Chinese Silver Bars - Buyer Beware - There are more and more Silver bars with Chinese writing being listed and sold on each day. Most are originating from China having expensive shipping and handling charges while others are being listed and sold on eBay within the United States by sellers that were buyers of these “fake”, “non authentic”, “mock”, “bogus”, “counterfeit”, “imitation”, “faux”, “replica”, “phony” or whatever act that represents a sham to an eBayer looking to win a bid for genuine pure .999 solid silver.

Some of these bars have Chinese writing while others have pictures of animals and dragons stamped into the bar. They come in all shapes and sizes.

Regardless of what someone tells you, the only way to know for certain if the Silver bar is solid silver i.e., .999 is to separate it and conduct a silver test. This test should not only include the outside outer shell of the bar but more importantly it should include being tested on the inside center core. Even if a sophisticated test is performed such as “Assay” testing, the only way to know with certainty is to test the inside center of the bar.

Metal materials ranging from Copper, Zinc, Nickel, and other white metals are being discovered but only after its too late for the eBay buyer.

Avoid the headache!

My recommendation is to stay clear of those items even while being tempted by their appealing prices generally less than the current market price of Silver.

Testing with a magnet is not adequate and doing only a silver acid test of the outer portion of the metal is not adequate. To be certain, the experts say that the tests should be performed inside as well.

So if you have one of those Silver looking Bars with Chinese writing or animals and dragons and are wondering if it’s the “real deal” through and through, the bar should be separated and tested to know for sure of its silver purity.