🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Extremely old silver...

[Chirp Digger]

To begin, I am relatively new to metal detecting... when I found these bars, I was even newer so I really wasn't taking note of details as I do now... a whole 6 months later. I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, and we are surrounded by shipwrecks and a million stories.
I am wondering if anyone here has an opinion or experience that matches the research I have done so far. I initially thought these bars were lead. On beaches here there are ridiculous amounts of small lead bits, some raw and unrecognizable, some are fishing weights. I have since confirmed that they are silver.
I added an old quarter to one picture for scale, and a picture of a small bar I sacrificed to do some testing on.
Any thoughts?

 

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[Blackfoot58]

Well, if lead, I’d say maybe decoy weights. I’ve never seen silver ones though. Not sure what you have.

 

[Tony in SC]

Being near water it could be part of a seal?

 

[Almy]

Hi from your bridge-linked neighbour! These pieces of metal are difficult to ID regardless of their composition, but being silver makes it harder still.
They appear to have a functional shape, not just bullion bars. I can't think of any article that they might have been part of. Seem too heavy for jewelry.
The only think I can think of is bars of silver solder. They would have some silver in them. But their shapes do not support that idea.
So a mystery. It might help to determine the silver concentration and that would also help to value them.

 

[Chirp Digger]

Being near water it could be part of a seal?

What, like seal poo? 😁 sorry, I think I'm funnier than I am.

 

[Chirp Digger]

Hi from your bridge-linked neighbour! These pieces of metal are difficult to ID regardless of their composition, but being silver makes it harder still.
They appear to have a functional shape, not just bullion bars. I can't think of any article that they might have been part of. Seem too heavy for jewelry.
The only think I can think of is bars of silver solder. They would have some silver in them. But their shapes do not support that idea.
So a mystery. It might help to determine the silver concentration and that would also help to value them.

Hey Almy! Wasn't sure if many in the Maritimes would be here.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[HuntinDog]

Tony might be on to something.
It might be pieces of Babbit from a bearing.

 

[Chirp Digger]

I know it is hard to tell from the pictures, but the pieces are definitely silver, and they were poured into a mold. I have done a fair bit of research on them, and it seems quite possible they are Viking in origin. Viking silver ingots is what they are referred to, and the Vikings were known to have visited the east coast of Canada. I don't mind admitting that I am still a newb with a lot to learn, and perhaps I am off base. I appreciate the feedback so far, happy to hear it all! 😁

 

[creskol]

I am curious if it is silver, why does it have the "cladding?"

 

[Chirp Digger]

I am curious if it is silver, why does it have the "cladding?"

I'm not sure. Perhaps being under salt water for centuries will do it? I'll get some better pictures up later.

 

[Bamasteve]

I am curious if it is silver, why does it have the "cladding?"

If I’m not mistaken, silver can become encrusted in salt water or develop that black outer layer in certain environments.

 

[Clay Diggins]

It might be pieces of Babbit from a bearing.

Bingo!

Babbitt is made of tin, copper and antimony. It doesn't have any silver content but it is a white soft metal alloy.

Babbitt metal is still used today to make bearing shells for everything from your car's engine to giant ship engines.

In the old days relining a bearing shell with Babbitt metal on a wagon or carriage was the equivalent of changing a tire today. A small fire was made and the Babbitt metal put in the pot to melt while the old bearing material was cleaned out and the new shell form was set up. It didn't take long to pour a new bearing and trim the excess off. This was often done on the side of the road or trail. The first tow truck wasn't until 1916 so the only way to resume your journey was to pour a new bearing on the spot.

I think what you have are strips of Babbitt metal torn out of an old shell so a new bearing could be poured. We find these all over the west in places you would not imagine a wagon or cart ever being driven.

 

[Chirp Digger]

Bingo!

Babbitt is made of tin, copper and antimony. It doesn't have any silver content but it is a white soft metal alloy.

Babbitt metal is still used today to make bearing shells for everything from your car's engine to giant ship engines.

In the old days relining a bearing shell with Babbitt metal on a wagon or carriage was the equivalent of changing a tire today. A small fire was made and the Babbitt metal put in the pot to melt while the old bearing material was cleaned out and the new shell form was set up. It didn't take long to pour a new bearing and trim the excess off. This was often done on the side of the road or trail. The first tow truck wasn't until 1916 so the only way to resume your journey was to pour a new bearing on the spot.

I think what you have are strips of Babbitt metal torn out of an old shell so a new bearing could be poured. We find these all over the west in places you would not imagine a wagon or cart ever being driven.

Very interesting information, thanks very much! Between the fact that these are silver and where I found these, I'm quite sure they aren't babbitt metal. I'm keen to learn more about it though!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Very interesting information, thanks very much! Between the fact that these are silver and where I found these, I'm quite sure they aren't babbitt metal. I'm keen to learn more about it though!

Chirps..may I ask... what steps have you taken to confirm that these bars are actually silver?

 

[ironhorse]

All that glitters....is not gold
All that shimmers ...is not silver
The salt water has a way of affecting some metals that make them otherwise unrecognizable and interacts with other alloys that might make them appear as something they are not...that kind of corrosion can and will fool some of us from time to time.
If the beaches of PEI are covered with viking silver I sure wouldn't be telling the world about it lol

I wish I could tell you more about your finds but it will be interesting to get to the bottom of it.

Now that 24th button in your pic is way more interesting....tell us about that little gem !

 

[Chirp Digger]

Chirps..may I ask... what steps have you taken to confirm that these bars are actually silver?

Sure. Initially I did the rudimentary tests - seeing if it marked paper, the ice cube test, the magnet test, the citric acid and vinegar tests, which all pointed to silver, and a chemical test, silver again.
I also took it to some old hands on jewelers, who also believed the bars to be silver.
I guess there is always a chance they were all wrong, but I did the due diligence on them that I could.

 

[Chirp Digger]

All that glitters....is not gold
All that shimmers ...is not silver
The salt water has a way of affecting some metals that make them otherwise unrecognizable and interacts with other alloys that might make them appear as something they are not...that kind of corrosion can and will fool some of us from time to time.
If the beaches of PEI are covered with viking silver I sure wouldn't be telling the world about it lol

I wish I could tell you more about your finds but it will be interesting to get to the bottom of it.

Now that 24th button in your pic is way more interesting....tell us about that little gem !

Lol, I would hardly say there is an overabundance of silver here on the island, likely just a fluke of a find.

As for the button, that was fun. From what I could find, and confirmation from a couple of local button experts, it is a British 24th regimental button from 1790ish. It was a good 10 to 12 inches down, under a large root. What's interesting is that the area at the time was predominantly French. There are potentially a couple of references to the regiment spending a short while in that particular area in the correct time frame. I'll be going back again when the foliage dies off in the late fall. It was devastated by a hurricane last year, making it an absolute nightmare to hunt in. All part of the charm of this hobby!

 

[Clay Diggins]

A simple precious metals test kit is all you need:

 

[Chirp Digger]

A simple precious metals test kit is all you need:

Yes, finally got that part figured out. Still a newb, I'm working on it! 😁

 

[Almy]

That 24th Regiment button is a treasure! Amazing to find it 10 or more inches down under a root! If it popped off a coat, it might be the only one there. But maybe it is from a discarded coat and there are others nearby. Being deep and in the forest, they might be a challenge to find. Worth looking, for sure!