Information About The Silver Content Of The 1748 Zurich Thaler

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,385
Squire Wilson Pillar of the Community Australia 653 Posts	Posted 06/02/2019 04:41 am I purchased the below 1748 Zurich Thaler from a reputable dealer recently. Of course the coin struck me as being very beautiful, but true to form I started to investigate this coin carefully. The XRF machine indicated the following metal content: Town Scene side: Ag 95.66%, Cu 4.05%, Pb 0.202% Lion side: Ag 96.10%, Cu 3.69%, Pb 0.211% Interestingly enough, the Specific Gravity of the coin is very similar to that of my Maria Theresia Thaler, namely 10.12 Is this consistent with the actual silver content of this Zurich Thaler? I have tried to find information about the silver content of this coin on the internet but have not been successful. Any information from CCF members would be appreciated. Finally, from the images shown below does the coin look ok? It is always great to have the opinion of CCF experts Squire Edited by Squire Wilson 06/02/2019 04:41 am Report this Post to the Staff

sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21786 Posts	Posted 06/02/2019 05:53 am May have to send an inquiry to a Swiss museum to get the answer you are looking for, or at least ask such an institution if there are any relevant research papers that may have been published. Report this Post to the Staff
Squire Wilson Pillar of the Community Australia 653 Posts	Posted 06/02/2019 07:31 am Thanks for the advice sel_69l, but as a first step I am hoping that there may be an expert on these Swiss coins within the Coin Community Family who may have some information. Some additional details about the coin. It weighs 27.72 grams and has a diameter of 40mm. According to my table relating Specific Gravity to silver content for a silver / copper coin a SG of 10.12 corresponds to between 75% and 80% silver. However, the table may not be appropriate for this coin as the Maria Theresia Thaler (1853-1900 restrike) in my possession has similar SG and a silver content of 83% Squire Report this Post to the Staff
tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7940 Posts	Posted 06/02/2019 10:30 am For comparison, a recent auction sale: https://www.coinarchives.com/2c04ba...age03954.jpg Report this Post to the Staff
jgenn Pillar of the Community United States 1156 Posts	Posted 06/04/2019 10:56 pm I hope @swamperbob or @colonialjohn would comment on the possible range for surface enrichment. Report this Post to the Staff
Squire Wilson Pillar of the Community Australia 653 Posts	Posted 06/05/2019 05:31 am Thanks for the comments tdziemia and jgenn The bullion merchant who conducted the XRF analysis also examined my coin with a loupe. He mentioned that the coin has likely been cleaned in the past. Perhaps this could have resulted in the higher silver content near the surface. The merchant was also surprised by the lead content, though he could not tell me the reason for this Squire Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21786 Posts	Posted 06/05/2019 05:45 am My comment that follows is based on an inferred guess, that related to the higher lead content: One of the ores from which silver is derived is Galena. Galena is primarily a lead ore, but in almost cases, silver can be found as an association in this mineral, and silver is one of the reasons why galena is mined. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,385

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