pressing need to repay war loans to the US, the use of silver was discontinued.
All British silver coins from 1947 onwards were made from a copper-nickel alloy.
i don't know maybe they hate silver. lol
Silver is a precious metal, and just like gold, it's going to be expensive so they stoped using it because they realized that people could melt the coins down and have a ton of money in silver.
The value of silver rose so the US had to use other metals to make coins. If our coins were still made of silver dimes would be worth $2 and quarters would be worth $5.
stop using silver in nickels
The last year for 90% silver dimes, quarters, and, half dollars was 1964. Half dollars were then made with 40% silver until 1970.
The widespread minting of silver coins began to decline in the 20th century, particularly after the United States discontinued the use of silver in its coins in 1965. Other countries followed suit, largely due to rising silver prices and the costs associated with using precious metals in currency. By the late 20th century, most nations had transitioned to using base metals for their coins. Today, silver coins are primarily produced for collectors and investors rather than for everyday currency.
The Netherlands officially stopped using silver coins in 1967 when it transitioned to a currency system based on copper-nickel and other metals. This change was part of a broader move away from precious metal coins due to rising costs and the need for more practical currency options. The last silver coins in circulation were 50-cent pieces, which were gradually phased out.
None of the Eisenhower dollars (1971-1978) that were released into circulation had any silver! Only special collectors coins sold directly from the US Mint were made from 40% silver and all of them have S mintmarks. None of the Philadelphia or Denver minted coins contain silver. The 40% silver coins were struck only from 1971 to 1976.
Italy stopped using silver in its coins in 1982 when it transitioned to a pure nickel-brass composition for its lower denominations. Prior to that, silver had been used in various forms of Italian currency for centuries. The move was part of a broader trend across Europe to eliminate precious metals from everyday coinage. Today, Italian coins are made primarily from alloys that do not contain silver.
The world wide increase in silver prices was the main reason.
Silver was only used in nickels from 1942-1945 on coins with a large mintmark over the Monticello (some nickels in 1942 do not have the large mintmark and are of the standard composition), these coins are 35% silver. All other nickels are 75% copper and 25% nickel.
Louis xiii stopped the minting in 1641MoreFrance's monetary system has undergone a lot of changes due to wars and the rise and fall of various government systems. As a result silver has been removed and added to coins several times. > Silver 5-franc coins were discontinued in 1868> Production of other silver coins was suspended in 1920> 10F and 20F silver coins were reintroduced in 1929> Silver coinage again ended during WWIIThe Franc was revalued in 1960, with 1 New Franc = 100 old francs.> Silver 5NF coins were issued that year and discontinued in 1970> Silver 10NF coins were issued in 1965 and discontinued in 1974From 1974 to 2002 all French coins were issued in base metals. In 2002 they were replaced by euro coins.