I was reminded by the folks finding millions in gold coins in the backyard of something I have wondered.
In movies you get the scene were some dude picks up a pouch of gold coins, and gives a little shake and the coins jingle. Or the gold coin filled pirate chest is opened, and the guy runs his fingers through it dropping a few that give a nice crisp “ding”.
Does gold really sound like that? Intuitively I thought jingles come from metals that are hard and light, not soft and dense. Lead certainly doesn’t “ding” it gives from a dull thud to a “clack” at best. Gold isn’t that soft, but it is fairly soft compared to other coin metals.
Unfortunately I seem to be out of gold filled chests to check it out for myself, and the only times I have handled gold coins they were in protectors.
Has anybody ever had enough gold coins to try jangling them?
I am pretty sure - yes. I have had silver coins before and they jingle. Silver and Gold have almost the same hardness on the Moh’s scale - so I guess they would jingle.
Here’s a video on youtube - and you can hear the ring @ about 1:45
Here’s more
They “ring” and jingle. I deal in them, and their distictive ring when hit against each other is part of a test to make sure they’re real.
Silver coins have a distinct, clear, bell-like ring to them. I received a silver half dollar coin as change for a beer and the bartender tossed it on the counter, I knew it was silver before it even stopped moving.
Yes, they have a distinctive - and beautiful - ring. And they’re a lot heavier than you’d suspect.
The distinctive ring probably doesn’t sound anything remotely like the sound they use in movies, though. Foley work is all an elaborate lie.
Does this relate to the phrase, “It rings true”?
Obligatory Family Guy Scrooge McDuck vault dive reference…
