There are various chemical (and other) ways to test the purity of silver... however, you wouldn't want to do this for bullion as it could diminish the value. Legitimate silver bullion will be marked ".999 Fine" and will have information such as the mint or maker. Stick with well known brands such as Englehard or Johnson-Matthey if possible.
A quick method to determine if an item is silver or silver-plated is to look for the hallmark. In the US, this is usually "sterling" ".925″ "925/1000″ (or .999 for bullion). If the hallmark can't be found, but you suspect it may be silver, a Silver Acid Test would be a way to confirm silver content. After placing a drop of the Acid Test solution on your item, a color will appear that you can match to a color chart (often included in an acid test kit) to indicate the silver content in your piece. See the related links.
There really isn't. What 999 silver means is the silver is 99.9% pure, such pure silver is often called "fine" silver (compare that to Sterling silver which is 92.5% pure or coin silver which is 90% pure). Generic silver bars and rounds are what investors and dealers call just your average run of the mill silver bars and rounds as opposed to things such as American Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, or junk silver (coins struck in silver that were intended for circulation but have no numismatic value beyond their bullion content).
Yes.
Bullion of gold or bullion of silver. in other words, gold ingots and silver ingots
999
Only the U.S. bullion Silver Eagle coins contain .999% silver.
If you're referring to the silver American Eagle bullion rounds, then no. They're all .999 silver.
It's a measure of the silver's purity, on a scale of 1 to 1000. I.e. it is 999/1000, or 99.9% pure.
it would depend on the size and weight of the pendant
Real silver can have many different markings, ranging from 750 to 999- depending on the piece, common marks are : 800, 900, 925, 950. Or on bullion (bars, coins.) 999.
There are several silver bullion coins that prominently display the term "silver bullion" on them. Examples include the Silver Bullion Coin from the Royal Canadian Mint, which features the words "SILVER BULLION" along with a maple leaf design. Another well-known option is the American Silver Eagle coin, widely recognized as a popular silver bullion investment. While not explicitly labeled as "silver bullion," its one troy ounce of .999 fine silver content makes it a sought-after investment choice. Keep in mind that there are other silver coins available for bullion investment, even if they don't have the specific term "silver bullion" on them. These coins typically have high silver purity and are widely accepted in the precious metals market.
7-4-11>>> The coin is actually an American Silver Eagle bullion coin that is made from one ounce of .999 pure silver.
These "coins" are really bullion pieces sold for their silver content. The "999" means it is 999/1000 of an ounce of pure silver. At current (07/2008) prices that's worth about $18.
If it's a 999-fine silver bullion, it would be worth approximately the spot price of silver or around $13.
It's not really a coin, it's a bullion piece sold for its silver content and not for spending. The current price of silver is about $17 per ounce.
It's not a coin, it's a privately-issued bullion piece. It might sell for about $18 at today's silver prices.
A quick method to determine if an item is silver or silver-plated is to look for the hallmark. In the US, this is usually "sterling" ".925″ "925/1000″ (or .999 for bullion). If the hallmark can't be found, but you suspect it may be silver, a Silver Acid Test would be a way to confirm silver content. After placing a drop of the Acid Test solution on your item, a color will appear that you can match to a color chart (often included in an acid test kit) to indicate the silver content in your piece. See the related links.