How can you tell if bars are Silver or Lead

Type2

I have a frand that says he got some silver bars but how can he tell if they are not lead,Thanks in advance.

fc

Rub the silver with a freshly cut piece of onion or garlic... I should turn
brown in a few second due to the sulfur compounds that cause the specific
smell of these "vegetables" (mercaptanes).

stolen from a mailing list.

SilverBaron

If the bars or rounds are 10oz. size or less... balance it on the end of your finger or on the top of your thumb knuckle and LIGHTLY tap it with a coin or stick pen.... .999 silver should have a light ring sound to it. If the bars are larger than 10oz... same idea... balance the bar on 2 open fingers and tap on the edge of a hard table or with any larger hard object. IF the "ring" sounds dead or flat it is "suspect".

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>Rub the silver with a freshly cut piece of onion or garlic... I should turn
brown in a few second due to the sulfur compounds that cause the specific
smell of these "vegetables" (mercaptanes).

stolen from a mailing list. >>



don't fergit ta dip it wen yer done.

Preussen

<< <i>... I should turn brown... >>

The silver or the onion/garlic? -Preussen

JZrarities

Cut it in half and look inside.

MrHalfDime

If you have access to a balance scale, measure the specific gravity of the bars. The SG of silver and of lead are quite different, and will tell you immediately.

Batman23

The method I use is to go to the local pet store and pick up a couple of werewolves. You will need one per bar (if it is real silver). If the bars are lead then one werewolf will do. Run the silver bar through the werewolf and if it dies, you got silver. If he heals up and lives then you got ripped. In the case you were ripped, take the werewolf with you when you demand your money back.

If your local store is fresh out of werewolves then I would try what SilverBaron suggested. I am not sure about the onion/garlic thing that FC is talking about. That sounds more like vampire stuff to me

boucharda

<< <i>Rub the silver with a freshly cut piece of onion or garlic >>



Won't work if the lead bar is silver plated.........

charley

Pay Superman for a TPG evaluation... Respectfully, John Curlis

ModernCoinMart

<< <i>The method I use is to go to the local pet store and pick up a couple of werewolves. You will need one per bar (if it is real silver). If the bars are lead then one werewolf will do. Run the silver bar through the werewolf and if it dies, you got silver. If he heals up and lives then you got ripped. In the case you were ripped, take the werewolf with you when you demand your money back.

If your local store is fresh out of werewolves then I would try what SilverBaron suggested. I am not sure about the onion/garlic thing that FC is talking about. That sounds more like vampire stuff to me >>




hahaha! That's a great one! Thanks for the laugh!

Walmann

Have your friend auction the bars on ebay. It really won't matter which metal they are then.

ScarsdaleCoin

Serial numbers.... if each bar has the same number....they probably are fake

Rupert305

<< <i>The method I use is to go to the local pet store and pick up a couple of werewolves. You will need one per bar (if it is real silver). If the bars are lead then one werewolf will do. Run the silver bar through the werewolf and if it dies, you got silver. If he heals up and lives then you got ripped. In the case you were ripped, take the werewolf with you when you demand your money back.

If your local store is fresh out of werewolves then I would try what SilverBaron suggested. I am not sure about the onion/garlic thing that FC is talking about. That sounds more like vampire stuff to me >>

adamlaneus

<< <i>Cut it in half and look inside. >>



You might not be too far off here. Lead is slightly more dense than silver. If one were to hollow out a silver bar, then refill it with lead leaving a small void, it would pass the specific density test. You may well have to cut it in half and look inside to be certain it is not a 'drill and fill' job. I don't buy them, i've never seen one. But it seems relatively easy to fake.

Trivia:
The old raw bullion coming from the Cerro Gordo and Panamint mines on their way to the refinery was a mixture of lead and silver. Panamint cast theirs into huge heavy ingots to deter theft along the way.

sanitarium1inmate

<< <i>The method I use is to go to the local pet store and pick up a couple of werewolves. You will need one per bar (if it is real silver). If the bars are lead then one werewolf will do. Run the silver bar through the werewolf and if it dies, you got silver. If he heals up and lives then you got ripped. In the case you were ripped, take the werewolf with you when you demand your money back.

If your local store is fresh out of werewolves then I would try what SilverBaron suggested. I am not sure about the onion/garlic thing that FC is talking about. That sounds more like vampire stuff to me >>



Stop it man you are killing me.

BobGreene

Put the bars in question down the front of your pants and then expose yourself to intense pinpointed radiation. If the bars are made of silver you will become impotent. If they're lead, you're safe!

PerryHall

<< <i>Put the bars in question down the front of your pants and then expose yourself to intense pinpointed radiation. If the bars are made of silver you will become impotent. If they're lead, you're safe! >>



Impotent or sterile?

Proofquarter

Look on the bottom. If ti says Made in China it could have lead in it.

ricko

Suspend them from a string through a hole in the bar... then strike them with a metal rod. Silver will ring, lead will not. Sulfuric acid test will also work. Cheers, RickO

PerryHall

<< <i>Suspend them from a string through a hole in the bar... then strike them with a metal rod. Silver will ring, lead will not. Sulfuric acid test will also work. Cheers, RickO >>



If you drill a hole in the bar, wouldn't that make it difficult to sell?

MrHalfDime

I will have to assume that the majority of opinions given here are in jest, but if you are serious about determining the metal content of your silver bars, simply measure the specific gravity. It is a simple test, done with a balance scale, first weighing them in air and then in water, making a simple calculation, and from this you can determine the density of the metal. It is a simple and almost foolproof test, which is non-destructive.

TexasNationals

My dealer balances them on and ASE tube 100oz or a quarter tube for 10 and taps them with a cheap brass hammer looking for the ping.

cinman14

Just lick it 5 times. Wait 3 weeks and see if you start growing a THIRD EYE....

After 3 weeks, you still have 20/20 and not 20/20/20 vision. It's safe to assume it's silver.......

GRANDAM

Drop them in a large pool of water at the same time. The lead will sink faster than silver

GrandAm

…

didnt sir isaac newton disprove that?

AJ2525

Put them in a bathtub and measure the water they displace,

Then shout Eureka!

Oh wait, that worked for gold....

JZrarities

<< <i>I've never seen one >>


Me neither, but someone posted this photo here a couple of years ago...

PerryHall

These crooks are smart enough to replace the silver with a lead alloy of the proper specific gravity so a specific gravity test can prove a silver bar is fake but it can't prove a silver bar is real.