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.

 

[WhiteHunter]

Nice find very intresting

 

[Monty]

Bar solder for old type plumbing? Monty

 

[ModernMiner]

MM,
What a cool find. Whether it's a valuable metal or not, I'd be happy with it just knowing it's a great pre-1906 find. Looking forward to seeing the results. Way to go.
-MM-

 

[extractor]

Good dig no matter what it is.

 

[gilgar]

I'd love to find one of those no matter what it turns out to be; looks really cool! Did you look around for more after you found it? Hopefully there's a bunch more out there.

 

[michigan michael]

Thanks for everyones encouragement! I am walking out the door and hitting the road to Gettysburg. I decided to hit my tore up sidewalk one last time before we left and man oh man and I on a roll. I hit my first seated coin! 1886 seated liberty dime! Whoo hoo! I will post her when I get back because my camera is already packed up. I am thinking the bar may be zinc now. I am still hoping its something better but I am extremely happy with it no matter what it may be.

 

[midnightguy]

Either way, what a nice old find...

 

[Rasputin]

I was thinking babbitt also when I scrolled down and saw others had already suggested it. Here is a modern environmental report saying that lead contamination had been found at the former Michigan Smelting and Refining Co. site.http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-rrd-DS-MichiganSmelting_282594_7.pdf So I think this is further evidence that it is probably babbitt, but not to say that they could not have produced other metals as a by-product as is common in smelting operations.

 

[Brentallica]

Sweet find. Looking forward to hearing what it is. Congrats!

 

[jgas]

MOJO...baby...It's silver......I hope......get her tested...jgas

 

[johnnyi]

It is definately babbitt. You'll find babbitt commonly used on every farm. Still it is a nice ingot.

 

[DPBOB]

Lead


For soldiering.....

 

[johnnyi]

DP, the lead ingots are usually stamped 'lead" some place on them. I still vote babbitt.

 

[EdleBrock]

Here's a little background from Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=o5...chigan smelting&pg=PA608#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The Michigan Smelting & Refining Company was established in the year 1895 At this time John Schroeder and Jacob Schaefer formed a partnership for the purpose of trading in old metals Joseph Sillman entered the group in the year 1900 The business was incorporated in 1903 Mr Schroeder was the first president Mr Schaefer secretary and Mr Sillman vice president and treasurer In the year 1912 the plant was moved to larger quarters at the present site on Joseph Campau Avenue in Hamtramck Nine acres were acquired here At the death of Mr Schroeder in 1914 Mr Sillman became president of the company During the World war material of rigid specification was furnished by the company in enormous quantities to the Navy Aricraf t Ordnance Department Emergency Fleet Corporation Shipping Board etc In addition the company furnished personnel for the consulting staffs at Aircraft Headquarters Norfolk Washington and League Island Navy Yards The company in cooperation with the Bureau of Mines was largely responsible for the development of electric furnaces for non ferrous melting and has at the moment one of the largest installations of this kind in the world There are 252,000 square feet of floor space under roof The plant is equipped with many types of melting equipment handling machinery cranes etc and inside its own yards has 2,400 feet of track The capacity of the plant approximates seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds daily Among the products are brass and bronze ingots brass billets brass slabs solder babbitt lead and tin pipe brazing spelter and die castings Joseph Sillman died in February 1919 and a year later John R Searles was made president of the company with Norman Sillman vice president and Henry Levitt secretary and treasurer.

 

[kaptainkosmic]

85.839 troy ounces!

if silver = $1200.89

if platinum = $104,895.25

i hope its platinum!!!

No matter what its a cool find!!!!!!!!!

Steve :-)

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

I'm betting Babbitt as well. Still, a way cool find.
Carl

 

[ron_c]

It's possible a bar of Linotype. Kind of looks like it. Until about 20+ years ago or so it was used by every newspaper company every day for making the type for printing and could be remelted and reused as well as other uses. Linotype is 84% lead, 12% antimony and 4% tin, as I recall and stays shinny. Also a excellent alloy for bullet casting as it's about 4 times harder than pure lead.

I sure hope I'm wrong and hope it is indeed a bar of silver.

Good find regardless.

 

[Gary66]

very cool find!!

I hope it's worth something for ya...but no matter what you have a great conversation starter

Cause who else has one...lol

 

[Jeffro]

If it was precious metal of any sort, it would be stamped as such along with the purity. I'm leaning towrds babbit myself.