FOUND! CACHE OF 5 SILVER INGOTS!!

[bronzecannons]

Gentlemen,

Today I found a cache of 5 Silver Ingots weighing a total of 5.5 lbs! It was less than a foot deep.

INGOT DETAILS​

​

1. 0.85 lbs. 1.750 inches diameter​

2. 1.25 lbs. 1.850 inches diameter​

3. 1 lb. 1.755 inches diameter​

4. 0.90 lbs. 1.70 inches diameter​

5. 1.30 lbs. 1.92 inches diameter​

​

Total Combined Weight of 5.5 lbs.​

Has anyone ever seen Silver ingots like this? I wanted to confirm if they are Silver but due to the COVID-19 all the pawn shops seem to be closed. All I know is that they are very heavy size. Non-metalic (magnet doesn't stick). Possibly even PLATINUM?? LOL.. wishful thinking.

Can anyone help me identify this rusty can they were buried in?

Thanks in advance.
TW

 

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[Gene Mean]

That's a very cool find. Might be lead and zinc. Not sure what they were for though.

 

[Evolution]

Reminds me of a Christmas carol. "Silver balls, silver balls, Its Christmas time in the city! …. or is that Silver bells... I can never remember.

 

[bronzecannons]

No. Not lead or zinc. It is much too hard to be those metals.
TW

That's a very cool find. Might be lead and zinc. Not sure what they were for though.

 

[Ol' Kentuck]

Can is a Vintage Wilson Championship Tennis Balls 1980's. Looks like they used the balls as a mold for whatever metal that is.

Edited to add: I would be careful handling those, could be something nefarious smuggled in.

 

[Molewacker]

Interesting -

 

[Molewacker]

Ol' Kentuck

Nice ID!

 

[DocBeav]

wonder if there is something inside them.....

 

[Greastart]

Awesome ID!

 

[Ol' Kentuck]

I don't think I would be taking them to a pawn shop. Get a test kit, and don't cut one open just yet.

Think Geiger counter. Just to be on the safe side.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_scrap_metal

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

See if you can get something to accurately measure their volume, like a graduated cylinder. Then you can use the volume and mass to find density. Assuming they are pure metals, the density will tell you what metal they are. Good luck getting an accurate graduated cylinder if you don't already have one, though.

 

[GoDeep]

Correction:

You have silver balls based on your weight and measurements.

Weight of silver can vary, depending on the density of the casting, but roughly .379 pounds per Cubic Inch.

So take the diameter of your balls, figure the volume in CI and multiply by .379 and whola!

So your 1.850 diameter ball has a CI volume of 3.32 x .379 = 1.258 pounds and you measured it at 1.25 so it appears to be silver. Though lead comes in at .41 per CI, so it is close and given that the spheres are of unknown porosity and perhaps not perfectly round and the scale being used is an old mechanical scale it could be lead as well. I'd put them on a digital scale for a more accurate reading and then measure the diameter with a caliper all around to see how uniform the diameter is.

 

[bronzecannons]

Exactly. Thanks. I sent the photo to my 14 year old daughter and she also figured it out within 5 minutes. LOL. But she was saying that Wilson first started making those cans in 1950.

Can is a Vintage Wilson Championship Tennis Balls 1980's. Looks like they used the balls as a mold for whatever metal that is.

Edited to add: I would be careful handling those, could be something nefarious smuggled in.

 

[bronzecannons]

Thank you all, gentlemen, for your great replies here. I appreciate every one of them.
TW

 

[Ol' Kentuck]

You're welcome. Good luck.

 

[CRUSADER]

How odd, if silver i've never seen the like. Seems an strange choice of casting (more tricking than a sand mould) & then problematic transporting.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Congrats on a very unique find !

If they do turn out to be Silver - I'd think it's possible that someone melted down a bunch of flatware, bowls, etc. - possibly because the items were stolen ?

 

[A2coins]

It seems the easy way to tell is what did it read VDI on your detector. I hope its a precious metal that would be an amazing find. Tommy

 

[Jewelry]

Congratulations on your find. I really look forward to your reply when you still know exactly what kind of material. And on the account of the thought of platinum ... it certainly would be fine)))) But silver seems to me

 

[GoDeep]

I imagine on my Equinox, if they were silver, they'd read up in the 30's. If they were lead, they'd read around 20. But then again, they are bigger, sometimes bigger stuff just reads higher.