Here are several ways to judge common silver coins.
First, silver identification. Distinguish between true and false silver rings, first of all, from the identification of true and false silver. The atomic number of silver is 47, and the element symbol is Ag, which is not easy to oxidize and has good flexibility. True silver is soft and white. The higher the fineness of silver, the whiter the luster, and the real silver circle is white after cleaning. The hardness of the silver circle is low, and the two pieces of silver circle overlap and rub, which is oily and has no sound of metal collision (except foreign silver coins or skinny silver coins). False silver circle or steel as embryo, or copper and lead as embryo, or aluminum and tin as embryo, or metal powder cement as embryo, its chromaticity is dark and dull. Fake silver coins are full of ugliness after burning, broken, deformed and scattered. True silver coins do not deform or change sound after burning, and are white and shiny after cleaning. After cleaning, the fake silver ring turns yellow, blue, black or gray. Distinguishing silver is the premise of collecting silver coins.
Second, listen to the sound and tell the difference. Point to the center of the silver ring of the card with the fingertips of thumb and forefinger, or press the middle of the silver ring with the middle finger and hit it with another silver ring. The real silver circle is clear and soft. The high-pitched voice is a prototype counterfeit currency made of steel, the hoarse voice is a prototype counterfeit currency made of copper-tin alloy, the dull voice is a "silver-covered copper plug" counterfeit currency, and the silent voice is a prototype counterfeit currency synthesized by metal powder cement. In the past, the traditional way to identify the silver circle was to hold the center of the silver circle with the fingertips of the thumb and forefinger and blow it hard. The real silver circle can hear a slight rhyme, and the fake silver circle can hear no rhyme. This method requires good listening, avoiding excessive contact between fingers and silver rings, blowing hard and listening quickly. Listening and distinguishing false is the basis of identifying silver rings.
Third, the identification of patina. There is a layer of silver oxide on the surface of the silver circle handed down from ancient times, which is often called patina. The patina mainly has light black, light gray, light orange and millet shell color. With shoe polish, the patina of the wax fire barbecue is heavy black and can be recognized at a glance. Identification of patina is an effective method to identify silver rings.
Fourth, rust color identification. Silver coins will rust if they are not stored properly after they stop circulating. The silver rust layer passed down from generation to generation is very thin and dark green. Unearthed silver rings generally have a thick rust layer, and some rust layers are raised. When two silver coins are rusted together, there are white bright spots with uneven distribution on the surface, which sparkle in the light, commonly known as "pan-silver". Pan-silver phenomenon cannot be faked. Most of the silver rings unearthed with the burial are sauce red, and some have green rust spots. The puddle is full of green rust. The rust color of real silver wheel is the brand of history, which is difficult to get rid of. Boil with alkali, do not return. The artificial rust of fake silver rings is light green, which can be scraped off with nails and erected with needles. Boil in alkaline water for half an hour, and the rust color will be completely gone. The fake silver rust smells fishy and the tongue is sour. Rust color identification is the key to identify silver rings.
As "Yuan Datou" was gradually recognized by the collection market, many counterfeiters forged or imitated "Yuan Datou" in pursuit of profits, and many collectors became "suckers" because of "Yuan Datou". Yao Shuomin, former deputy director of China Coin Museum and deputy secretary-general of China Coin Society, provided us with some skills to identify the authenticity of Yuan Datou:
The first method is "knocking at the door"
Take two silver coins, pinch the center of each silver coin with the fingertips of both hands, and slowly move closer. When two silver coins overlap by about a quarter, the two silver coins gently tap the edge of each other, and the sound of real money is crisp, while the sound of counterfeit money sounds dull.
The second method is "blowing"
Gently hold the center of the silver dollar with your index finger and thumb, suddenly blow the vertical edge of the silver dollar and put it to your ear quickly. Silver coins with really good color have a long and clear ending, which other metal or impure silver coins will not have. For example, the common silver coins containing lead in the market are almost silent, because lead is relatively heavy and soft, and it is not easy to vibrate and pronounce. Nowadays, most forgers use computers to make plates and use alloy materials to pretend to be silver. Its color and words can be confused, but in the final analysis, it is not silver, its pronunciation is sharp and long, and insiders will know the authenticity as soon as they distinguish it.
The third method is "weighing"
Real money is generally heavy, and the loss after circulation is about 26 grams. Its color is moist and soft, the tone is soft and long, the picture and text are accurate, and the patina is natural. Counterfeit money is generally not heavy enough, or overweight due to thickening, and its color is dark.
The fourth method is chemical analysis (careful use, easy to cause mud damage)
Where there is no pattern, a small drop of nitric acid will immediately see the chemical reaction between nitric acid and the metal in the silver coin, resulting in the combined precipitation of other metals such as khaki silver nitrate. Then wipe off the chemical reaction precipitate with cloth soft materials, and you will still see the silvery white surface. This experiment will not damage the overall structure of silver coins, and it is simple and easy to do. Because the metal components of metal coins are impure, the color of their chemical reactants also changes greatly. If it is counterfeit, the authenticity of silver coins can be judged by the color of chemical reactants.
For example: 1, the micron silver plating layer of copper tire silver coin will react with nitric acid soon, and then continue to react with copper-based materials. After the final chemical reaction is completed, the mixed precipitation of light green silver nitrate and copper nitrate will appear. After the chemical reaction, the color of the parts is no longer silvery white, but light yellow copper-based materials.
2. Alloy material silver coin The alloy material fake silver coin without silver, after chemical analysis with nitric acid, its sediment color is turbid white-gray substance.
3. If fake silver coins are made of tin and lead, the chemical reaction product of tin nitrate and lead nitrate is a white-gray precipitate.
The authenticity of silver coins can be judged by the color of chemical reaction. Fake silver coins of other materials can be verified by the above three methods.
An unusual coup
Listen to the sound.
Is to distinguish by the sound of silver dollars colliding with each other. Gently press one fingertip upward at the center of the silver dollar, and tap the edge of the silver dollar with another silver dollar to make a crisp and soft sound. This is the real silver dollar. If the voice is sharp and high, with a copper sound, it is a low-component fake silver dollar containing a lot of copper. If the voice is low and hoarse and the periphery is inconsistent, it is a fake silver dollar dug by the foreskin. Generally, the sound of fake silver dollars is mostly short and dull.
Look at the appearance
Look at the shape and structure, pay attention to whether the color, pattern, pattern, size and thickness of the silver dollar are normal, whether there are any abnormal phenomena such as pickling, filing, edging and digging, and whether the silver dollar is printed privately. Generally speaking, the diameter of fake silver dollar is slightly smaller than that of real silver dollar. As long as it is compared with the real silver dollar with the same volume, it can distinguish the authenticity.
Edge detection tooth
Because the real silver dollar is the mechanism version? Its side teeth are detailed and symmetrical, regular and even; The side teeth of counterfeit money are rough and uneven, and some have traces of local file repair. As long as you are careful, it is easy to distinguish with the naked eye. What if there is a fine tooth in the two coarse teeth of Yuan Datou's lateral tooth? The fine teeth of the fake "Yuan Datou" are blurred.
say/call
The standard weight of silver dollar should be 26.5g, and the color is 88%. After wearing a normal silver dollar in circulation, its weight should also reach 25.8 grams. Anything that weighs less than 25.8 grams and has a fineness of less than 84% is either washing dishes, filing edges, wrapping, digging silver dollars, or counterfeit money.
acid test
Drop a drop of nitric acid on the silver dollar. If the silver dollar is found to be bubbling green or black, it is a lack of ingredients or a fake silver dollar. The copper-core silver dollar will lose its luster as long as it touches nitric acid. In the case of silver plating, the silver-plated surface layer is easy to fall off, and the falling part is easy to rust.
In short, we should learn to judge the authenticity of silver coins and identify the version of silver coins by shape, patina, font and rust color. Knocking and acid inspection should be used as little as possible. In addition, don't bite silver coins with your teeth, otherwise it will destroy the appearance.