I have a series of state quarters I picked up, some are labeled clad and others are not. Is there a way to tell a difference between clad or silver other than the weight?
@TJ1952. While your test is a good one, it doesn't take into account that there are many clad proofs out there that have been silver plated. A better test if still not sure is to weigh them. Silver will weigh 6.25 grams, while clad will weigh 5.67 grams.
I think that is my best bet as well. Just need to take them out of the flips and weigh them I suppose? I also could just weigh them in the flips and see which are heavier? Any thoughts on a decent inexpensive scale?
The easiest way for me to determine silver versus clad is to look on the ends of the coins. A a clad coin will readily show the copper while the pure silver coin looks pure. Attached picture will show you the difference.
