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HK 399 Silver-Plated

I have seen quite a few HK 399 that have been silver-plated. I believe they were plated at the PPIE in 1915. How many silver-plated have you seen compared to the silver variety? I think for about every 5 silver I see, I see 1 silver-plated.

After I read this post, I got out my 399 and weighed it and it is silverplated. I have owned it for almost 30 years and didn't know it. I guess that I am in the market for a nice, REAL 399 now.

It's tough for people like me who have their 399 in a slab who want to check and see if they have a plated coin or the real deal. Is there an expected weight for an empty slab that could be used for calibration?

Here is a suggestion. Weigh your 399 that is slabbed and then weigh your 400 that is slabbed. There should be a difference of at least 3 to 5 grams. The cases won't be exactly the same weight but 2 cases that hold the same diameter piece should be very close. I would weigh mine and give you an idea but as you can read from my previous post, I don't have one.

I finally got a good #399!!! The difference between the 399(silver) and the 399(silver-plated) is 4.6 grams. As I mentioned in the previous post, even though they are certified, you should be able to notice the difference in their weights. Just to make things interesting..... There is a white metal variety out there that weighs 12.9 grams. Its background is unknown and most people today think that they are a contemporary counterfeit.