After gold, silver is the second most popular precious metal for investment. It is a reliable and attractive metal with various industrial applications, making it extremely valuable and in high demand. But, as with other valuable items, silver can be counterfeited.
When people don't know what to look for, they can mistakenly fall for buying these fake silver bars and coins. As a result, their investments lose value. Fortunately, silver is a unique element with characteristics that are difficult to replicate completely. This means that, with some attention, you can learn to distinguish between real and fake silver.
In this guide, we will show you how to detect counterfeit silver bars and coins. You can use this same information to verify the authenticity of other silver objects, such as jewelry, cutlery, and other decorative items.
Is there such a thing as 100% pure silver?
First, a note on the purity of silver: you will never find investment-grade silver coins and bars made from 100% pure silver. This is because pure silver is too soft and brittle to be molded into coins or bars. Like gold, silver must be mixed (alloyed) with other metals, such as copper or zinc, to maintain its durability and prevent it from scratching easily.
Investment-grade silver coins and bars are known as fine silver and generally have a purity of 999.9 or 999.0. Sterling silver, often used in jewelry, has a purity of 925.0.
How to spot counterfeit silver
Before we dive into the tests you can do at home, let's talk about how you can spot counterfeit silver coins and bars right from the start.