Pure Excitement! Unknown silver bar unearthed!!!!!!

[michigan michael]

Was at our old homestead today. Started working a high weed area that I have not worked yet. Boy was I missing out. I pulled up a solid BAR! Yep a Bar. The bar is 11" in length, 2 1/4" Wide, and 1 1/8" High. It is a flat and shiny silver color and weighs 5 pounds 14 ounces. This molded bar is stamped "Standard Genuine" Michigan Smelting and Refining Co. The research I have done puts this company out of business in 1906.

Everyone in the family has played out in each of our imaginations , how this bar came to be in the ground. We have had a lot of fun and excitement even if this pans out to be garbage. We suspected it to be a lead bar at first but, I am told lead breaks down and corrodes and turns white in the ground. Lead also turns a blue gray color when it is freshly cut and mixes with oxygen. It stayed shiny. It also seems to be to heavy to be Aluminum. Everyone has been suggesting, Lead, Silver, Nickle, and even possibly Platinum. I doubt that I am that lucky but, it is a fun consideration. We used a little silver cleaner on a spot and it sparkled right up. I took it to one of my coin dealers today but he was closed.
I am leaving for Gettysburg Sunday night and am gone for a week. It will be a fun entertaining week. I will update this post when I get conformation as to what it really is. The pictures does not do any justice. I did not have proper lighting. Thanks for looking everyone.

 

[spartacus53]

I would love to know what it is, I believe that it may be stainless steel. Still in all an interesting find.

 

[Michiganne]

Very cool relic, MM, whatever it turns out to be.

Keep digging!

 

[garthbfan169]

WTG MM sweet find AWESOME can't wait ot hear what it is!! Good luck

 

[silvercop]

 

[Chico Rico]

!!!!!! 5 lbs.!!!!!!

Man, if it turns out to be silver or platinum, I hope you have a nice vacation spot picked out.

There might be more there. It would seem a bit odd to bury just one bar and not a few more.

Great find.

 

[lostcauses]

Babbitt metal use to be used for bearings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_metal

 

[gilgar]

Could it be zinc maybe? kinda has that color & look to it

 

[goldeagle]

i am putting my money on silver,good luck

 

[truckinbutch]

My wish is that you have silver . My common sense tells me it is babbit . It was more common . Neat find either way .

 

[Philmont_709n2]

I think it does have that "old silver" look to it! Hope your lucky!

 

[allen]

interesting find !!
keep us informed !

 

[Tank69]

awsome find ,you need to call tht bar the gream weaver cause I'm sure everyone is havin awsome dreams about that bar

 

[gilgar]

I found a couple of references to Michigan Smelting and Refining that say they made brass which was composed of 62% copper, 35% zinc, 2½% lead and ½% tin & iron, but none says that was all they produced.

here's one: http://books.google.com/books?id=wd...ge&q="michigan smelting and refining"&f=false

 

[RON (PA)]

I hope that it is silver. Did you buy a test kit??. A silver test kit may help to narrow it down.

 

[muleskinner]

Keep us posted as to what it is. If it turned out to be lead, you should check out the values of antique lead. Cool find.

 

[sscindercoop]

Nice find what ever it is.

 

[DanL]

Assuming your measurements are correct (which I'm sure they are):

a silver bar of that size would weigh 10 1/2 lbs
a lead bar would weigh 11 1/3 lbs
a nickel bar would weigh 8 1/2 lbs
a platinum bar would weigh 21 1/2 lbs
an aluminum bar would weigh 2 5/8 lbs
a tin bar would weigh 7 1/3 lbs
a zinc bar would weigh 7 lbs

So the closest to your measured weight is zinc, but that's still off by over a pound. It could be babbitt as someone suggested, although most babbitt alloys would also weigh around 7 lbs.

 

[Detectingfreak]

Hope everything is ok and it turns out to be silver!!!!

 

[CRUSADER]

I don't think its Silver but what ever it is, it will have some value