Old Silver Bar Find

[bonepicker]

Found a Silver Bar the other day, or at least I am beginning to think it is silver. Would like some help on ID, sorry if I am putting this in the wrong forum, but this is a recent find, and I am starting to get very excited. When I first dug this, I thought it was unusually heavy, very gryeish, and I assumed it was a chunk of lead. I ran it in my tumbler last night to clean up a little with some other coins & etc that needed to be washed. Normally I would not tumble something so valuable, but I assumed this was $2.00 in lead. This morning when I opened the tumbler, I noticed something bright and shiny. It weighs 4.625 OZT, and is about 2-1/4"x5/8"x7/8" in diameter. It kind of looks like a bar that was crudely cut in half, but I am still a bit uncertain. I live near by the Gulf of Mexico East of the Mississippi River, and I found this in a wooded area where an older map showed some homes that are no longer there. Less than a miles distance from the ocean. Am I jumping the gun, or could this be a very old silver bar. Has anyone ever found or seen anything like this? I apologize in advance if I put this in the wrong area of the forums The Alskan Bar I put in photo is only for comparison, it is similar in dimension and weighs 5.240 OZT Please advise

 

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[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Using your measurements of 143 grams, and 20 cubic cm (5.7 cm X 1.6 cm X 2.2 cm) you get a SG of 7.1 which is too light, by about 30%
specific gravity of silver is 10.5.
Assuming there is some small error in measurments I don't think it would account for that much difference.

Maybe the rounded corners do make up that much difference ?. It does appear as an ingot of some sort. Any coin store, pawn shop will quickly test it for you.

 

[bonepicker]

Thank you for Replying to my post. My dimensions were very rough, I didn't anticipate anyone trying to calculate the mass or silver weight.
The bottom/base of the object is flat and wider than the top. The Object is also in rough shape and the sides aren't real square, everything is rounded and somewhat uneven. If I can find a tape that does MM, I will try to give a more accurate measurement, on my previous measurement I kinda of eyeballed it.
I just added this to the what is it forum with additional photos.

Thanks again

 

[CRUSADER]

Well it looks pretty good, but there are a couple of metals to rule out, I would go & get it tested.

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Don't think pictures will help that much, yes it is shinny.

What is it's hardness, if you don't mind trying to scratch it, silver is pretty soft, and scratces easy, can you scratch it with a copper coin ?

 

[bonepicker]

Just rubbed the bottom with a pre 82 copper Lincoln penny. and it did scratch. If I do an acid test, or if a jeweler does an acid test wouldn't it leave a black burn mark on it. Seems like I read this, or heard it somewhere, so I never wanted to get a kit in fear of damaging an item. Thank you for all of your advice an opinions. It may not be old silver, and it may not even be silver, but it looks good and it would be one of my best finds ever. Thank you everyone again for all
of your help.
Anyone ever see a silver bar that looks similar to this shape?

 

[robfinds]

Wet it and wrap it in aluminum cooking foil. If it smells of eggs it's silver.

Robert,

 

[CRUSADER]

Wet it and wrap it in aluminum cooking foil. If it smells of eggs it's silver. Robert,

I nearly said that as well.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Congrats nice silver half bar! We'll call it silver for now till we find out different. Still a very neat find!
Looks as if it had a raised set of numbers on it, the one partially left looks like a 5.
I tell ya it would make my day what ever it is!

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Silver test typically leaves a small pinkish result that will wipe right off.

"maybe" solder, or babbitt, both are soft and shinny, but would melt at much lower temp. than silver. If it were me I'd have to know, and take a small sliver, and melt it.

 

[bonepicker]

Thanks for all of your help. I definitely want to know. There used to be a few homes in this area, but the homes are no longer there. It is just an uninhabited wooded area. I was told there was some orchards and possibly a farm once in this area. I definitely want to know, so I can go back and try to find more if it is silver. I don't have any foil to do the foil test. You said cut a piece off and melt it, what could I melt it with, to determine if it is solder or Babbitt, and know it isn't silver. The solder idea definitely crossed my mind, because one end of it appears to be crudely cut or melted. Just don't know what they would use bar silver solder for, and have no idea what babbit is.

 

[CRUSADER]

Silver test typically leaves a small pinkish result that will wipe right off. "maybe" solder, or babbitt, both are soft and shinny, but would melt at much lower temp. than silver. If it were me I'd have to know, and take a small sliver, and melt it.

solder was my first thought

 

[stefen]

Maybe compare comments with your other posting of the same topic...?

 

[Argentium]

It does look really good for a silver alloy - Just go have it tested ! I think it's at least 90% - keep us posted !

 

[Michellets]

You could easily figure out if it's silver by finding the "specific gravity" of the material. H2O = 1 gm cc, find the water displacement of the material = volume, use the known specific gravity of silver, you then can figure out the weight... and you can have your answer... chem 101

 

[detroitdigger]

Nice find.

 

[bonepicker]

Ok, I am starting to think this is a bar of solder.
Not sure what it is made of though, it is heavy like lead, and shiny like silver
Maybe my imagination started running wild.
I have had several people tell me it could be a solder bar.
It does appear to have been heated at one and and pinched at the other end, possibly by a thumb and index finger.
Will probably try the tin-foil trick later, or just hang onto it and test it one day to be certain..
Thank you everyone for looking and commenting

 

[Dug]

What about pewter?