Hello, I have an a-mark silver round that I'm somewhat suspicious of. I have lots of a-mark rounds, and they all look the same, except for this one. They all have dates except this one. On every other round I have, it obviously says something at the top of the liberty bell (not above it, but at the top of the bell itself, between the two lines), but this coin is just a series of dots between the lines. The rim of the coin is also different from all my other a-mark rounds. The crack in the liberty bell is shaped slightly different on on this one coin. Has anyone seen these or have any information on the subject? Do I need to post a picture? Thanks in advance everyone.
Yes, you will need to post pics. There some "normal" looking ones on this page for everyone's reference: http://www.coinpage.com/silver round-pictures.html
alright. As soon as I find my camera (I have no idea where it is), I'll post a picture. In the link of "normal" rounds, I see the A-Mark liberty silver round that is pictured matches the dozens that I have, except for this one. I suspect it's a fake.
the suspect is the one on the left. It also seems to have a slightly smaller diameter than the other rounds, as well as a difference in the edges, the pile I'm looking at all are tapered between the rim and the edge, except this one, it's just squared off, not tapered. I guess I should go pick up a scale that's accurate to .1 or .01 grams.
You can weigh it, but it looks good to me. I believe the newer A-Mark rounds do not have a date and have less detail than the older ones.
It looks better than the one on the right! LOL Does it make a "silver sound" ... looks pretty similar really, try emailing Amark with the pictures and asking them if they made/make them without years. Chances are this is just a newer year with a changed design and newer minting process. Digital scales on eBay that are that are great for 1 Ozt and less are about $15 to $20. Money well spent.
10 a-mark one ounce rounds weighed, 3 31.1g, 2 31.2 g, 1 31.3 g, 3 31.2 g, 1 31.4 g. All pretty close, 31.4 g was the round in question, the heaviest of all. I'm sorry, but I just cannot tell if it makes the silver sound. To me it sounds different, but it could be all in my head. It's surface almost reminds me of a cheap arcade token, all the others look like silver. They have a nearly mirrored finish, where the one in the left in the picture does not. Some have tarnishes or toning of different colors, but even the most tarnished piece is still nearly a mirrored finish. It is worth noting that the detail is much lesser quality in the suspect and that the suspect is not stamped on center, meaning the rim of the coin is skinnier at the top and fatter at the bottom, as seen in the picture. I suppose I need to measure something more complex, like the density or specific gravity of a few pieces? Or buy a test kit.
Or you could take it to a coin dealer, let him look at it, and sell it if he is interested and buy or trade for something you like.
