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 Replies: 52 / Views: 6,535 |
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Pillar of the Community
Japan
666 Posts |
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Valued Member
Canada
178 Posts |
Good read. Thanks bekiz. I bought my SML on ebay a while back. You have no idea how hard I was inspecting it just now. :P |
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Pillar of the Community
 Japan
666 Posts |
ztt2, I know that, that's why I am trying to buy from people and places I know. )))
Just be aware, that along with fake gold bars (there are some in the market as well with tungsten) there are some silver as well.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
It is possible to cobble together an alloy that has the same density of silver, and heavily silver plate that, before striking.
A silver plated ingot, bar or disc of lead / bismuth alloy should do the trick nicely.
Lead density 11.7 g/cc,
Bismuth density 9.8 g/cc,
Silver 10.5 g/cc.
9.23 parts of lead to 10.70 parts of bismuth would yield the correct density. Would give a white core (at least for a while), as well.
BTW, a liquid lead - bismuth alloy has been used a an atomic reactor coolant in Soviet submarines.
Edited by sel_69l
03/26/2012 12:59 am
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Valued Member
Canada
271 Posts |
Ugh! Is there no escape from counterfeits?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
@OddCoins - Counterfeiting is as old as coinage. :-P
The best weapon against it is education. All of the items mentioned in that ozcopper set of videos can be easily identified if you know what to look for and are careful with your purchases.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
Quote:
It is possible to cobble together an alloy that has the same density of silver, and heavily silver plate that, before striking.
A silver plated ingot, bar or disc of lead / bismuth alloy should do the trick nicely.
Lead density 11.7 g/cc,
Bismuth density 9.8 g/cc,
Silver 10.5 g/cc.
9.23 parts of lead to 10.70 parts of bismuth would yield the correct density. Would give a white core (at least for a while), as well.
BTW, a liquid lead - bismuth alloy has been used a an atomic reactor coolant in Soviet submarines.
Sel, I wonder how profitable it is to do such? IDK, but it will become prevalent once AG hits a certain dollar figure. Then, watch out. BTW, I have two examples of fake silver bullion in my collection. Another, I shipped straight to the US Secret Service office. One guess of provenance? Edited by traevin
03/26/2012 08:50 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
It's very profitable to do it now, traevin, especially in large volume, which is what Chinese manufacturers are doing. With their current numbers, they're able to make a tidy profit even selling them at $2-$4 wholesale. :-P
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
I noticed one major flaw in the three ebay fakes I've received. None weighted exactly what it was supposed to, and most weren't even close. If anyone receives a coin and there is an iota of doubt about its authenticity, start there first, making certain that the weight is precisely where it should be. The fakes have definitely gotten better and harder to spot, judging from the video. At this point, I may just start weighing every single coin I buy, especially the ones from out of the country. I don't buy from China but I do have a few sellers from Eastern Europe, and that could be just as bad, I suppose. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
808 Posts |
Quote:
None weighted exactly what it was supposed to, and most weren't even close. How far off of the published coin weight are we talking? Grams? Tenths of grams? Hundredths? When do you stop thinking standard slight variations between minted coins and, "whoa!" time to contact the Secret Service? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
Quote:
How far off of the published coin weight are we talking? Grams? Tenths of grams? Hundredths? When do you stop thinking standard slight variations between minted coins and, "whoa!" time to contact the Secret Service? One of the China Pandas weighed 27 grams instead of 31. The two China 2008 Olympic Commemorative coins were around 22 grams, rather than the full ounce. I knew something was wrong with the latter as soon as I felt them. The 2008 coins were also missing the Yuan symbol, which was a dead giveaway upon closer inspection. I was suspicious about the Panda and had to weigh it in order to verify that something was wrong. All three were 40 mm, just thinner than they should have been. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Interesting video but beware guys who do not know that grinding on metal makes it get HOT.  This whole subject is yet another reason to only deal with quality dealers for our PM needs. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2168 Posts |
This along with the Gold bars I read about in great Britain that were 2 grams lighter and had Tungsten in them. Frightening
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Pillar of the Community
Japan
666 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2168 Posts |
Yes and I wonder if any of the altered bars accidentally get mixed in a melt. Hopefully all are weighed and assayed
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Heavily gold plated tungsten bars are fun.
Tungsten has the same density as gold.
And yes! Tungsten HAS been used to make fake gold bars!
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Replies: 52 / Views: 6,535 |
Posted 03/25/2012 11:27 pm
