Is this gold?

[apw]

I was going through some of the "junk" targets from last week's metal detecting. I pulled out a bent piece of metal, straightened it, and saw the glint of gold under a piece of gunk that fell off.

After cleaning, it turned out to be a handle from a serving piece. The material is very, very flexible. You can see the crease where I straightened it.

I know some old pieces were dipped in gold (gilted), but this bright gold under the layer of gunk.

Could this really be gold!? Brass?

 

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[apw]

Couldn't resist, scratched off some of the gunk....

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[Leopard11]

Plated likely...Any weight to it?

 

[apw]

A little. It's hard to tell if it's heavier than normal with such a small piece.

I thought plated as well, but I seriously can't scratch any of the gold material off. The coating can scratch off, but the gold does not.

Interesting.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Has to be brass. It has the same patina that brass has when it's been in the ground awhile. And gold would not have a green patina to it. Gold holds up very well in the ground.