These alloys, from the metals contained in them, may be characterized as argentan or German silver with a certain percentage of silver. They have been used for making small coins, as in the older coins of Switzerland. Being quite hard, they have the advantage of

wearing well, but soon lose their beautiful white color and take on a disagreeable shade of yellow, like poor brass. The silver contained in them can be regained only by a laborious process, which is a great drawback to their use in coinage. The composition of the Swiss fractional coins is as follows:

20 cen- 10 cen- 5 centimes times          times

Silver.........       15          10             5

Copper........       50          55           60

Nickel.........       25          25           25

Zinc...........       10          10           10

Mousset's Alloy

Copper, 59.06; silver, 27.56; zinc, 9.57; nickel, 3.42. This alloy is yellowish with a reddish tinge, but white on the fractured surface. It ranks next after Argent-Ruolz, which also contains sometimes certain quantities of zinc, and in this case may be classed together with the alloy just described. The following alloys can be rolled into sheet or drawn into wire:

I        II      III

Silver....... 33.3    34    40.0

Copper...... 41.8    42    44.6

Nickel....... 8.6      8      4.6

Zinc......... 16.3    16    10.8