Western movies and biting gold coins. . .

Draco

We've all seen it many times. . .someone in a western pays a scruffy looking old guy with a gold or silver coin and his authenticity test is the "bite test." I don't suppose anyone has seen a coin with teeth marks have they? Better yet, how about one in a slab with a net grade for teeth marks.

I'm just curious if this was an actual practice or some fantasy dreamed up by some hollywood nut.

nwcs

I don't know, but I've always wondered the same thing. I just can't see biting gold to be all that useful unless they were checking to see if the gold would scrape off indicating an electroplate.

shirohniichan

I have some silver coins from 16th century German talers to draped bust halves onward that show small X's carved on them. Test marks like this were quick checks to see if the coins were plated. Drill marks were common, also, but they required a special tool (some have speculated that unscrupulous people used drill bits to steal metal shavings before placing coins back into circulation, but I think they were more likely used to test for plating). I have a capped bust half that looks like it was struck with a nail head, and this was probably done to see if it was plated, also. Chinese chopmarks served the same purpose.

agentjim007

I think someone should take a damaged gold coin and bite it to see if it even leaves teeth marks, false teeth is cheating.

detectorhead

Well, I can safely say that gold is soft , bends, and scars easily. See picture, poor thing was assaulted by a bulldozer. Had to put it between two blocks of softwood in order to flatten it back out. I have found brass nuggets that were made to deceive the rubes. You can break a tooth on them.Battered Eagles

theboz11

I have had some tooth mark gold, usually 2 1/2 Indians. Look like any small depression until you check the other side of the coin to see were the other incisor pressed. I alway look for teeth marks to invision a story around the coin.

cladking

The bite test is actually fairly accurate. Hardly failsafe, but the same amount of pressure
with the incisor each time will yield the same size mark in gold of the same purity. It takes
a little practice, but it works. No need to bite hard just the same each time. Plated coins
will fail this test, though possibly gold leaf can pass it.

ursabear

in addition to the posts above, many fake coins were cast in lead (plated in gold or silver). The incisors more easily mark plated lead than real gold or silver.