British Copper/Bronze Coins Question

Discussion in 'General foundry chat' started by Sirgei, Apr 4, 2023.

  1. Sirgei

    Sirgei Copper

    Hello

    I haven't been here since last year.
    Been Autumn, Winter I didn't do anything at all so here was nothing to say and just make post out of point of making it didn't want to do that.

    I have a question regarding old British copper and Bronze coins
    On ebay, I started looking for other sources of copper metal and people sell job lots of old coins.
    Copper and bronze ones

    I did a homework as I think member Prudhoe called it and here is a Coinage Act from 1971 that makes it illigal to deface any coin that was minted after May 16th, 1969

    https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/24/section/10

    Ao, I am writing here to clarify and ask advice.
    Can I buy a sack of old coins and melt them legally?
    It seems it only means Coins minted prior to 1969 and not after.
    People selling Edwardian, 19th century coins and so on.

    I seen several such auctions already, but not 100%
    Woild someone please give their opinion if I should do that or not

    Thank you
     
  2. They may not be pure copper: Australian one and two cent coins are bronze: 97% copper, so UK coins may be similar. This is a big deal as small amounts of alloying elements greatly reduce electrical conductivity which could be a problem for your science project. I get copper from old cable and electric motors, it takes some effort to salvage the copper. Also I found that phosphor copper shot is needed for copper castings to remove the oxygen dissolved in the copper during melting: it reacts with the oxygen and forms a slag on the molten copper that can be removed. I think phosphorus deoxidized copper is 85% the conductivity of oxygen free copper.
     
  3. Sirgei

    Sirgei Copper

    If not 99% i can live with that. I was asking about legality of it.
    In UK it is illegal to sell scrap from yard to members of public.
    I have 2 choices 1) try to find alternative source or 2) forget about my project.
    What you say about it from legal side of view?
    Thanks
     
  4. rocco

    rocco Silver

    I took a quick look at that law and you got that part wrong. The legislation says, "any metal coin which is for the time being current in the United Kingdom or which, having been current there, has at any time after 16th May 1969 ceased to be so." It's not the date the coin was minted that relevant, it's whether the coin that was current on or after May 16th 1969, i.e. an older coin, if it was still legal tender on that date, is illegal to melt down.
     
  5. Sirgei

    Sirgei Copper

    This is that listing

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28521425...IWRE|tkp:Bk9SR8qOiqDpYQ&LH_Auction=1#shpCntId

    Seller said coins are Victorian, Edwardian George, etc
    Not currently in circulation.
    So, this means coins that are not currently in circulation are Legal to melt down?
    Is that correct?
    Seller said coins are Copper and Bronze.
    Mostly Copper with a bit of bronze
    Bronze would do as well for me.
    Copper and Bronze differ in color.
    I just sort them out. May be clean a bit so can see what is it.

    So, please clarify - coins that are not in circulation now are OK to melt down?
    In his reply to me, seller said that scrap yards don't accept scrap in form of coins.
    Any coins. Old and new. So, he calculated it at scrap value.
    Thank you in advance
     
  6. Sirgei

    Sirgei Copper

    Listing ending tomorrow so I need to decide fast if I want this lot.
     
  7. Mantrid

    Mantrid Silver

    nobody will be checking up on what you did with them so ...
    Also some of these coins with particular dates may have value that is significantly higher than the scrap value. You might want to do some research and check your stash before melting.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=whi...kgEDMC4zmAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
     

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