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What fineness means (.999, .9999, .900, .925)
Fineness is parts per thousand of pure metal. .999 is 99.9% pure. .900 is 90%. Jewelry karat is the same idea in twelfths.
Fineness is purity written as parts per thousand.
- .999 = 99.9% fine (common silver bars and many silver coins)
- .9999 = 99.99% (Maples, some bars)
- .925 = sterling
- .900 = US coin silver
- .9167 ≈ 22 karat (Eagles, Krugerrands, sovereigns)
On those 22k one-ounce coins the coin is heavier than an ounce so the fine gold still equals the stated ounce. Gold Eagle. Maple.
Karat is the same pie
24k is “pure” in jewelry talk. 18k is 750 fine. 14k is 583. 10k is 417. Karat. Hallmarks.
Why an extra nine is not automatically more money
A shop is buying metal they can resell. A no-name .9999 bar can bid worse than a known .999 bar. Recognition beats a purity contest. What .999 guarantees. Government vs generic.
The stamp is a claim. The test is the bid. Tests. Sterling vs plate.
Continue in the coin and money library. Related visitor guides: for shop visitors.
Extra pad history for fineness numbers
Fineness is an old mint habit: parts of pure metal in a thousand. Coin silver in the United States was .900 for dimes, quarters, and halves through 1964. Kennedy halves 1965–70 are .400. War nickels 1942–45 are .350. Canadian circulating silver 1920–66 is .800. Sterling tableware is .925. Modern bars like to shout .999 or .9999. Karat is the same pie in twelfths: 24k is the jewelry word for “pure,” 18k is 750, 14k is 583, 10k is 417.
A 22k Gold Eagle or Krugerrand is about .9167. The coin is heavier than an ounce so the fine gold still equals the stated ounce. That is not a trick. That is the spec.
What the shop does with a stamp
The stamp is a claim. The test is the bid. A no-name .9999 bar can bid worse than a known .999 bar because we are buying resale, not winning a purity contest. What .999 guarantees. Government vs generic. Hallmarks get copied. Solder is often a different karat. We weigh, we test, we write the fineness we got.
Do not polish a mark hoping a higher number appears. Don’t clean. Bring the piece. If there is no mark, that means test it, not “it is fake” and not “it is gold.”
People also ask
Is .9999 worth more than .999? Sometimes a little. Recognition usually matters more.
Is 14k half gold? No. 14k is 14/24, about 58.3%.
Is Canadian 80% “fake silver”? No. It is 80% silver. Different pile from US 90%.
Why is an Eagle 22k if it is “an ounce”? Alloy plus extra weight. Fine gold is still one ounce.