does anyone know any test you can do on a brass coin?. I think i might have a brass coin and I just want to make sure without sending it away to the ICCS. And no, there arn't any coin shops around here. ill post some pictures in a couple days of this one and a few others
I am not a chemist, but I doubt if there is a way. Brass is a mix of copper and zinc, but there could also be other metals in the coin. If it is "pure" brass (brass cannot be pure), then it is non-magnetic. So about the only thing I can suggest is to put a magnet to it and if it sticks, then it's either something else or it's mainly brass with some other alloy in it.
From Fuld's book on attributing metals of Civil War tokens - Most brass pieces exhibit a distinct yellow coloration resembling a tarnished door knob. The brass family is a group of copper and zinc alloys characterized by zince contents of 15 to 39% with the balance copper. Brasses can exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, and therefore, a wide range of colorations. Low zinc content brasses are strongly copper colored, and are sometimes called "borderline brass", and may be extremely difficult to distinguish from copper pieces. High zinc content brasses exhibit a strong yellow coloration. If you are familiar at all with any brass Civil War tokens, they are typically of the higher zinc content compositions.
i don't think the magnet is going to help you here. well maybe sorta. brass will not have a ferrous metal in it because that metal would rust. brass is used in many plumbing applications. so that is how i explain my point. i'm wondering if a coin scale would help in this case? i'm just wondering.
