The sounds of coins
edgar
Posts: 886 ✭✭✭✭
Hello all, I'm not sure if this should be in the precious metals forum or not, but I have a question.
Everyone can recognize the distinct sound of a silver coin in pocket change. Does 40% silver vs 90% silver sound different? Can anyone describe the sound of Platinum vs Platinum vs Gold vs Gold, I have never handled any raw precious metal coinage or medals except for circulating silver.
Just wondering. Can anyone describe the sounds?
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There's quite a few YouTube videos on coin sounds.
The old brass cash registers had a marble ledge so a merchant could drop a suspicious coin on it and listen to the sound it made. Circulating counterfeits were made of base metals such as lead that would produce a dull thud while a genuine silver or gold coin would produce a melodious ring. It was an easy and quick way for the merchant to check the authenticity of any coin being tendered for merchandise.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
My grand daughter collects old cash registers and has a couple with the marble ledge.... I showed her how the silver coins sound as opposed to today's coins... (she is of the post silver generation)... I can still recall how a pocket of silver coins would jingle when shuffled around.. Cheers, RickO
That's very cool!!! Old cash registers have always been something that interested me. Lots of history that goes along with them!
HAPPY COLLECTING
Yep... she only has a few... they take up a lot of space (more than coin slabs)... but she sells them too (always at a profit)... so the space gets re-used. Cheers, RickO
i heard the sound this morning, out of 87 cents in change at my breakfast bagel shop, one '64 quarter
This reminds me of the presentation at the last Chicago ANA by Tom, "Blind Coin Collector". Among other things, he talked about the sounds of different coins. His blog is interesting: http://blindcoincollector.com/
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
As a kid I could tell when my mother was handed a silver coin in her change just by the sound, Or, I could swish my finger through her change purse and tell if there was any silver in there just by the sound.
Last year I saw a pile of coins - quarters mostly - in a Coinstar reject tray, and when I reached my hand in to get them I instantly could "hear" that the pile was all silver.
I have never manhandled gold or platinum, so no idea what they sound like.
One way to check a double eagle is to balance it on the tip of your finger near your ear and then tap the edge with a wooden pencil. It makes a very melodious ring like nothing you ever heard before.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
The next time I am in a coin shop I will ask to see a double eagle and give this a try. And then I'll bite it to see if it leaves teeth marks.
Many counterfeit circulating coins were cast lead with a gold or silver coating. Lead is an extremely soft metal. Conversely, gold and silver coins at that time were 900 fine and had a 10% alloy (usually copper) to harden the alloy so it could withstand the rigors of circulation. If you bite a coin and it leaves tooth marks the chances are it is a lead based counterfeit. However, if you bite the coin and don't leave any perceptible marks, it is harder than lead and is probably a real coin.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I know this is not the MD Forum ... but
This is the 'sound' of a $1 Gold Coin
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I am familiar with how gold coins sound when dropped on wood floors, unfortunately.