sharper Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 To check a gold coin is really gold I weight it check the size and then give it the flick test. If it rings true - I know it is gold. Is there some similar check for silver? A silver coins easily faked? Many thanks for any guidance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Note that pure .925 and lower silver content coins and bars will sound very slightly different. My .925 and .5 coins sound somewhat dull compared to the .999 stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Everyone is talking about this ping test but you can't trust it. It is very rare to find good fake .999 coins, the only good fakes are the Chinese Panda fakes. Even they look FAKE unless you are really dumb. The only safest way to test silver is with a Gold and Silver Testing Solution. If you are new to investing in Silver, sure you don't know what to look for, after a few years you get an eye for Silver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asheron Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Everyone is talking about this ping test but you can't trust it.It is very rare to find good fake .999 coins, the only good fakes are the Chinese Panda fakes. Even they look FAKE unless you are really dumb.The only safest way to test silver is with a Gold and Silver Testing Solution.If you are new to investing in Silver, sure you don't know what to look for, after a few years you get an eye for Silver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexagon Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 The ping test got me worried. A friend, questioning how genuine a couple of my .9999 maples are, had us both pinging in the wee small hours. Sterling silver seemed to ping longer, which I suppose makes sense if it is harder, like the note of a harder bodied electric guitar lasting longer than a softer wood electric guitar. Also the presence of milk spots made us wonder, but a this video by Drutter says that the milk spots are a result of the annealing process. A faker would probably try and create a perfect shiny coin without any defects. Probably a good idea to search ebay for a bottle of acid tester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesinamillion Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Everyone is talking about this ping test but you can't trust it. It is very rare to find good fake .999 coins, the only good fakes are the Chinese Panda fakes. Even they look FAKE unless you are really dumb. The only safest way to test silver is with a Gold and Silver Testing Solution. If you are new to investing in Silver, sure you don't know what to look for, after a few years you get an eye for Silver. Testing sol'n only tests the the surface, i'ts easy to silver (or gold) plate anything. What I did for my gold & silver peace of mind (to suppliment the ring test) was to measure their dimensions using vernier calipers. For coins I checked the weigth & dimensions against the spec of the genuine artcle. I also then calculated the volume, and knowing the weight I could calculate the density (or specific gravity (SG)); reference your measured SG agianst the known SG to tell you if it's good or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharper Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 thank you for all the replies - that is helpful. interesting that the ping test works for gold and silver - it is probably some fiendishly complicated chemistry answer, but any idea why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 thank you for all the replies - that is helpful. interesting that the ping test works for gold and silver - it is probably some fiendishly complicated chemistry answer, but any idea why? Ping test does not work 100% though! It depends on how it was made poured and cast bars might not ping. For example watch these two videos Does not ping but cut in half is pure silver http://mrsilverag.com/how-to-buy-silver/how-to-avoid-buying-fake-silver/ The it mentions the ice test as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numbersix Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 The easiest test for silver is the spit test. Spit on the coin or item and immediately wrap it in alumimium foil for 10 seconds When you unwrap it you will smell rotten eggs - hydrogen sulphide because most silver has a little tarnish on it which is silver sulphide!!!!! This does not work so well on new looking untarnised silver!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 The easiest test for silver is the spit test. Spit on the coin or item and immediately wrap it in alumimium foil for 10 seconds When you unwrap it you will smell rotten eggs - hydrogen sulphide because most silver has a little tarnish on it which is silver sulphide!!!!! This does not work so well on new looking untarnised silver!! Sure sure but that only tells you that it is plated in silver and it not silver through and through... TBH the only really good way to get silver is to buy from somebody reputable it may cost a bit more but they can't afford to lose their reputation!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharper Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Sure sure but that only tells you that it is plated in silver and it not silver through and through... TBH the only really good way to get silver is to buy from somebody reputable it may cost a bit more but they can't afford to lose their reputation!. that does not say much for its value as a currency if it can only be used with certain people. also might make it difficult to sell as an investment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 that does not say much for its value as a currency if it can only be used with certain people. also might make it difficult to sell as an investment Pretty much which is why I prefer the yellow stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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