Electromagnetic Silver Detectors?

[Axecutioner]

I've had this idea for a while and I figured I'd share it here to see what you all think. In vending machines and some coin counters, an electromagnet is used to detect what kind of metal a coin is made out of. Different types of metals affect the electromagnetic fields differently, so it might be possible to make and program some sort of device that can detect silver. Just pass a roll through some sort of detector and it'll tell you if there's silver in it. No need to even open the roll. This could potentially do tens of thousands of dollars in halves a day if you could dump and pick up that much, you could probably even fit an automatic roll feeder and a 'reject' bin for ones with silver in them. Even if it takes 10 seconds per roll that's $3600 an hour in halves.

I think with a design like this, there are very little (if no) moving parts, so there would be very little to break. You're searching by the roll instead of each individual coin. Thoughts? Anyone think a device like this would be possible?

 

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[postvmvs]

A roll at a time? No, not possible.

 

[namster]

Anything is possible. Time, money.

 

[Canadian hunter]

If it is possible, what's going to happen with proof clad halves, will they be rejected? What about error coins? Or by a mistake the 1970 half dollar is stick with a gunk to a clad half dollar and gets rejected. Even though I never searched halves, I saw two dimes being sticked together and that way I almost missed the silver 50% dime. I think this kind of machine is not going to be useful. Halves are considerably bigger in size, compared to a penny or a dime, so even date checking each coin is not difficult.

 

[namster]

Halves are considerably bigger in size, compared to a penny or a dime, so even date checking each coin is not difficult.

It is when you are searching 20K plus in a week and have a job.

 

[TCOZY13]

Henry Ford said people didnt want cars, they asked for faster horses. I could see a huge upside to this machine; it seems it would be difficult to make, but then again so does a car. Test around with some models!!! Could be a brand new business and a huge pile of silver at the end of the road!

 

[Axecutioner]

See, I think it could detect one 40% out of a roll of clad, from looking at the side. Like edge-checking, but through paper. I'm going to do some research on it and see if it could be possible. Great business idea indeed.

 

[fistfulladirt]

If all of the coins are non-magnetic, how would it detect the 40%?

 

[Bigheed]

whatever it is i'd estimate 10k minimum pricetag.

but if you had access to the federal reserve you can order them bagged so this type of machine wouldnt be necessary. You could feed them through a jumbo comparator like the portland mint kid does.

 

[namster]

NM

 

[conpewter]

I know metal detectors can tell different types of metals from one another... couldn't you simply run the roll across a metal detector?

 

[fistfulladirt]

I know metal detectors can tell different types of metals from one another... couldn't you simply run the roll across a metal detector?

That age-old question

 

[tmjones550]

I think you would take the fun out of coin roll hunting .To me its fun opening the rolls up to see what you have.But anyway what ever floats your boat.

 

[goldencoin]

Very easy to make if you have the money and desire to manufacture. Hook up an XRF Spectrometer and feed rolls sideways so that it can scan through the paper (will register as slight impurity) and if the metal deviates a lot from a clad half, the roll would be rejected. Roll would have a coin different from clad. Would also require lots of programing too, but you would never have to open a skunk roll again

HH
-GC

 

[TheRockDoc]

I know metal detectors can tell different types of metals from one another... couldn't you simply run the roll across a metal detector?

I am not an expert metal detectorist by any means but I do have an etrac. It is a top of the line detector from what i understand. I got started with it, thinking that a silver coin would read different then a clad coin-and that I would be able to learn how to tell a difference. I was wrong. There is not difference in the way a silver quarter will read, compared to a clad quarter, same with dime, half, etc..... I believe it is because the way a MD can tell the difference between types of metals is by reading its "properties" (ferrous & conductive). From what I have read, silver and copper have very similiar "properties". So when a detector is swept over a CuNi half and a Silver half, it cannot distinguish a difference. Again, I have an etrac, and I am just using my machine as an example. If somebody has a different opinion and would care enough to share, please do.... I would love to hear about it, as I am curious to know if I understand it correctly...

 

[Bigheed]

Cu
Ag
Au

are all in the same vertical column or "family" of the periodic table of the elements, they will have the same valence electron charge. I don't know a thing about metal detecting though :-)

Ni
Pd
Pt

is another family of metals, mind you this is only good for true metals, not semi metallics or transition elements.

I think I remember something of chemistry...

 

[47thelement]

The etrac does not do any type of metalurogic (sic) analysis of items, it simply converts the items it finds onto an xy graph. Atlteast that is what I read in a book last night

 

[UNIMOG-GUY]

Does anyone know what type of comparitor the kid in Portland was using?

 

[Bigheed]

I think they are just ryedales on steroids basically. It looked like he had several of them as well in the video.

 

[gotgot]

I think you would take the fun out of coin roll hunting .To me its fun opening the rolls up to see what you have.But anyway what ever floats your boat.

I thought CHR went from fun to aggressive competition/dumping contests about 3 years ago (08-09)

The entire point nowadays for all of us is to scale up to obtain metal. This poster's suggestion is one approach and worth investigating

The wise among us just buy a fixed amount of .999 each month lol