Hello, everyone. I have invested in silver bullion. I currently have a number of bullion in rounds as well as bars. I just realized some of them are varied in weights. I know 1 Troy Oz. is supposed to be 31.1g but some of my bullions are either over 31.1g by 0.3 or 0.4g and under by 0.3, 0.5g or so. Should I be worried that they are fakes?
They are all different kinds so I can't really compare the fineness. Some people were suggesting some quick tests I can do. there's this things called "cart wheel" effect. Basically if you tilt the coin at slow pace, it should show unifor light bouncing back. Is there any other way to check it?
Most rounds and bars state their fineness as part of the legends. 1 troy oz. of .9999 silver would weigh 31.06g. Pieces containing a troy ounce of pure silver would always weigh that or more, depending on the specific alloy and fineness. Your "overs" are certainly within tolerance, but I do have some question about your "unders".
A round might be stamped 1 troy oz of .999 silver, but the weight might be more or less than 1 oz and the fineness might be just about anything. Just because something is stamped on the round doesn't make it true.
All the more reason to buy recognized government minted coins. You're not going to have trouble liquidating Eagles or Maples.
If you have any old silver art bars, especially '70's silver art bars, then you are going to have some that will have a weight variance of +/- 0.5 grams. That seems to be a common weight variance among '70's silver art bars based on my experience of buying '70's silver art bars. When in doubt, you can also do a ring test on the silver round or bar. Silver makes a distinctive ring when you lightly tap it to something else or against another silver round. It is also best to buy silver from a reputable local coin dealer or from the online dealer called APMEX.
I think you're alright but if you have one that you're really suspicious about, you can post a pic and we'll take it from there. :thumb:
