Gold, silver and copper were used to make real money in the shape of coins. Gold and silver are much rarer materials and therefore worth more than copper. The use of gold and silver in coins was taken out of circulation by the end of 1920. Then in 1992, the Royal Mint stopped using its 97% copper in the mintage of copper coins. This was dropped down to only 6% of raw copper.
I guess the copper was worth more than the money it represented. Copper is one of those materials we use all day long in all kinds of ways without really noticing or thinking about it.
Every time you switch on something electrical like a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine, every time you watch television, every time you make a telephone call.
One thing I didn’t know before is that copper is naturally found in many foods. Copper is a mineral that your body requires in small quantities to maintain good health.
Copper rich foods include dried beans, almonds, broccoli, Cocoa beans, garlic, soya beans, peas, whole wheat products and seafood.