In situ trace-element analysis conducted by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) confirms earlier bulk-sample data, unambiguously separating metal artifacts of North American and European provenance. AMS of nine samples, particularly for gold, but also for silver and possibly platinum, separates items of contrasting origins. As a by-product of this study, conducted on small polished metal shards, examination of a suite of ~80 copper-based metallic artifact samples from archaeological sites provided a rapid optical means of distinguishing items made of native copper from those of smelted (European) metal. The results are generally consistent with trace-element data acquired on small (<1 g) bulk samples by neutron activation. Samples of native copper are visually homogeneous and strikingly free of inclusions. Thin surface coats and fractures may be lined by copper oxide. Hydrated copper carbonate (malachite, verdigris) may line surfaces, but is only sparingly present in deeper fractures. In contrast, smelter copper slivers contain high but variable concentrations of spheroidal cuprite (copper oxide) inclusions, generally 1-10[mu]m in diameter. These distinctive bodies may imply that production methods did not allow sufficient time for complete flotation of oxide slag from copper metal. Optical properties provide a clear resolution of copper, oxide and carbonate. This study shows that multi-element analysis by neutron activation, combined with rapid optical examination of metal shards, is a cost-effective way of obtaining both provenance and metallurgical data. Although AMS is too expensive to compete with these more traditional methods, it confirmed the diagnoses for the test suite, and is available for very small, difficult or critical samples.