Hong Kong Shanghai Specie Office ...Authentic?! Or.....
I mentioned in a previous article that I purchased a unique looking Hong Kong Shanghai Specie Office silver ingot. Unique enough to have never been seen before. It arrived today in the mail. I want to share the methods I used to draw a conclusion on if it is authentic or fake. These methods can be used on ANY silver ingot. It is important to pay attention to the fine details.
☝️The ingot that is in question.
☝️An authentic example we are using to compare.
☝️You will notice the upper Chinese charactor has a solid horizontal top line on the authentic example. The ingot in question has a gap in the horizontal top line of the upper Chinese charactor.
☝️The V and R on this stamp are thicker on the authentic example. The curl on the end of the R is also thicker on the authentic example.
☝️The 999.9 purity stamp has been seen in two different fonts. A common factor amongst all of the Shanghai ingots is that the numbers were individually stamped. Making some of the numbers higher and others lower. The bar in question has a perfect straight 999.9. Which leads me to believe a 999.9 punch stamp was used.
☝️The mold of the bar in question is larger and thinner. The reverse side also has a unique texture. It demonstrates thin raised lines.
After going through the comparisons. My research leads me to believe this unique ingot is not authentic. It is NOT consistent with authentic Shanghai examples. There is a very small chance it is authentic. I say that because it is a new variety. New varities often yield new production methods. This ingot is also 999.9 silver. It was tested on my Sigma Precious Metal Verifier. It's not too often a counterfieter uses 999.9 silver. However, the price premiums on these do justify making counterfeits with pure silver. .
I hope this was helpful. You can never be too careful. These are some of the charactoristics that need to be analyzed in order to confirm authenticity.
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It does speak to the resale value of the bars that it's counterfeit and 999.9 FS. It's cool even if it is "fake"
I totally agree. I paid an insane premium hoping it was real but it is what it is. I knew the risk I was taking. It is a great piece that can be used as a fake example. A resource for all to use
Wow, those are really fascinating. The history in those bars!
The history is truly what It is all about 👍
Nice detective work @silveringots...
I wonder, is there anything more can you do at this point to try and verify it's authenticity? Any notable experts that could weigh in on it?
I guess if it is indeed a fake, it's at least still worth it's weight in silver. :)
I actually have a contact that was around during production of the Shanghai Ingots. I have sent him an email looking for confirmation. That is the best I can do. It is always worth it's weight in silver. The ingot is old for sure...
Nice to have another resource.
It's a nice looking ingot either way. Let us know what you find out!
It is a great looking bar. I will keep you posted.
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