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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,984 |
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Valued Member
Canada
117 Posts |
Some Youtube videos use "magnetic slide" to detect fake silver. It is a good method but NOT RELIABLE! The sliding effect is caused by Eddy Currents. Any good conductive metal (e.g. copper) can create similar "slow moving" result.
I think we need to combine multiple methods to perform an accurate result. Such as gravity (mass) test.
Do you have other good testing methods?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
757 Posts |
Quote:
Do you have other good testing methods? I sure do.   The bad part is it's an expensive "toy" that most people will never own. I believe it was GR58 who posted another electronic silver tester that wasn't too expensive. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
If you get on the good side of a local coin shop or pawn shop they will likely have the machine necessary to perform a metallic testing. The expensive part is getting the machine but it's virtually free to use thereafter.
Most folks who have one love to test their toy so it isn't hard to convince someone to test the coins you have a doubt about.
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Valued Member
 Canada
117 Posts |
My friend, your analyzer cost $15K USD! I don't think people can afford it.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
757 Posts |
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My friend, your analyzer cost $15K USD!
I don't think people can afford it. You would be surprised what you can get when you put your mind to it. There are other less expensive options out there, but that's the one I have. People constantly ask me to test things for them. I usually don't ask for anything in return. A lot of the time they'll give me a couple of bucks when I'm done. It has saved me and others more than it cost so it's definitely a worthwhile investment. If you screw up on a couple ounces of gold the loss adds up real fast. |
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Valued Member
Canada
117 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Weigh the coin with a scale. Easiest thing to do and it's non-destructive. Compare it to a known real coin by measuring the dimensions.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
Libertad makes a good suggestion... you can actually go one step further.
Weight the coin both in and out of water and compare the weights, using Archimedes principles you can then find the density of the material (specific gravity) I am not sure how it is done practically but the method proved that the crown made for the king was not pure... it stemmed from the displacement theory when Archimedes got into the bath and had him screaming "Eureka!"
Another simple test is the tissue paper test. When a silver coin is placed under a tissue it shows as a white circle underneath. Base metal coins show as a dark circle.
Edited by DavidUK
04/14/2016 07:00 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
I would've suggested that, but with coins we like them to not be roughly touched and whatnot. I've never actually tried the tissue test on anything, forgot about that one. |
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Pillar of the Community
Norway
1358 Posts |
I haven't tried the tissue test yet, but can anyone tell me if the tissue test also works on silver plated coins? If so, it'd be a weak point for the test. I usually use a precision measure and a precision scale. Silver has its own weight per troy ounce which is different from non-precious metals. So if the dimensions of the coin are about right, and the weight is about right, then it's a silver coin to me. Total investment of these 'toys' is about $30 and I'm very happy to take them out for testing. :) |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,984 |
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Posted 04/12/2016 5:10 pm
