RT journal article
T1 Veritas Temporis Filia: Non-Destructive Analysis of Counterfeit and Regal Copper Coins from the Sloop-of-War HMS Swift (1770), by Means of SEM-EDAX and WDXRF
A1 Ciarlo,  Nicolás Carlos
A1 De Rosa, Horacio M.
A1 Lorusso, Hernán
A1 Vázquez, Cristina
A1 Elkin, Dolores C.
A1 Custo, Graciela
A2 HistoriaGeografía y Filosofía
K1 British copper coins
K1 counterfeiting
K1 eighteenth century shipwreck
K1 microstructural characterisation
AB Four British copper coins, three halfpennies and a farthing, recovered from the wreck of the sloop-of-war HMS Swift (1770), were analyzed. The application of scanning electron microscopy with the aid of an energy dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDAX), and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) allowed the determination, by nondestructive means, of a set of diagnostic features. The specimens identified as halfpennies present a dendritic microstructure, typical of a process of melting and casting, and a copper alloy with varying amounts of tin, zinc, iron and lead. The farthing, however, was struck from pure copper. These results indicate that the three halfpennies are counterfeits, probably made in the early years of the reign of George III.
PB Royal Numismatic Society
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38796
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38796
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 10-nov-2026