Which coin is not made of nickel and copper

By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy. Skip to navigation Skip to content. Discover Membership. Editions Quartz. More from Quartz About Quartz. Follow Quartz. These are some of our most ambitious editorial projects. By Katherine Ellen Foley Health and science reporter.

Published June 29, Last updated on July 2, This article is more than 2 years old. The US Mint needs an upgrade. Sign me up. Alloys based on nickel were found to have excellent corrosion resistance and could withstand high temperatures, which made them suitable for chemical plants and also allowed the practical realisation of the jet engine. As a result of these developments, nickel has enjoyed a very strong growth of demand over the past century. This continues today because of the essential role nickel plays in many technologies.

Cookies are used to enable us to anonymously analyze our website use and visitor numbers through the Google Analytics service. The privacy policy of Google Analytics can be found here. They then measured the traces of nickel left on their skin. A bad penny? Ironically, a closer look at the composition of the new coins shows that they actually contain less nickel than the older ones see box. Cashiers and bank clerks are most likely to be affected, although there is no consistent evidence that nickel-plated coins actually cause nickel allergy.

However there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that coins can aggravate the condition. Allergy UK say a common example is men who carry coins in their pockets, only to find they have sore and itchy skin on their thighs as a result.

Rubbing up the wrong way? Nickel-plated coins have been used around the world for nearly 60 years, so it's unlikely that the UK is on the brink of a massive health crisis. But even so, Sweden has announced that it will stop producing any nickel-containing coins from , stating that the metal posed "unacceptable risks" to health.

However despite the latest findings, it does not expect to have to change the coins at any time in the foreseeable future. Pre 5p and 10p coins were made from copper-nickel alloy.