Copper content of UK copper coins now exceeds the coins’ face value.

Or so was told recently be someone who deals in metals. He also said the same applies to some US coins.

Anyway, UK copper coins are being replaced with a copper coloured steel alloy. Seems about half of UK “coppers” are real copper and half are now steel and you can tell the difference with a magnet.

This magnet picked up steel coppers from a distance of at least a centimetre.




As for real copper coins, the magnet didn’t want to know anything about the coin, even from a distance of 3mm or so. And as far as the copper coin was concerned, the sentiment was entirely mutual.