I’ve inherited a number of these coins from my late Uncle. It’s been a real problem identifying some of them as they were struck using the same die, in silver and in cupro nickel, both types are the same weight and diameter. Alas there are very few COA certificates with them so I can’t sell them at my local Auction as silver if I’m not sure that they are. Are these really collectible now? Do I acid test them and sell them for the silver scrap value if they are silver? Thanks for any advice.
There’s nothing on the milled edges or anywhere else. I’m sure the silvers would have cost him quite a lot when he bought them and I’ve hung on to them for years. I’ve also got loads of First Day cover stamped envelopes some with coins like florins etc attached. I think I might have a job getting rid of them.
Someone with a XRF gun will test your silver rounds, usually the Gold buyers have one, you might get scrap value for silver. Forget the FDC's, dead loss in the UK, perhaps put them in a an auction as a joblot
I was afraid of that re the FDC’s. There’s a fella at the jewellers I sell gold to who buys silver, I’ll ask if he’s got one of those guns. Thanks, I hadn’t considered that. I’ve also got lots of unboxed old Dinky toys from same Uncle to trawl through for any ones of value. As soon as he got money as an adult he bought the Dinky cars he couldn’t have afforded as a child.
A Rare Earth Magnet will adhere to silver coins but it won't give the purity. Hold the coin on a flat surface at 45degrees and a REM will slowly slide down the a silver coin
Maybe their company website has information on those coins, if not I would find a jewelry store or coin shop with an XRF analyzer and have the coins scanned. Price in the US at my LCS is $5 a coin but many times it's free. I wouldn't acid test, not me!
My Uncle was buying these coins around 22years ago. I doubt they will have kept records about whether he bought the silver or cupro nickel ones as it was so long ago. I don’t think Westminster was the only mint to strike the same coins in different metals that weighed exactly the same. I did find a few Congo/Classic Cars coins, luckily able to find the COA which stated cupro nickel but these were also struck in silver too.
My neodymium magnets aren’t sticking to any of the coins, I don't know if it’s a U.K. thing with the amounts of copper and nickel they are using. I’m reading cupro nickel generally isn’t magnetic. I’ll try Daveys 45 Degree suggestion.
From what I recall, nickel starts losing its ferromagnetic properties when alloyed. Going off memory here, but I think around 70% it gets pretty weak and by around 50% it's basically gone.
The neodymium magnet sliding more slowly down the silver coins at 45 degrees is pretty effective. Thanks Davey.
