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What is the correct designation for pure silver?
PerryHall
Posts: 46,795 ✭✭✭✭✭
Some forum members use ".999" while others use "999". Are they the same or is only one correct?
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
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.999 is technically correct for what you're talking about.
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
<< <i>Ag
<< <i>Whats the pernt of making a coin with anything better than 3 nines pure silver? >>
It's like aving an amplifier that goes up to 11! That's one more that 10 ya know
<< <i>Whats the pernt of making a coin with anything better than 3 nines pure silver? >>
9D9-9D9
<< <i>Some forum members use ".999" while others use "999". Are they the same or is only one correct? >>
"999" is shorthand for ".999" just as in baseball where a 300 hitter is actually a .300 hitter.
<< <i>I suppose if it's .999 then it's not technically pure. I do know that they call it "Plata Pura" in Mexico though
99.9% of it is pure. The rest is something else.
it's a silly point to get hung up on, but the truth of the matter is that as a formality it's .999, just as anytime an article is written and a player's average is mentioned it's written .300 although the spoken average doesn't pronounce the decimal point. so it is with the reference of silver purity, it's spoken as "999" simply because the decimal point isn't pronounce, but i have never seen it written without, as in 999. it is always given as .999.
<< <i> It's like aving an amplifier that goes up to 11! That's one more that 10 ya know >>
But it's one louder...
Lane
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
<< <i>Ag
Argentum. Or non gratum anum rodentum argentum.
<< <i>anyone of you knuckelheads who has an amp that you need to or even can crank up to 10 has some serious problems with your audio gear. i can't even get half-way up on my system and it's plenty loud enough and in danger of overloading.
but ya i think your right keets. 10 is only for if your jimi hendrix and your onstage somewhere.
<< <i>
<< <i> It's like aving an amplifier that goes up to 11! That's one more that 10 ya know >>
But it's one louder...
Lane >>
LOL @ Spinal Tap referance. Now stop looking at my flame top Les Paul. Don't even look at it.
dont look at it!
<< <i>All I know is beware .999%. Somebody advertised items with that description. I complained to a number of sources that this meant less than 1%. I got the brushoff repeatly. Somebody finaly assayed it and it was indeed 1%. >>
The % is used in such a case as intentional obfuscation, with the sole purpose of separating the unwary from their hard earned money.
.999 (or .9999) is correct while describing purity for numismatic purposes. Percentages are more often used in chemistry and analytical metallurgy.
Regarding the finer points of the discussion:
By inference of some ASTM standards, 99.99% Ag seems to be a common reagent grade for Silver. Since I haven't any access to the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, I cannot verify this with absolute certainty. There are undoubtably applications that require purity that is exponentially greater.
Check out my current listings: https://ebay.com/sch/khunt/m.html?_ipg=200&_sop=12&_rdc=1
<< <i>All I know is beware .999%. Somebody advertised items with that description. I complained to a number of sources that this meant less than 1%. I got the brushoff repeatly. Somebody finaly assayed it and it was indeed 1%. >>
That's why asked the initial question. I always thought that .999 was the same as 999 fine while .999 fine is actually a little less than 001 fine or .001 silver. If I see a silver bar with .999 fine rather than 999 fine, it may be silver plated with 1/10 % silver content.
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 amp is usually at -25 which is pretty loud. I am not even sure it goes to 10!
<< <i>"fine" silver is .999 I think while sterling is 90%.
My amp is usually at -25 which is pretty loud. I am not even sure it goes to 10! >>
Sterling is 925 fine.
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>All I know is beware .999%. Somebody advertised items with that description. I complained to a number of sources that this meant less than 1%. I got the brushoff repeatly. Somebody finaly assayed it and it was indeed 1%. >>
.999 as % would be 99.9% but 0.999% would indeed be less than 1%
I would consider .999, 999 and 99.9% as equivalent designations.
Thanks BAJJERFAN for the support. So many folk in the past just told me what 999 meant.
It ties as being the most frustrating letter campaign I ever embarked on. The other was the legalization of pre 1934 gold certificates. I think I had irrefutable logic on that one, too. Both objectives were finally obtained. The first was by the assay. The second was bittersweet because the key factor was President Johnson replacing President Kennedy.
<< <i>"999" is shorthand for ".999" just as in baseball where a 300 hitter is actually a .300 hitter.
it's a silly point to get hung up on, but the truth of the matter is that as a formality it's .999, just as anytime an article is written and a player's average is mentioned it's written .300 although the spoken average doesn't pronounce the decimal point. so it is with the reference of silver purity, it's spoken as "999" simply because the decimal point isn't pronounce, but i have never seen it written without, as in 999. it is always given as .999. >>
Makes sense, otherwise you would say he's batting 3 tenths. Just doesn't have the same ring.
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
Walter Breen's encylopedia on page 299 refers to the dime as being 892.43+ pure. Legally it was defined as 1,485/1664 pure which I calculate as .892427884 or .89243-. Wow, I have just discovered more errors in Breen. He also refers to the quarter, half and dollar as 892.43+ but calls the half dime 892.43 which is correctly rounded.
On page 437 he refers to 900 fine silver although in other places he has used .900.
interesting..........................what do you think of the US Mint's Platinum issues that clearly show ".9995" Platinum??? are they Platinum plated??
So, what is the .001% or .0001% impurity in silver?
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
<< <i>If I see a silver bar with .999 fine rather than 999 fine, it may be silver plated with 1/10 % silver content.
interesting..........................what do you think of the US Mint's Platinum issues that clearly show ".9995" Platinum??? are they Platinum plated?? >>
Does it say ".9995" or ".9995 FINE"? The term FINE usually means part per thousand and is usually used without the decimal.
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>If I see a silver bar with .999 fine rather than 999 fine, it may be silver plated with 1/10 % silver content.
interesting..........................what do you think of the US Mint's Platinum issues that clearly show ".9995" Platinum??? are they Platinum plated?? >>
Do they use the % symbol?
Check out my current listings: https://ebay.com/sch/khunt/m.html?_ipg=200&_sop=12&_rdc=1