I am new to buying silver, and I'm not sure of the authenticity of a silver round I have, and am looking for any helpful advice. It was described as "Beautiful 1916 1Troy LB .999 Fine Silver Mercury Dime. 1 Troy LB =12 Troy oz or 13.1657 oz avoisdupois." The round weighs 373 grams as it should, and is the same dimensions as other troy lb rounds I've seen for sale (3 1/2 inches diameter, 1/4 inch thick). It has a smooth area on the edge with a serial number on it. The reason I'm wondering if it's fake is that, upon reading more about silver, it seems that it should say .999 on it somewhere, but it doesn't! The pictures are of the actual round. It is in a plastic case and the scratches are on the case, the round is perfect and shines as silver should. Any help will be greatly appreciated
Have not seen that particular Troy pound round before. The lack of a purity and the word "silver" will potentially hamper resale. What you could do is a specific gravity test - there's a recent thread on here showing how to do it easily. Alternatively find a dealer with an XRF machine who will be able to determine if it's merely plated. Are you able to return it for a refund or is that not an option?
It was an Ebay purchase, and clearly stated .999 in the description, so if I prove it isn't Ebay will refund. I will look at doing the test you suggested Thanks
Thanks for the link, I've just been reading distilled water @ 65 degrees f is best - which will have to wait until I go to the store tomorrow. I will post results when I get them. Thanks again
Just try it in drinking water - the difference should be well within the tolerances required to determine if it's fake.
The drinking water might have a few less bacteria in it afterwards It's a generic round - just pat it dry with a cloth afterwards to prevent any water spotting.
SG test showed it was not silver, turned out to be silver plated copper, seller gave me a full refund. thanks for all the replies
Good outcome. Should have showed up in the thickness though - copper has a specific gravity of 8.2, versus silver with 10.5 (rounded). A 75mm disk with a weight of 373 grams should be the following thickness: Thickness (copper SG 8.2): 10.3mm Thickness (silver SG 10.49): 8.02mm Obviously the height of the rim and surface relief makes this difficult to measure accurately, but the 2.3mm difference should be noticeable.
