Monday 1 December 2014

Focus on UK Metal Detecting: How to Check if its Real - Break it


When it comes to looking after the artefacts found, Devon metal detectorist Janner ('Fake 1922 Sixpence' Thursday 27 November 2014) obviously believes in the mantra of the mummy-mask-destroyers of America "we own it so we can destroy it". He'd "given his Deus a run on the local beach" in "wet and dry settings". I was fascinated by his account of how he could not "get the depth" but thankfully "the Deus stayed very quiet and stable" and did not hit him in the face. He found a silver 1922 sixpence.
On closer examination of the sixpence it just didn't look right. An alarm bell went off in my head as I remembered a similar one I had dug before. After showing the last one I was told it looked like a possible fake and the only way to test it was to put a little pressure on it to see if it will snap in half. With that one i did apply a little pressure and sure enough, it snapped in half. Well, with this one today I did the same thing, applied a little pressure and 'SNAP'....it was a fake. Apparently they used to compress layer upon layer of silver paper to make these fakes. Here is a link to a You tube video better describing this process: [PeaceHavens, ' XP Deus - Tin Foil Counterfeit Silver Coins' ].
Alternatively he could have left the artefact entire and done a chemical spot test (potassium dichromate + nitric acid as he'd have learnt if he'd been paying attention at school). In his low-tech approach to destroying the artefacts he's found, Peacehavens uses pliers "if in doubt, get the pliers on them!". Artefact hunters try to kid us all that what motivates their hoiking is to relate to the past through these material traces. Rubbish, all these two are interested in is "is it silver?" The artefacts and what they have to tell us are irrelevant, Janner and Peachavens obviously want to know the scrap value.

 

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