Nickel + Silver alloy for patterns – 1860s.

RWB

Anyone have information other than what’s in Pollock?

Cam40

good question...

Lakesammman

Here's a tidbit from USPatterns.com - search under "alloy", etc or cut and paste this link.

http://uspatterns.com/mismys.html

‘In 1869 the Mint experimented with an alloy consisting of 41% copper, 33% nickel, and 26% silver. The alloy was invented by the German chemist, Koulz, and promoted by a New York chemist [and Metallurgist, Stefan] Krackowizer. Dr. Judd in his pattern book quotes the commentary of W. E. DuBois who describes the alloy as follows: ‘Mr. Eckfeldt made a small bar, and gave it three meltings. It rolled down with great difficulty, splitting and cracking in spite of all the precaution and annealings. Mr. Barber made a reverse to try it under the press (using the dime head for the obverse,) and a faint impression was produced in the steam press. The metal is totally unfit for coinage, and the color is bad.’ Director Pollock considered the ‘Koulz’s alloy’ coinage at some length in his Annual Report of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869. ‘Under the coining press it was barely possible to produce a feeble impression, on account of the intense hardness, and danger both of breaking the dies and flawing the planchet. In short, nothing could be more unfit for coinage.’”

RWB

In 1873 Linderman refers to some experiments done with 95% silver 5% nickel (and other small variants of nickel alloy) done "a few years ago." Just wondering if anyone had more information.