Hi, total newbie here. I picked up some silver junk coins the other day, and also got this 16 avdp ounce round. Now that I'm looking at it..... don't pure silver products either say "fine" or "Pure" silver? This one says .999 silver, but a post I saw elsewhere said there can be copper items plated in .999 silver, so I'm wondering what I have here.... I can't find much on this exact item, other than an EBAY listing for one like it from last year. Any help appreciated.
Open the case and weight it. If .999 it should weight 453 grams = + or - 4 grams. This should answer your question.
Any paperwork with it? From all external appearances it appears to be solid silver. What are the dimensions (diameter/thickness)? Weighed it?
What's to say it's not 16 avdp oz of copper w/ silver plating though? No paperwork, came from my local coin shop. Looks ot be about 3 1/2" across, around a 1/4" thick. It was this post on EBAY that suddenly had me wondering/concerned--- Many One pound coins are really one pound of copper plated with .999 fine silver.They often have a serial number on the side of the coin. They are marked ONE POUND on the reverse. These coins do weight one pound and will weight in at 454 grams.
That's where the diameter/thickness will tell - you can calculate what the thickness SHOULD be from the weight/diameter, and see if it's within tolerances. Measure both in mm and post. Also do a specific gravity test - there's a recent thread on here how to do it with water and digital scales.
I don't have digital scales, so I can't do that. On my tape measure...it's right at 1/4" thick and 3.5" wide.
Have you pulled the covers off the inside of the box, these just "normally" pop out and you never know ? Also do a width, thickness weight, details it can be worked out. I got a 2oz Silver Eagle which afterwards saw "COPY" on it yet after back and forward we established it was Silver and was purchased at fair price. So worth getting some calipers or something out.
I'll bring my calipers in tomorrow (I'm at work) and let you know.... The shop sold it to me as pure silver.... nice enough people, so my first thought is that it is so.... but once I saw that Ebay note...made me think.
If you purchased it from a "local" coin shop... ask them... did they test It? If they can't answer this for you, tell them you want to exchange it for something that you KNOW. As for the possible "fakes" they are faking a lot of things now. You never know... thats why you always buy from a KNOWN trusted source. What part of the US do you live? You could take it to a different coin shop and ask them... How much is this worth?
what did you pay for it? I ask, because if it wasn't a large premium or anything, then you have nothing to lose by taking it out of the plastic.
Forgot my calipers this morning.... I'm in Ca. and this place I purchased it is the only coin shop in town (for 70 miles). I paid $450 for it. It's already been out of the plastic. Is there anything that makes anyone just say it could be something other than what's it's represented...or did that one line I posted above from Ebay just make me paranoid about it?
so you paid about a dollar a gram, pretty good! so at 453 grams it should be 43.138749 cc or ml. you can dunk it in water and see if it displaces that much. otherwise, if it does indeed weigh 453.whatever grams. then at 3.5 inches across it should be 0.273754 inches tall on average for Ag. it should be 0.321897 inches tall on average if it is Cu.
Hey Yellasub I missed your arrival...Anyways for my 500th posting here is Geraldton's very own Yellow Submarine
this is my yellow submarine! a 1982 240D (manual transmission) That's me in the foreground and San Mateo County, California in the background - about 45km south of San Francisco. Fun fact: Neil Young's ranch is somewhere in the background too. I was his neighbor for a couple of months.
Neil's latest music vids made up at the ranch are really cool. He's also building an electric car in cooperation with some Aussie techies. Of course it's an old Cadillac I think. Not a hollowed out Jappa. Hey there "Your Yella Merc has got a wheel in the ditch, & a wheel on the track !"
