What metal are these paper-weights?

dobeman73

New Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2019
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Hello everyone. I'm new to the forums and came in hopes of pooling your expertise.

When we moved into our house, I found four of these "paperweights" in a drawer in one of the bathrooms off what was the previous owner's office. I only know that he was some kind of investment banker.

I'm enough of a fisherman to suspect these are simply lead given how heavy they are, but they are also very shiny. Maybe they are just more "pure" lead than what I'm used to? Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts.

They are NOT magnetic.
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Edit: I can't seem to make the images appear. Here are links:

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HCbDu_kV1qG8CeiPxk9q_MpQOoiorztO/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CLPPlAvJFaiXtoCszFoQlTsL19aoZmD0/view?usp=sharing
 
Lead is quite shiny when freshly cast in a mold and can stay that way depending on conditions. But certainly worth testing.
 
From the pic of the top it looks like lead.
The pic of the bottom seems to have the Silver Sulfide tarnish look.

Quick silver test is aluminum foil and baking soda paste. Apply to object and if silver sulfide is present it has a slight rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide) smell.
 
Lead will scratch noticeably easier than pewter or silver. If it scratches quite deeply/easily with a steel nail or similar, you should be able to tell it is lead. Fresh scratched lead will also be very shiny silver colored.
 
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