How can you tell palladium from silver

MrSpud · October 15, 2006 11:31AM

Assuming that a certain coin with the same design was struck in both metals, how would someone determine the difference between palladium and silver without damaging the coins?

robertpr · October 15, 2006 11:31AM

Weight I believe.

MrSpud · October 15, 2006 11:40AM

Ok, assuming the weight makes it seem like it is Palladium, is there any other way to confirm this? I'm asking because a friend has just such a situation. He has such a coin and the weight matches the palladium but he doesn't want to get his hopes up.

robertpr · October 15, 2006 11:49AM

<< <i>Ok, assuming the weight makes it seem like it is Palladium, is there any other way to confirm this? I'm asking because a friend has just such a situation. He has such a coin and the weight matches the palladium but he doesn't want to get his hopes up. >>

Then it's probably palladium. You can do a specific gravity test if you want to be really scientific about it, it involves weighing the coin, then weighing it again underwater, and then doing some math to determine the specific gravity, which varies by composition. Do a google search, there are many sites with directions.

StrikeOutXXX · October 15, 2006 11:49AM

He could do a specific gravity test - but you usually have to get it wet.

cladking · October 15, 2006 11:49AM

Dang French.

The silver has a more lustrous appearance and the palladium is more chrome like.

Barry · October 15, 2006 12:16PM

Specific grav of Palladium is 12.02 and silver is 10.5, so if you have 2 coins of the same size and design, the palladium coin will weigh about 20% more.

Pentimento · October 15, 2006 12:26PM

You could leave them out see which one tarnishes. Or you could see which one absorbs more hydrogen.

Is the coin Russian?

StrikeOutXXX · October 15, 2006 10:27PM

Most of them are marked Palladium or "PD" somewhere on the coin.

Here is a list of palladium coins with pictures - see if you can match them up perhaps?

Palladium Coins

notwilight · October 15, 2006 10:39PM

Actually, it appears Palladium coins are minted mostly in 1 troy ounce sizes just like silver so the Palladium won't be 20 percent heavier, it will be 20 percent smaller--or the Silver will be 25% bigger by volume (yes, 25). --Jerry

seemyauction · October 15, 2006 11:39PM

Take it to a coin dealer and tell the dealer you just want to know what it is....be up front with your intentions to sell it or not....

AL

ScarsdaleCoin · October 16, 2006 1:46AM

I have two on my desk from this weekend.... the way I tell them is that one is from Canada and is marked and the other is in the Johnson Matthey original packaging...

MrSpud · October 16, 2006 1:58AM

Thyanks everyone, the coin is french. Like Cladking hinted at, the French ones don't have anything on them to tell them apart.

Conder101 · October 16, 2006 11:36PM

Weel since you don't give any hints about what the coin is other than it is french and they used the same designs on both, I'm going to make a guess that it is a 100 franc coin and they made them with the same design in two different silver alloys, gold, platinum and palladium. They are all marked the same and appear to be the same size, but the weights ar 15 grams, 15 grams, 17 grams, 20 grams, and 17 grams respectively. So the palladium coins are two grams heavier than the silver ones.

How can you tell palladium from silver

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