As msome members said, it is an old silver chinese ingot. As to authenticity, it is doubtful since there are lots of fakes but that doesn't make it a fake for sure. Go visit your local coin dealer or jewelry store and ask if they can tell you if it is silver.
The most damning diagnostic is the shape - round-bottomed sycee are known, but none with such a conical shape. Second, and almost as important, is that the bottom is smooth, lacking the characteristic bubbles produced in the normal casting procedures of the time. Finally, the steps on the obverse are too mushy. It is a fake. To see some of the many forms of genuine and fake sycee: http://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=581
I'm probably going to get it looked at first thing tomorrow morning. I'll let ya know what it is. Thanks for all the info.
It is very doubtful that any of your local dealers have ever even seen one of these before. They will almost certainly tell you LESS than I have already.
If the dealer has an XRF gun, ask them to use that. By the looks of it the piece is either plated or low grade silver. I would agree with the people who said it is modern and not a genuine piece.
It is disturbing seeing newcomers with questions bypassing the expertise of some of our members which go far beyond 95% of "coin dealers" whose welfare is directly related to buying/selling. Once a person has been a member for some time, they will start to notice the reliability of these member experts in their answers. It is not however, how many posts or likes, it is the quality of the answers. This is especially true in foreign, and pre 1800 coins and objects. There are dealers in these areas that can match our local lineup, but very few. I vouch for Ardatirion's expertise in these areas with no reservation. Each answer he has given in the past corresponds or exceeds my reference sources. IMO. Jim
True DG, but the whole point of seeing a "local dealer" is to see someone that is assumed to have the tools and expertise to test the metal content of the item. This is the one thing missing from what we can do with even the best pictures.