No clue what this is that I found

[chwhale]

Newbie here. I've looked all over the net trying to figure this out. I have found old items in my front yard while metal detecting. This one is strange.

The detector swears it is silver. I did the ice-cube test on it and it melted quick. It is non magnetic. Without doing an acid test, I'm fairly certain that it is silver. The question now is, what is it?

It weighs about 1/2 an ounce. I've attached some photos. It was about 8 inches down. I live in Kansas. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

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[bradyboy]

looks like lead
Or, if its in fact true silver, maybe a rough cast form for a heavy silver ring that was meant to be finished off but lost
The flat edge took me in this direction
IMO
BRady

 

[Icewing]

I have no clue what it is, but your detector probably gives you the high silver like tone simply because it has a hole in it.
And the "ice test" is totally bogus IMO. Hold any piece of metal in your hand till it warms up and ice will melt fast.

Have you scratched it to see what color the base metal is?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Your detector doesn't know silver from other non-ferrous metals. It only has parameters that determine through set algorithms that it has the same relative conductivity as a silver quarter or dollar would have when balanced to the surrounding soil (as do many alloys).

And, as Icewing mentions, one of the parameters is the eddy currents a metallic object exhibits. Torids (ring shapes) produce more eddy currents.

No idea what it is. But don't assume silver because your detector says it has a phase 170° to 180° opposed to iron.

 

[chwhale]

Thank you for the feedback. I'll do a scratch test and report back some pics. I wondered if it were lead. It felt heavy. The cube test was done without me holding it or warming it first. I did it in a saucer after it was at room temp. But since there is a big ring in it, your eddy current info does make sense. I am completely prepared for someone to tell me it is an old bushing off of a tractor or something.

I have noticed that my detector loves to claim it found gold everytime it hits aluminum. Thank again for you guys input and info.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

It is an odd shape, interesting.
Lead is soft easily scratch through the dark patina with a pen knife. Silver is much harder. My guess is lead as it
Is 100x more common to find in old farm locations.

 

[Icewing]

Thank you for the feedback. I'll do a scratch test and report back some pics. I wondered if it were lead. It felt heavy. The cube test was done without me holding it or warming it first. I did it in a saucer after it was at room temp. But since there is a big ring in it, your eddy current info does make sense. I am completely prepared for someone to tell me it is an old bushing off of a tractor or something.

I have noticed that my detector loves to claim it found gold everytime it hits aluminum. Thank again for you guys input and info.

LMAO! Welcome to the life of a treasure hunter.
You've got an excellent machine, in fact its apparently better than mine. You are just going to have to slow down, turn down your sensitivity a bit, and pay attention to what it's telling you. If you haven't read the manual yet, don't go back out till you do. And just remember, there is not a detector on this planet that can filter out all of the trash, and sometimes the best stuff is under the trash. So take it with you and you won't have to dig it again later.

 

[sprailroad]

I use a Safari, most often with a small coil. It's just the way it is. There are times I receive a really good sound, with the higher silver #'s to back it up, but, it's just the Treasure gods having fun with their sense of humor. Gold & aluminum?, each time I dig a pull tab I tell myself, "Well, it COULD have been a gold ring". Stick with it chwhale, it's a numbers game, the more you hunt, the more you dig. The time will happen that when it "screams" Silver, it will be. When that happens, they couldn't slap the smile off your face.

 

[Anduril]

Napkin ring?

 

[GB1]

looks a homemade ring

 

[chwhale]

You guys are the best! Thank you for your input. I'm pretty green still to detecting and figuring out everything. I live in town, but half of my town was relocated from another place to where it currently sits. I've found horse shoes in the yard and old tools. I've also found a bajillion nails. That's always fun to dig up.

Sprailroad - It hits high on silver every time I scan the item. I will take a knife to it after while and see if it scratches. I think my safari jumps to conclusions by always telling me the best news first. lol

A friend of mine suggested it was an old square nut. It seems odd that one would be made out of a soft metal. Anyone have any thoughts on that theory?

 

[bradyboy]

nah - I don't see the nut idea, but I did consider
need to get it tested before any of us can give you any intelligent info
speculating on the items metal content will get us no where - IMO
I'm still sticking with the idea of a rough cast of a ring - but it would not be lead IMO

 

[trdking]

Looks like a drapery weight

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Silver wouldn't be soft, probably lead IMO

 

[chwhale]

UPDATE: I bought an acid test for silver (and other metals). It is NOT silver of any kind. Lead looks like it is the winner.

Still no idea on what it is.

 

[Icewing]

You might have a spindle weight.

 

[chwhale]

I checked out some pics of spindle weights. That's a good hypothesis. Most that I saw were round. This one looks like it has / had right angles to it. Thanks for the guess. It was a good lead to follow.