Please help identify my unusual find

[jbl]

Hi, newbie here joining the forum for some help on an interesting find.  My mother-in-law recently passed away and when clearing out the attic we found a small box containing several paper wraps.  Inside each wrap is what appears to be a very fine powdered gold.  Each wrap weighs about 34g and is about 8cm x 5cm and perhaps 1-2mm thick.  The wraps are a blue tissue paper, and inside that, white waxed paper.

The brown paper in the picture is from a milliners shop, so perhaps it was used in decorative hat making, or maybe this was just unrelated packing?  It seems to be very old, I'd say at least 1960's.

We are planning to find an assayer who can check if it is actually gold and if so, to test the purity (any recommendations in the UK appreciated).  We then plan to sell.

[Orpster]

This link may help, you can put in the dimensions of your package and it would tell you what gold would weigh at those dimensions.  If may give you a clue both if this is gold and if so what purity

https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/gold-weight

I cannot imagine it is gold I'm afraid, only a guess, but I would say it is bronzing powder

[ArgentSmith]

buy an acid testing kit or take sample to local jeweller, as orpster says unlikely to be any gold content but would be a shame to bin it if there is 😄

[ilovesilverireallydo]

17 hours ago, jbl said:

Hi, newbie here joining the forum for some help on an interesting find.  My mother-in-law recently passed away and when clearing out the attic we found a small box containing several paper wraps.  Inside each wrap is what appears to be a very fine powdered gold.  Each wrap weighs about 34g and is about 8cm x 5cm and perhaps 1-2mm thick.  The wraps are a blue tissue paper, and inside that, white waxed paper.

The brown paper in the picture is from a milliners shop, so perhaps it was used in decorative hat making, or maybe this was just unrelated packing?  It seems to be very old, I'd say at least 1960's.

We are planning to find an assayer who can check if it is actually gold and if so, to test the purity (any recommendations in the UK appreciated).  We then plan to sell.

If you are in Birmingham or close, you can come by the shop and we can test it for you. 

[TheShinyStuff]

I hope its gold. I'll stick my neck out a guess that it is. 

At 34g per pack, minus the weight of the paper would be very close to one ounce maybe?

I also think it looks like gold.

I also think the story is plausible.

Please be gold🤞

[jbl]

1 hour ago, ilovesilverireallydo said:

If you are in Birmingham or close, you can come by the shop and we can test it for you. 

 

Thanks for the offer but I'm about 150 miles away.

 

I'll look into the testing kits, would this be an appropriate one to use  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewelry-Appraisal-Platinum-Palladium-Precious/dp/B09D6L3BWF/ref=sr_1_1?  ?

[BLOOMMAN101]

just like to say Oi! 1960s isn't very old

[TheShinyStuff]

9 minutes ago, jbl said:

 

Thanks for the offer but I'm about 150 miles away.

 

I'll look into the testing kits, would this be an appropriate one to use  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jewelry-Appraisal-Platinum-Palladium-Precious/dp/B09D6L3BWF/ref=sr_1_1?  ?

I'd guess that most jewellers/pawn shops would check it for you for few quid at most. 

[Silverlocks]

1 hour ago, BLOOMMAN101 said:

just like to say Oi! 1960s isn't very old

Can you remember the 1960s?

[BLOOMMAN101]

17 minutes ago, Silverlocks said:

Can you remember the 1960s?

some of them ,saw my first petrol bomb and water canon

Edited February 27 by BLOOMMAN101

[Silverlocks]

1 hour ago, BLOOMMAN101 said:

some of them ,saw my first petrol bomb and water canon

Well, there's the old joke about how if you can remember the 1960s you weren't really there, but that sounds pretty memorable.

[BLOOMMAN101]

15 minutes ago, Silverlocks said:

Well, there's the old joke about how if you can remember the 1960s you weren't really there, but that sounds pretty memorable.

It will be true as the years go by mate but that's down to dementia and Alzheimer's in people that were alive back then

[silversky]

Any update?

[AaaGee]

On 27/02/2024 at 16:02, BLOOMMAN101 said:

some of them ,saw my first petrol bomb and water canon

You from Luton?

[jbl]

On 02/03/2024 at 17:02, silversky said:

Any update?

 

Sorry, nothing yet.  It came from my wife's mother so need to convince the wife to get it to a jewellers for valuing.

[jbl]

Update - my wife took it to a gold specialist jewelers, who unfortunately confirmed it was gold powder paint of little value.  At the same time the wife's sister tried some of the powder using a home testing kit, but when the acid was dropped on it, it completely disappeared.

So, it looks like it has very little value, which is a pity as we have about 1kg of the stuff. 

 

Anyway, thanks for the help.