he word ‘sterling’ has two or three different meanings in English, one being that when used as an adjective – as in a man of sterling character – it refers to a person of the highest standard of integrity. A similar meaning lies in the phrase sterling silver when used to describe a coin – made from silver of the highest purity, though in fact the pure silver used to mint English silver coins was not pure because silver in that state was too soft to withstand the rough-and-tumble of circulation. A small quantity of (usually) copper was added to the melting pot to produce a tougher alloy. The quantity added was 0.75 percent, which meant the silver
