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I see clad bars on sale and they have the same markings as .999 silver. If the seller didn't say they were clad, how would I know?

jesse1111 wrote:I see clad bars on sale and they have the same markings as .999 silver. If the seller didn't say they were clad, how would I know?

All clad bars I've come across are magnetic. So in general I'd say yes. Although, I've heard accounts of some fake bars that have molybdemim (sp?) cores which isn't magnetic as far as I know. However those bars seem to be 100 oz or more.

What you want to look for is ".999 pure silver."

No. Most of the modern fake silver bars and rounds are NOT magnetic. They are copper or brass plated with a thin layer of .999 silver, often enough to fool a quick surface acid test. There are fake Engelhard Prospectors, fake Sunshine bars, fake Canadian Maples, fake Pan American bars, and fake generic US Flag bars, just to name a few. They are very close on weight, usually within 0.5 - 1 gram of a troy ounce, and they ARE marked ".999 fine silver." They don't ring like silver, and you can tell the difference if you have a good one to hold next to them (details are a little off, with some the thickness and/or reeding is off), but on their own many of them are pretty convincing.

Acid tests work well, but you'll have to file down a little of the surface to make sure the bar isn't plated.

Silver plated copper bars will fail a specific gravity test every time.

Learn your bars/rounds. There are lots of fakes out there and the counterfeiters are getting better every day. I don't pay extra for slabbed bullion because they have been faked too. Only buy from reputable dealers if you can't afford to buy a fake. If you have any doubts, don't buy even if it's a good deal.