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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Oldhoopster, post: 3061959, member: 84179&quot;]I’ve used EDS frequently for a quick look at elemental compositions of inorganics and it’s relatively simple.&nbsp; For something like the OPs coin, a 50-100x mag will give a relatively large surface.&nbsp; In this case, you’re only looking for Mn, Ag, and/or Ni peaks.&nbsp; I’m not a metallurgist but I’m guessing that the war time alloy primarily forms a solid solution(s) so the surface should be reasonable representative at this scale.&nbsp; Sample prep is simple since the coin is conductive. It will probably take almost as long to pull a vacuum as it does to do the analysis. </p><p><br /></p><p>XRF on Lab equipment would be easy as well.&nbsp; I am not against handheld XRF devices, but I would want to make sure that the operator is experienced and knows something about how it works and its limitations. Just because you buy a Ferrari doesn’t mean you know how to drive it at 200mph.</p><p><br /></p><p>BTW: For readers who aren’t familiar with SEM/EDS or XRF.&nbsp; These analytical techniques only provide information about the surface.&nbsp; They DO NOT tell you anything about what’s more than 10-20 microns below the surface (That’s less than a thousandth of an inch)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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