Copper (named from cuprum, derived from the ancient name for Cyprus) is the 29^th element and comprises only 0.0058% of the earth's crust.  It occurs in the free state and was the first metal used to make tools.  Most copper is now obtained from the ore which is copper sulfide.  Copper is only exceeded by silver in electrical conductivity.  Copper is used for electrical wiring, pipes and coinage.

When native copper was alloyed with zinc or tin the result was a much harder metal.  Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.  The Bronze Age was a period of human culture that was characterized by the use of bronze tools.  It began in Europe about 3500 BC and somewhat earlier in Asia  and Egypt.

Pennies were made of copper, tin and zinc until 1962.  In 1962 the composition was changed to 95% copper and 5% zinc.  In 1982, the price of copper forced the U.S. Mint to change the composition to mostly zinc with a thin coating of copper.  It and gold are the only colored metals.