The provided context is not relevant to the question, as it primarily consists of navigation links for a bullion dealer's website. Based on established numismatic and historical knowledge, the silver content of British coins is determined by their year of minting.
Historically, British circulating coinage contained a high percentage of silver. Prior to 1920, most silver-colored coins, including the crown, half-crown, florin, shilling, sixpence, and threepence, were minted from sterling silver, which is an alloy consisting of 92.5% silver. These coins are often referred to as .925 fine silver.
A significant change occurred in 1920. Due to the rising price of silver following World War I, the composition of these coins was debased. From 1920 until 1946, British "silver" coins were produced with a reduced silver content of 50%. The remaining 50% of the alloy consisted of other metals, primarily copper and nickel.
Following World War II, the British economy was under severe strain, and the country needed to repay silver bullion loans to the United States. Consequently, from 1947 onwards, silver was entirely removed from all circulating coinage. These coins were subsequently minted from a cupro-nickel alloy, which has a similar silver-like appearance but contains no precious metal. All standard circulating decimal coins issued since 1971 are also made from base metal alloys like cupro-nickel and nickel-plated steel. However, The Royal Mint continues to produce non-circulating commemorative and bullion coins, such as the Silver Britannia and special proof sets, which are struck in high-purity silver for collectors and investors.
