If you have decided to go into buying and selling silver coins, you need to know how to spot fake ones. Fortunately, there are a lot of fairly simple things you can do and test to see whether or not silver coins are fake.

Tip #1: Perform the Magnetic Test

The first thing to keep in mind about the magnetic test is you should always do a second type of test to go with it. This is because some fakes are designed specifically to pass this test with the hopes of it being the only test you try. Silver is a non-magnetic metal. This means a magnet should not attract to your silver coin. If it does, you know it isn't real. Any trace amount of steel or iron in the coin will cause it to attract to the magnet. Unfortunately, if the fake coin is made out of a non-magnetic metal such as lead, zinc, or copper – it will pass the test as if it were real.

When performing this test, the stronger magnet you can get your hands on, the better. The neodymium magnet, for example, is a strong enough magnet to detect any amount of steel or iron in the coin. Just be careful when using this magnet as it is very strong.

Tip #2: Perform the Ice Test

The ice test is an easy and cheap test to perform on your silver. All you need to do is get an ice cube and place it on top of the silver. The ice cube should start melting as soon as you let go of it. This is because no metal is better at conducting thermal heat than silver.

Tip #3: Perform a Visual Test

For this test to work, you will need a magnifying glass as well as a second silver coin that you know is real. You are going to use the magnifying glass to get a close look at both coins for comparison purposes. You are looking for weird spacing in the text, mismatched surfaces, edges that stand out, or crevices that look out of place.

Naturally, you also have the option of taking the coin to an expert to verify whether or not the coin is real. With these three tips, however, you should have no trouble determining whether or not coins in your possession are fake or real. Click for more information.