Steemsilvergold is a wonderful community on steemit and we are rapidly expanding as people become enlightened to the Shiny Side. Once they get there first piece of silver the Stackitis is aggressive and quick to take hold! So this is a warning to all new stackers, be aware of the many fake products on the market especially eBay where buyers are paying full price for these pieces of crap!
It is not always obvious that a coin or bar is fake so always buy from reputable dealers or sellers with 100% positive feedback. Never buy bullion directly from China because that's where most of it comes from. And remember that if it looks too good to be true, its probably FAKE!
All these products were found on Alibaba and are made to decieve and take advantage of us stackers. People sell these on eBay by the thousand so learn how to test your silver and stay one step ahead of the Con-men. I'm making this post because @gomatthew recently showed a bar marked 999 German Silver which he believed was real because it wasn't magnetic. The fakers are constantly changing their tactics to make their bars pass our tests.
Neodymium magnets will detect fakes with an iron core, but because silver is Diamagnetic they can also detect other types of fake plated products by observing the speed that it 'slides' over the neodymium magnets. Another way is by chemical analysis using the scratch test and special acid but won't always detect thickly plated items unless they are cut open. Specific gravity testing is a way to calculate the density of the metal using basic weighing equipment. The best method is by using an XRF tester (X ray frequency) which scans the metallic properties to identify its unique signature, these are expensive to buy but jewellery shops usually have them. @jbcoin just did a post where he used a metal detector to clearly identify a fake bar which he then destroys its well woth a watch to see what the fakes are made of!