Well this is my first post so I'll quickly say hi to everyone here, my name is daozen and I guess I'm kind of late into the game but hopefully soon enough. I'm happy to be part of this exiting community and hope to learn and share as much as possible! Now, there's no way to buy silver in my country so I'm forced to buy online. I just bough some 1oz rounds on ebay but I have just started to analize them more closely and I think some pyromet 999 rounds might be fake. I made a few vids and took a few pics to try to give as much detail as possible. So first lets look at the close-ups: Now let's weigh it against an American Prospector: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XWDKGbc7kg The prospector is consistent with other mint-bought rounds I have weighed: 31.3 on my scale, for all 999 silver oz. The pyromet, however, is strangely 30.1 the other 2 pyromet I bought also weigh 30.1. Is it fake or just less silver? Now we look at how they compare in how they reflect light: american prospector http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzAcEE8d6Ys&feature=channel_video_title pyromet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrFzTfs_o8 The Pyromet seems to be a bit too reflective, altough that could be perfectly normal right? Now, this is where I find the most difference, the ring test, and what me thinking it's fake. The coin is slightly thinner on the logo-less inside but it's hard for me to think that shape alone is enough to make the pyromet's ring so short. Lastly I compare it with a regular currency 25 cents coin that contains no silver whatsoever. Oddly it has a long sustained ring like the prospector, the shape is also more similar to the prospector. This makes me doubt the ring test itself but still, I find it difficult to think that shape alone explains the pyromet's short ring. american prospector http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuEk1qAzkJM&feature=channel_video_title pyromet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzw7b8pG8cc regular NON-SILVER 25 cents coin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVlC6kHxVmo Please let me know what you think, thanks!
Welcome daozen. Two other simple tests you could do are the magnetic test, and density test. Silver is not magnetic, so should not be attracted to a strong magnet. And if you calculate the approximate volume of the pyromet, it should be very, very close to, but slightly less than, the volume of the prospector. The ring test is not always a reliable test. The weight is a bit concerning, though. Cheers.
I tried with a fridge magnet and nothing, i think im getting a strong one soon. i think the density test is slightly tricky because the inner part is considerably thinner than the edge and the logo.
