Abstract
Silver coins minted in the United States between 1837 and 1964 are comprised of 90% silver and 10% copper by law, but the presence of contamination with trace metals is likely. A collection of coins minted between 1841–1921 were analyzed for trace metal content using a handheld XRF device. A series of nine ten-cent coins were also analyzed using ICP-MS to relate the XRF response to metal ion concentrations. A linear correlation between lead concentration to XRF response allowed for quantitation of lead contamination. Greater amounts of lead were seen in coins minted prior to 1900 than in coins minted in the 20th century. In addition, two coins minted in 1854 were found contaminated with large amounts of either zinc or iron. The significance of these findings relative to silver sources and refining methods is discussed.
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