Is the tone test bulletproof?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by OldSilver, May 30, 2011.

  1. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    Hey guys. Today i met up with my best friend and he gave me a supposedly "international universal trade unit" one troy ounce silver coin. Its still very lustrous and detailed and it looks awesome. It has a scale on the obverse and the two world hemispheres on the REverse. I held it on the tip of my finger and tapped it with another coins (known as the tone test) and it does not sound like silber at all. Silver coins, especially large ones like this one and morgan dollars, have a very prominent, long ring but this coin had a short clink that had no ring at all. I did the magnet test and the coin was okkay in that sense because it did not stick. Is the fact that it failed the tone test mean one hundred percent that it is NOT silver or should i continue and buy a silver testing kit.
     
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  3. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    If it doesn't ring then I'd say it is not silver. I have never known the "ring" test to fail.

    Post some pictures of this item, maybe we can identify it.
     
  4. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    It is possible for an internally cracked planchet to fail the "tone test" but this would be very unusual. There IS a chinese counterfeit of the "international universal trade unit" silver round, but the weight is off on it. So pictures and get a weight on the piece.
     
  5. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    Like how long should the ring last. I just tapped it using a clad half and it last for about one full second
     
  6. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    hivuyf.jpg heres some decent pics
     

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  7. jello

    jello Not Expert★NormL®

    My 2 cents

    Toning not always A bulletproof test. but with today's Technology & TPG machines there a few ways a coin/bullion piece will tell.
    If you plan to have it graded.
    few can really tell from photo but in gloved hands some are 95% right.
    :kewl:
     
  8. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    Ao i should buy a silber test kit in your opinion? Wizard coin supply has them for like two bucks
     
  9. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    Gosh silver****** sorry i keep saying silber but when you type fast on a touch screen keyboard you cant escape typos
     
  10. jello

    jello Not Expert★NormL®

    If you have $
    &
    want to make sure + if you have any other coin you want to ck.
    I say go for it
    :kewl:
     
  11. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    No, I would not. The easiest way is to take the coin to a jewelry shop and have it weighed. If the weight is correct, and rings like you said in post #4 - then it is probably real.

    Personally, I never tap a coin to use the ring test. I just flip it into the air off my fingernail. It'll ring if it is silver or gold just by doing that.
     
  12. bruce m

    bruce m New Member

    i had a 1 oz silver round from 84' and it didnt sound anything like silver but it was
     
  13. OldSilver

    OldSilver New Member

    Really? Okay then ill definitly take it to a coin shop or jewlery store to have it weighed and stuff. Im confident that it is silver because my friend said the original owner,his neighbor, were bullion collectors and that they had thousands of ounces so i doubt a big time investor like that would not know the difference between real and fake silver
     
  14. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Not gonna say it would be impossible - there's always cracked planchets as was mentioned - but it's pretty dang unusual !
     
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