Test #1 Results! The Silver Ingot in question !?

First thing first! When in doubt. Take out the SIGMA!!

The Sigma Bullion Verifier is a pretty wild piece of equipment. Verifying Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Copper. It also reads through any type of plastic example: graded plastic slabs.

I decided to attach the small wand to do the test. The Simga allows for 3 types of optional wands. Where you can spot test specific areas. Similar to a stethoscope. Due to the small size of the 1.20oz ingot in question. The small wand was the best choice.

I set the Sigma to 999 fine silver and got ZERO readings. Meaning there is no chance the ingot is 999 fine.

I stepped it down to .925 sterling and was just able to read a box on the far right of the screen. Which means there is a very minimal reading. Aka NOT STERLING!

I then moved the setting to 90% 1960 silver. It reacted similar to the sterling test. I could not get a reading with in the confirmation area.

Next stop was 90% pre 1945 silver. This got a pretty good response! I was able to get the wand to read one position over from the dead center of the confirmation area. Which is a strong sign the silver used to make this was pre 1945 90% Silver.

The last stop was the most important! Pre 1900 90% silver. I say this because the ingot is dated 1851. If it were true. The Silver would obviously need to date pre 1900.

☝️This was with out a doubt the BEST response from the wand. I was able to immediatly dial the wand to the dead center of the verification area. Which is not easy to do! It was pretty amazing...

I would like to believe this study has started off in the right direction. I now have confirmation that 1851 CAL. Ingot is 90% silver. Results show it's possibly 1945 silver but most likely pre 1900. NOW there is always the possibility this ingot was created with pre 1900 90% US coinage during the 1970s. We need to do some further testing to pin point what other metals are in this ingot. Which could allow us to dial in a production date........

The story continues. The next step will be sending this ingot to a friend so it can be Xray'd. I will be provided with a full assay report that will show every metal this ingot is composed of. Stay Tuned!!!!

Recently, I took a gamble buying a silver ingot. It was a situation where I didn't have anytime to do proper research. A quick listing where the seller was taking offers. He was certainly looking to sell. So, there was just no time to mess around!

With any investment, there is always risk involved. This is the risky end of the vintage silver market. The lack of overall documentation and history can make things very difficult. There is always that shot in the dark though. Where you go with your gut feeling that it could be something special...

Featured below is the item I purchased. An untrained eye would look at the date on the bar and automatically assume it's pre 1900. BUT there are ingots out there known as "fantasy" pieces. Essentially, they were created in the 1960s-70s in an effort to imitate pre 1900 style ingots(make believe). These ingots have been seen in gold and silver. .




☝️This silver ingot is dated 1851. Atleast I believe that to be a date and not a serial number. The letters CAL with a dot can be seen after the date. I also believe this could stand for California. The reverse side indicates a weight of 1.20oz. There is no purity stamp on this ingots. Which I am sure is not there for a reason. Lastly, the edge has the world SILVER spelled out on it. The font of the word silver does look to be pretty old!

I intend on doing some extensive research on this piece. With no hallmark indicating the market. It will be difficult to tie this to a particular maker. Pre 1900 ingots are not in my wheel house unfortunately. I will need to reach out to a couple people I know who specialize in this area.

Of course, I hope this is a homerun. I do believe the odds are against me overall though. BUT its hard to be successful with out taking chances in life. I am going to keep this post alive with regular updates on the study of this piece!

WISH ME LUCK!

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