Transcript The Metal of Money

The Metal of
Money
What are Metals?
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Properties
Malleable
Ductile
Luster
Conductive
What are Metals?
Which color represents metals?
Non-metals are found
in the orange squares
Metal are found in
the green squares
Metalloids are found
in the blue squares
What are Metals?
• Metals have shaped history!
– Can you give an example of how a particular
metal changed the course of history?
What are Metals?
• Example
• The Bronze Age of China (1700 BC)
– Bronze is created by alloying copper (Cu) and
Tin (Tn)
– Before the discovery of bronze, weapons and
tools were made of stone or wood and people
lived in hunter/gatherer groups
– During the Bronze Age, organized city states
were formed and writing was invented
What are Metals?
• What do you think some of the advantages
of using bronze were?
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200603/16/P200603160163_photo_320384.htm
Metal as Money
• The First Coins
– Weren’t really coins at all!
– They were metal replicas
of cowrie or mollusc shells
– Cowrie shells are one of
the most widely and
longely used currencies in
history
http://www.bcb.gov.br/?ORIGINMONEY
Metal of Money
• Modern Coinage appeared around 500 BC
– Began as lumps of silver, first appearing in
Lydia (part of present day Turkey)
– Quickly took on the familiar round shape we
see today
– Were additionally modified to bear stamps of
gods or emperors to prove authenticity
Metal of Money
• U.S.A. Coins
– The US government authorized the production
of coins and established the US Mint in 1792
– The first coins produced were half dimes made
from someone’s silverware (possibly George
Washington’s!)
– The first circulating coins produced were
copper cents and half cents
– The Mint soon began producing silver and gold
coins as well
The First US Coins
How is Money Made?
• A Virtual Tour of the US Mint in Denver
• The Tour
How is Money Made?
• If you could design your own coins, what
metals would you choose? Why?
• What characteristics make a metal a good
choice for making coins?
How is Money Made?
• What is an alloy?
• Why would using an alloy to make coins be
advantageous?
How is Money Made?
• All current US coins contain three metals.
What are they?
• The Sacagawea golden dollar also contains
one other metal. What is it?