[shotlady]

Deebo said he wouldn't know what silver from stainless steel... well me neither

is there a field test we can do when we are looking at gold and silver.. or white gold.
how do you know something is solid like a silver coin?

what yr did silver nickels turn cheap metal. should we know what yrs they used silver. pls advise.

 

[inceptor]

Deebo said he wouldn't know what silver from stainless steel... well me neither

is there a field test we can do when we are looking at gold and silver.. or white gold.
how do you know something is solid like a silver coin?

what yr did silver nickels turn cheap metal. should we know what yrs they used silver. pls advise.

For US coins it's pre-1965

 

[shotlady]

thank you...
how do we test and know the other metals?

 

[inceptor]

thank you...
how do we test and know the other metals?

Mine all have the minting marks on them. But you got me to thinkin. There are more precise kits out there using acid but this is a quick, down and dirty test.

 

[Nathan Jefferson]

learn the size, shape and weight of widely held coins. Only accept those you trust.

You do pay more of a premium for US Eagles, but IMHO the premium is well worth the ease of recognizing it.

Although I doubt you would find many 'fake' coins or bars, that aren't way out of size/weight proportions I still wouldn't buy most of the bullion out there. But the biggest issue would actually be on jewelry where you have plated pieces and many different alloys - if you don't really know your stuff you could easily get burnt.

 

[Deebo]

One characteristic of a silver coin, is will "ping" different than a regular coin. Bounce a real 1963 silver quarter flat on a table, and then a regular quarter, the sound difference is dramatic.
I worked in a gas station, and must have found a hundred, but I did't know the value.

 

[Montana Rancher]

Common US coins have a obvious copper band, but it is much easier to watch the dates.

All US coins with a date stamp of 1964 and below are 90% silver.

Traditionally they are called "junk silver" but as the SHTF they are much much harder to attain

Dropping a real silver coin on a table is the best way for the layman to test a silver coin, it had a distinctive "ring".

Of course the best way to temper you ear is to "ring" a real coin and observe the differences. Other than that you are stuck with mirometers and scales to decide. They are just as good but not nearly as fun as the "ring"

 

[StarPD45]

The 65-70 Kennedy Half is 40% silver.
So is the Ike dollar.
Both of these are somewhat rare, so you won't see them that often.
Also the penny prior to 1982 is mostly copper, and worth ~ 2 cents at todays rate.
The later ones are junk metal

 

[PaulS]

That junk metal is zinc and could be very useful to make batteries for your small electrical devices. You can actually peel the copper off and use the zinc in most any acid solution to make a battery cell. Combine cells until you have the proper voltage and the run parallel cells to provide the amperage needed. I have a couple of monitors that work from 12 volts at 3 amps and could easily be powered by such a battery.

 

[shotlady]

very good information coming out here!

 

[Denton]

The best way to test silver is with a neodymium magnet. It won't stick to the silver as if it is steel. Instead, the magnet will slide slowly down the piece of silver.
This is a nondestructive test, much better than using chemicals.
There are a lot of Youtube videos that will instruct you, and the magnets, also known as rare earth magnets, can be found on the internet, too.

 

[inceptor]

The best way to test silver is with a neodymium magnet. It won't stick to the silver as if it is steel. Instead, the magnet will slide slowly down the piece of silver.
This is a nondestructive test, much better than using chemicals.
There are a lot of Youtube videos that will instruct you, and the magnets, also known as rare earth magnets, can be found on the internet, too.

And cheap. I found 100 for under $10 at amazon.

Amazon.com: rare earth magnets

 

[scramble4a5]

learn the size, shape and weight of widely held coins. Only accept those you trust.

You do pay more of a premium for US Eagles, but IMHO the premium is well worth the ease of recognizing it.

Although I doubt you would find many 'fake' coins or bars, that aren't way out of size/weight proportions I still wouldn't buy most of the bullion out there. But the biggest issue would actually be on jewelry where you have plated pieces and many different alloys - if you don't really know your stuff you could easily get burnt.

I agree, Eagles and Canadians are the best assurance of the real deal. But if you learn the "ping" sound of silver you can trust it as well.