silver ?

[wv hillbilly]

is there a way for the average person to tell if they have a chunk of silver
the reason i'm asking, i found this piece of metal that was tarnished like silver. it is very hard. i couldn't scrape it with my knife
it is 1 1/8" od it has a hole in the center 1/2" od, and is 1/4" thick. guestemt weight is 2-3 ounces

[ozo]

melt it down and pour it in a .45 mold.....load, shoot.....
may need to add alloy....
[you know you need pics]

[Sig Willy]

Use a magnet. If it stick it ain't silver.

[armedandsafe]

You will need some pretty precise measurements. Measure its true volume as carefully as you can. Diameter outside, length, diameter of the hole. Once you have the volume, weigh it on a precise scale, preferably to within +- 1 grain. Silver weighs 162.04 grains per cubic centimeter, or, 2655.36 grains per cubic inch. Then go here and see if it matches.

http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/weight-to-volume

Pops

[gdmoody]

If it is in the shape of a coin (which from the dimensions, it is), drop it on a cement porch or driveway. Silver has a certain "ring" to it when dropped. If you have an old silver dollar, half dollar, or quarter you can drop one of them and listen for that ring I am talking about, and then listen for that same ring.

[rcairflr]

Originally Posted by armedandsafe

You will need some pretty precise measurements. Measure its true volume as carefully as you can. Diameter outside, length, diameter of the hole. Once you have the volume, weigh it on a precise scale, preferably to within +- 1 grain. Silver weighs 1622.04 grains per cubic centimeter, or, 2655.36 grains per cubic inch. Then go here and see if it matches.

http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/weight-to-volume

Pops

I'm thinking you need to recheck your numbers. A cubic inch is about 16.4 x the volume of a cubic centimeter.

[Bill DeShivs]

Silver is soft enough to be scraped with a knife.

[towboater]

Yep. You could take it to a jewelry store an have it tested.

[aa1911]

weight is the true test (for purity anyway) but you have to have a known amount or accurately measure the volume somehow.

Since it's an odd one and not a known coin, I would find a jeweler to be sure.

[graehaven]

Yep, a jeweler or coin shop could tell you.

[medalguy]

If you can't scrape or cut it with a knife, it's not silver.

[fleetwood1976]

That just sound like a big ole washer to me.

[millwright]

Originally Posted by wv hillbilly

is there a way for the average person to tell if they have a chunk of silver
the reason i'm asking, i found this piece of metal that was tarnished like silver. it is very hard. i couldn't scrape it with my knife
it is 1 1/8" od it has a hole in the center 1/2" od, and is 1/4" thick. guestemt weight is 2-3 ounces

[bold added]

If you can't scrape/cut it with a knife, it ain't silver. Or even a common silver alloy. >MW

[armedandsafe]

Originally Posted by rcairflr

I'm thinking you need to recheck your numbers. A cubic inch is about 16.4 x the volume of a cubic centimeter.

You are right. I double tapped the 2 when I entered the cc number. I went back and edited to get the proper information in.

Thanks

Pops

[wv hillbilly]

Originally Posted by millwright

[bold added]

If you can't scrape/cut it with a knife, it ain't silver. Or even a common silver alloy. >MW

could it be a piece of silver solder?

[racingjohndeere55]

Its not any kind of US coin. The thickest coin minted is the ultra high relief gold coin which is 4mm thick. Find a local coin shop that you trust. They should be able to tell you what you have. and if they offer you money for it, I would check around. A picture might help.