Realcent.org

Just got a silver dime in change at the diner this morning, and it's got me stumped. No matter what surface I drop it on I get no ring tone. Dull as a zinc cent it is.

Perhaps it is one of those fake Alibaba 1957 Roosevelts.

(Don't know why these pics are coming out so huge lately)

What does it weigh?

That's what happens when you amalgamate a dime,

I'm impressed with you getting it to stand on edge for a photo.

No scale here, so I can't get the weight.

Amalgamated...hmmm, but wouldn't it look super shiny or show some trace of that? Appearance-wise it looks like any other '50s dime.

For my next trick I will attempt to balance my checkbook.

It looks slick and shiny then over time it looks like galvanized steel. Like yours.

I can't help but be reminded of a post Nate did years ago on BS about China mass producing fake 90% that was sandblasted to look older. Wonder if he's still running his site about identifying fakes, can't remember the URL. This dime looks a lot like I recall, because the edges are still crisp which doesn't jive with how old the face looks. If it was worn by thumbs, it would be smooth all around.

FakeBullion.com

Thogey wrote:It looks slick and shiny then over time it looks like galvanized steel. Like yours.

So how is this done and to what end? Is it just for kicks or is there a profit to be made? Are they amalgamated in large batches?

Morsecode wrote:

Thogey wrote:It looks slick and shiny then over time it looks like galvanized steel. Like yours.

So how is this done and to what end? Is it just for kicks or is there a profit to be made? Are they amalgamated in large batches?

Just put a drop of mercury on a dime and rub it in. It looks cool as first. Then over time it gets that sandblasted grey, powdercoat, look

My dad turned me on to this when I was about 8 or 9.

Some kid might have done it in the 60s or 70s. Hell, it might have been me.
I used to play with mercury a lot when I was a kid. It explains a lot.

Please wear gloves if handling mercury.

Now, if someone tells me this is a 1957 "mercury" dime, that will take on new meaning to me. Previously I would have said, "There is no such thing. Take a look at the Redbook."

Recyclersteve wrote:Please wear gloves if handling mercury."

But this ruins the joy of licking your fingers.

So it's not a fake '57 dime...it's a real silver dime that once had mercury rubbed into it.

But what fundamentally altered the ring? Did the mercury remove/replace the silver? I'm still cornfused

I can have it weighed next weekend at the flea market, which I intended to do today but had a Biden moment and forgot to bring it.

The mercury might be covering up the silver, just like what happens when you see silver plated knives, forks and spoons. I'm definitely out of my area of expertise here, by the way, so I am just speculating.

When a silver coin, such as a dime, is coated with mercury, much like many a kid did 50 years ago, two primary things happen, over time. Mercury will slowly vaporize at room temperature. Mercury will alloy, at room temperature, with the silver/copper alloy at the surface of the dime. Both can take months or a few years to complete. If the dime re-enters circulation, some of the mercury can wear onto hands, paper rolls, other coins, etc.

Time for more coffee.