Silver Bicentennials

[usandthem]

How can you tell if a bicentennial half has silver? By the edges?

 

[Bigheed]

edges, drop ring test, weight, of course it needs to be an -S- mint mark as well.

CuNi: 11.34g
40%Ag: 11.5g
90%Ag: 12.5g

 

[Hi Ho Silver!]

The edge is usually the quickest way. Then look for the s on the face. I never had to weigh it to tell. And that "ring" comes even with clad at times so I think that is bull.

 

[ArkieBassMan]

The edge is usually the quickest way. Then look for the s on the face. I never had to weigh it to tell. And that "ring" comes even with clad at times so I think that is bull.

That "ring" never comes from clad. Silver sounds different from clad. Without fail. However, some people just cannot hear it. I don't know why. My father has been collecting since before I was born. He cannot "hear" silver.

 

[CHAINCHOMP]

The edge is usually the quickest way. Then look for the s on the face. I never had to weigh it to tell. And that "ring" comes even with clad at times so I think that is bull.

That "ring" never comes from clad. Silver sounds different from clad. Without fail. However, some people just cannot hear it. I don't know why. My father has been collecting since before I was born. He cannot "hear" silver.

when i tell my mom about copper pennies etc., i show her the ring test on those, and she can hear when i flip a zincoln, but she hears NOTHING AT ALL when i flip a copper cent...so people hear different tones/pitches sometimes. but to me, silver stick out like a sore thumb by the sound...its hard for me to NOT hear it...keep it up and hh! [R.I.P. Rich Hartford]

 

[TheRockDoc]

The edge is usually the quickest way. Then look for the s on the face. I never had to weigh it to tell. And that "ring" comes even with clad at times so I think that is bull.

that ring is the most obvious and apparent thing about silver versus CuNi clad.... Last night I was going through a bag of halves ($1,000 worth) and I was about half way through the bag when I grabbed a handful of coins, and as I was lifting them out of the bag, a few fell out and back into the bag, and there it was.... The sound of silver, finally. I dropped the handful on the counter, and looked in the bag to see if i could spot it, and sure enough, there it was right on top. It was only 40%er but ill take it. I cannot tell a difference between the 90% and the 40% but silver versus CuNi sound test (drop test) is the surest way to tell, next to looking at the date of course.