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 Replies: 24 / Views: 3,366 |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Ask your local scrap jewelry buyer, or your nearest bullion dealer, to do XRF testing for you.
They may charge a small fee.
Edited by sel_69l
04/12/2018 01:34 am
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Check pawn shops,some of them have a tester. John1  |
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Moderator
United States
34448 Posts |
@soho, first welcome to CCF. Second, I bought a SigmaMetalytics last year. I don't use it a ton, but I really like having the peace of mind to be able to double-check the metal content. If you are unwilling to go it alone, consider joining a coin club--maybe a group of folks can band together?
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Spence: emma chisit? (Strine for "How much is it?")
Maybe a few others in the CCF may be interested in buying a hand held XRF testing instrument.
I don't need one, I already have access to one.
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
I can't see why a library would want one, nor a bank.
Pawn shops are the most likely. If they only charge a small fee to check your items, you could test a LOT of items for $1500.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24885 Posts |
 To the Forum. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Not sure why you want one or need one. But if you do buy one, what are you planning on doing with it? |
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Moderator
United States
190135 Posts |
to the Community! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1156 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
I agree that the Sigma tester is exactly what you need. The coin shop I work at has one and we use it every day. In addition, my coin club recently purchased one for club use, and it is brought to each meeting for members to use.  |
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
You cannot determine the specific gravity of a bar at a coin show. If you buy this sort of stuff, you need to have a way of verifying it or the thieves will migrate to you. $750 is just a cost of doing business with the public. It might be an idea to get your local coin club to buy one. My local club has about $10K in the treasury with no particular plans to do anything but the routine activities. Maybe I'll bring it up at a meeting.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3479 Posts |
Well, as far as scarcity goes out here in Kansas City, there are only 2 shops I know of that have them. A jewelry shop in Liberty and a coin shop in Independence. Neither of which are convenient for me.
Again, I would only buy one if I were taking in large amounts of raw coins. I have arrangements with local pawn shops to buy up their inventory, but for now, the Neanderthal methods I use give me enough piece of mind.
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New Member
 United States
12 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I think XRF testing is what is being referred to when "metals' testing is being discussed.
XRF means X-Ray Florescence.
What is does, is scan the surface of the metal to be tested with a beam of X-Rays.
A florescence scatter bounces off the surface, the measurable characteristic of which will be different for the proportion of concentration every metal, in the metal surface.
By itself, XRF has it's limitations.
It will not work for suspect faked coins that have been metal plated.
Because only the metal surface is scanned, XRF testing by itself, is useless for investigating the metal alloy in the body of the object to be tested.
Specific gravity testing or ultrasound testing as well, is required for a conclusive investigation.
Therefore, (another way of saying it),
it IS however, very useful when XRF testing is done in conjunction with specific gravity testing, weight measurement, and volume measurement.
Those tests together, especially in conjunction with ultrasound, provided the proof necessary uncover the plot of fake gold encased tungsten cored bullion bars a few years ago. (Tungsten has the same density as gold).
Lawrence Bragg won a Nobel Prize for Physics for original research work done on X-Ray florescence, in the early 1900's.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Non plated fake coins are easily detected with XRF.
That is what knocks out the pallid looking cheap Chinese fakes, if you only have a suspicion.
XRF is very useful in helping to investigate the authenticity of ancient gold coins. The ancient metal refiners were imperfect. They could only get rid of most of the silver from ancient refined gold to about 95% pure, and had no idea on how to remove the trace elements of Platinum and Palladium.
It is these trace metals that are looked for, when confirming the alloy of ancient gold coins, not the purity of the gold.
Modern fake ancient gold coins are often made from melted down modern gold coins, which have the Platinum and Palladium electrolytically refined out.
Edited by sel_69l
04/17/2018 5:52 pm
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First Page
Posted 04/12/2018 05:01 am
