It's FRIDAY, people. Let's. See. The. Porn!
Weiss
Posts: 9,941 ✭✭✭✭✭
Ok, well I managed to add a few tiny pieces that aren't very interesting. But I did manage to pick up something kind of cool:
Sigma Metalyitcs Precious Metals Verifier
For my own stack and for the pieces I offer going forward, I'll show the piece on the Sigma tester.
So what did you add this week that hasn't (or has!) already been shared with the class?
I
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame
--Severian the Lame
8
Comments
Oh, yeah, porn. Two different deals.
Was hoping to have a kilo bar like this
from Bigzeetee, but unfortunately I am still waiting so no physical metal this week.
It's all about what the people want...
Great investment on the Sigma, Weiss!
I picked up a tube of mixed date BU silver eagles from my local coin shop the other day. Nothing picture worthy like that nice Scottsdale nugget posted above.
MY GOLD TYPE SET https://pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/complete-type-sets/gold-type-set-12-piece-circulation-strikes-1839-1933/publishedset/321940
I have been wanting a Sigma,,, where did you get it?
I got these in the mail today.
A welcome addition to my Engelhard 20oz collection.
Series 1 CDN
Series 3 CDN
Series 4 CDN
Picked up a couple myself and like you - I got them in the mail today.
Cool stuff. Love the Eng bars as always, @cmanbb !
Got the sigma from PCE (Pinehurst Coin Exchange). I'd gotten some supplies from them in the past, and they seemed to have a pretty good price. Shipped it fast and I've had a blast in the 20 minutes I've had so far to play with it.
--Severian the Lame
Weiss,
Have you found anything you thought was genuine that the Sigma says isn't?
Thanks Weiss, so which tester did you get..basic, or with all the wands? I'd like to get one.
Very neat tester, Weiss. Does it work on coins or bars that have heavy silver or gold plating? Does it work on bars that are sealed in plastic? Looks quite useful with all the counterfeits coming in from China.
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
@cmanbb, I got the basic. But it comes with the large and the small wands. I think when they first started selling these, the wands were extra
@PerryHall, it's my understanding that it works on heavy plating, though I don't have any examples I know are heavy plated. And it works on stuff sealed in plastic:
I know I've got a few counterfeit gold pieces, and I'd like to try it out on heavy vinyl wrapped 10 ounce bars. But that's all in the vault and I probably won't have an opportunity to get them until Monday.
Here's the unit using the small wand on a mercury dime:
--Severian the Lame
Yes and no. I've now tested about 50 silver items and a couple of gold ones. So far everything is what I thought it was, with one exception.
You can't just plop an object down and have the sigma tell you what it is. You have to choose what you think the object is first, and then the device will tell you if your object falls within a small range that should correspond to that object. For example, If you have a .999 ounce bar and you select "sterling 92.5%", the bar will be outside of that range (shown in the brackets on the above images). The machine is sensitive enough that you have to select from three different types of 90% (pre-1900, pre-1945, 1960s).
Here's an unusual item. It's a 1920s-era napkin ring, marked "sterling". So it's kind of rectangular shaped with a large empty area inside. I set the unit to "sterling 92.5%" and it read it like this:
I've tested maybe 30 silver bars (mostly those 1970s art bars). All of them read within the tight range of 99.9%. Except one bar. I tried flipping it, turning the machine on and off. Still came up wrong.
Came back again this morning and was still getting the same reading.
Then I realized I'd switched the machine from 99.9% pure to the 99.99% pure setting. That little hundreths of a percentage was enough to flag the item. I moved the machine back to 99.9% pure, and the bar was within the range. I suspect it has an unusual alloy, or maybe the vinyl has degraded. Regardless, the machine's sensitivity caused me to very carefully examine the piece I wouldn't otherwise. Which is ultimately the goal for me: I want another set of "eyes" on the items I buy and sell, and this will give me a super sensitive, trustworthy and unbiased partner.
Here's the unit testing an Engelhard .999 one ounce bar, inside a small baggie. I set the unit to "sterling 92.5%", and as you can see, this piece is outside of the acceptable range for sterling (the black box is outside of the brackets).
Then I re-set the unit to 99.99% pure, and it read perfectly within the acceptable range:
--Severian the Lame
@Weiss...That is a nice unit....Price on their site has been reduced...Still expensive. Not sure I have enough to justify the investment... but I am seriously thinking about it. Cheers, RickO
Ricko...The least expensive basic model with 2 wands, can be had for $625... with free s&h ..site below
https://buysigmametalytics.com/products/sigma-metalytics-precious-metal-verifier-basic-set
If you test several pcs that are the same in a row,,,,, such as .999 or 90% can you just lift off and go to the next pc or do you have to enter the .999 or 90% into the machine each time you place something on it?
@OPA... Thanks... now I have to justify it to myself....
Cheers, RickO
It's almost instantaneous, so long as you're within the same category. Check this out:
--Severian the Lame
That thing is sweet!!!!
Recent pickup:
Nice bar!
Great pick up, Weiss. Those are very handy.
My YouTube Channel