1. The Metal of Money

2. What are Metals? Properties Malleable Ductile Luster Conductive

3. What are Metals? Metal are found in the green squares Metalloids are found in the blue squares Non-metals are found in the orange squares Which color represents metals?

4. What are Metals? Metals have shaped history! –Can you give an example of how a particular metal changed the course of history?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. The First US Coins

11. How is Money Made? A Virtual Tour of the US Mint in Denver The Tour

12. 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?

13. How is Money Made? What is an alloy? Why would using an alloy to make coins be advantageous?

14. 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?