# Do gold coins jingle/ring? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054 "2014-03-06T22:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/1 "2014-03-06T22:56:38Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/2 "2014-03-07T00:02:45Z")
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFAOK0ljxh4) Here’s [more](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5gBEHu51pI) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/3 "2014-03-07T00:04:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/4 "2014-03-07T05:31:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/5 "2014-03-07T06:47:37Z")
Yes, they have a distinctive - and beautiful - ring. And they’re a lot heavier than you’d suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/6 "2014-03-08T03:26:42Z")
The distinctive ring probably doesn’t sound anything remotely like the sound they use in movies, though. Foley work is all an elaborate lie. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/7 "2014-03-08T03:31:55Z")
Does this relate to the phrase, “It rings true”? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gold-coins-jingle-ring/683054/8 "2014-03-08T14:59:54Z")
Obligatory Family Guy Scrooge McDuck vault dive reference… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aqqfGXrX__8/hqdefault.jpg "Peter griffin coin jump") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqqfGXrX__8)