Possible Gold Powder find

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tootall

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Dec 31, 2019
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I recently bought the contents of a print shop that closed almost 50 years ago. Included in the purchase where boxes of very old ink and solutions. In with the dried out bottles were 2 metal cans of interest. One is labeled as gold powder and the other is bronze powder. The bronze powder is lighter and sparkles which leads me to believe it is iron pyrite or actually bronze dust. But the gold powder is in a can 2.5 inches in diameter, 1.5 inches tall and weighs 9 ounces - labeled as a 1/2 pound can. Obviously very old - Company of manufacture is the Charles Eneu Johnson and Company (Philadelphia) which is out of business probably 75 years ago. The powder does not sparkle but shines like gold when hit with light. I was wondering if anyone has run into anything like this before? I have tried a standard gold test kit with the HNO3/HCl solutions. Does not dissolve at 10K but does somewhat at the higher karats. I don’t have access to HNO3 by itself. I understand that the 10K gold test solution is only dilute HNO3 and the others at higher karats are weak aqua regia and could give a false test. Any help with this would be appreciated. Happy New Year!
 
Thanks for the replies!

Three pictures attached. One of outside of container, one of inside with no flash and third with flash.

Was going to melt a gram as next step. Was more wondering if anyone had seen such a container or was familiar with Charles Eneu Johnson Company.
 

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Probably fake!

The volume (transferred into same units) is about 0.11 liter, and if it's made to hold half a pound in about that volume then the density is approximately 2.5 kg/l, about a seventh of the density of gold. Even with lower density of a powder versus solid gold the density is too low.

I wrote the above text before you posted your pictures but it doesn't make me change my mind. Is it reasonable that a half of pound (and not a troy pound) of gold would be stored in such a flimsy can? Half a pound of gold has always been a lot of money.

Not the same container as your but a similar powder. Two years ago I rescued two bottles from the recycling center, one with "gold powder" and one with aluminium. The bottles are old (my guess around 1940-1950) so I put them on a shelf at home. Looking nice but is quite light.

Fake gold powder-1.jpg
Fake gold powder-2.jpg
Aluminium powder-1.jpg
Aluminium powder-2.jpg

Göran
 
Having spent half my working life in the printing industry I can tell you with 99% certainty that is not actual gold. But instead a gold coloring to add to transparent ink to make it glitter, or a clear base to make a metallic ink. Just for looks, not actual gold, or even bronze most likely.

Also it's not possible for 10's of thousands of dollars in gold would be sitting on a shelf out in the open and forgotten about.

The label says it all, "dry coloring and varnish".
 
I too have been in the printing industry,building and printing flexographic machines. I have never heard of using gold but i have printed with real silver (on battery testers) back in the early 90s, I helped with the r&d to make them.
 
I would agree that what you found is not gold but on the other hand I would not say that things like that do not happen.
To clarify further saying that nobody would left half a pound of gold sitting on a shelf - well none of us would do it but it can happen. Many of us refine gold and say something happens to you in the middle of the process do you think that many people would know what that yellow or orange liquid hold inside? Or if you stash couple hundred grams of precipitated gold who is going to know what it really is?
We still to this day find various treasures hidden and burried or forgotten so yes, it happens.... :mrgreen:
 
Such as the large heavy rock for years that sat at the front door as an interesting rock doorstop, before someone recognized that it could possibly be solid gold?
 
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