In regards to the 1972 25 New Pence Elizabeth Il Silver Wedding and 1981 25 Pence Elizabeth Il Royal Wedding coins how do you know if you have the silver or copper-nickel version?
According to Numista (see images) there are both silver and copper/ nickel versions of this coin, seemingly with the same weights and diameters Anyone know how to differentiate these so I can figure out which version of the coins I have?
I don't want to assume the ones I have are the silver versions just because they were with other silver coins in a collection I inherited.
Don't bother with the magnet test for these coins if they're copper-nickel or silver they aren't going to stick to it due to the amount of copper in them. The vast majority you come across are copper-nickel I'm about to dispose of quite a few of them to a charity shop as when I purchase mixed coin lots there always seems to be some of those in the lot.
Don't bother with the magnet test for these coins if they're copper-nickel or silver they aren't going to stick to it due to the amount of copper in them. The vast majority you come across are copper-nickel I'm about to dispose of quite a few of them to a charity shop as when I purchase mixed coin lots there always seems to be some of those in the lot.
The Albedo test with a thin sheet of tissue or toilet paper is also a quick test you could do.
Take a copper nickel coin you are sure about and put your coin next to it. Cover ibith with the very thin paper, if the myter coin is much brighter it could be silver.
Use a neodymium magnet (rare-earth magnet). Keep your coin in a 45° angle and let the magnet slide downwards. On the copper-nickel coin the magnet will slide quickly, on the silver coin it will slide slowly.
And here's an example of the test Idolenz talk about. Put a piece of kitchen paper tissue over the coin, the copper-nickel coin will be dark, the silver coin bright white:
Least scientific version, is the silver coins will have a pale white colour that looks almost milky. The cupronickel coins will be a greyer chrome colour.
These coins are only proof silver, so the fields will be mirror polished and details should be frosted (Cameoed).
I love coins. Especially silver, gold and anything really old.
Member of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand and the Auckland Numismatic Society
Thanks everyone for the information, using the density test, it looks like these both are silver.
Even with this density test, they still don’t look silver when I hold up to known silver coins or do the paper towel test. I still don’t feel like these results are definitive
It is a test made by a very expensive, electronic device, which will not harm the object tested and will give you about 100% sure the content of the metal-compound you are testing, within seconds. Many metal-dealers and jewellers use it. Sorry for my farmers-english, but I am sure you will understand me.
Don't bother with the magnet test for these coins if they're copper-nickel or silver they aren't going to stick to it due to the amount of copper in them. The vast majority you come across are copper-nickel I'm about to dispose of quite a few of them to a charity shop as when I purchase mixed coin lots there always seems to be some of those in the lot.
It's a matter of the gliding speed!
Gliding speed of a “strong” magnet down a coin or conversely a coin down a magnetic slide will be affected if the coin material has a property called diamagnetism even in “non-magnetic” materials such as silver. The stronger the magnet, the more the effect. Also, the higher the content of the diamagnetic material the more the effect so 900 silver will show more of an effect than 500 silver. Copper-Nickel alloys do not have the diamagnetic property so will be unaffected when moving through a magnetic field. As an example here are screenshots from a movie of two coins of about the same size and weight racing down a magnetic slide. The silver one is Canada KM# 34 (800 silver, 2.33 g, 18 mm dia), the Cu-Ni one is Bermuda KM# 46 (2.45 g, 18 mm dia).
Caution though as copper has the same property (not as strong) so a silver plated copper coin will behave similarly as a silver coin. Always test a known coin as a comparison.
Why don't they put a silver mark on silver coins . It would help if they also had different weights.So confusing, especially when your trying to buy online ?
No you can’t, but unless you are buying coins, listed alongside drugs, weapons, stolen goods, etc, from the darkweb, you really have to trust what the seller is saying and return the coin afterwards if they are not silver. Of which most websites have such procedures therefore.
Plus, if there is a silver and copper nickel version of a coin and you are buying one and not sure, dont buy it. If you have it in hand and can’t determine which it is, you should gain more experience with silver coins - because quite honestly after a few days looking at silver coins you can tell very easily what is silver and what is not.
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