Is there any difference between .999 and .9999 fine gold/silver?

Does anyone know if there is any difference between .999 and .9999 fine gold/silver?

Like are there any industrial uses of gold/silver where .999 is just not pure enough?


Or is .9999 fine just a gimmick?

 

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Short answer is that . 999 fine silver is 99.9% pure. . 9999 fine silver is 99.99% pure. It takes an additional pass through the refining process

 

The difference is one "9".

 

Its essentially just a gimmick with no real difference

 

Oh yeah I know that I just meant is there any practical reason someone would need .9999 fineness? Or is .999 fine pure enough for anything?

 

Can't think why it would be that important, being such a fine margin

 

Ah ok thanks. I wasn’t sure if maybe there was some industrial or scientific requirements that require .9999.

For example this is the James Webb Space Telescope and the mirrors have a thin layer of gold and I thought maybe stuff like that required the absolute highest purity possible or something.

 

It may matter for something like that, but in terms of numismatics or bullion or jewelry it makes no difference and is just marketing

 

For the Webb telescope, maybe, but it's more important that they know exactly what the spectral response of the mirrors is. The easiest way to get consistent response is probably to use the purest metal available.

Another place where it's pretty much required is semiconductor manufacture. We're getting to the point where features on a chip are a small number of atoms wide, and if one of those atoms happens to be the wrong kind, you get a defective device.

For a coin? Not so much.

 

.0009

 

Well think about it like this... If you have 1000 ounces of .999 silver/gold, then you have 999 ounces of pure silver/ and 1 ounce of other metals. 1000 ounces of .9999 silver/gold and you have 999.9 ounces of pure silver/gold with just 1/10th of an ounce of other metals. Those other metals are most likely copper.

For me, I like .9999 fine, but I won't pay an extra premium for it. I just like knowing that I have more pure metal.

 

Virtually the same thing, both the same amount of PM, just .999 has other medals in
it besides, but the real difference is in the actual brilliance of the coin .9999 products
are much more attractive where .999 is more of a dull color, most of your Canadian
as well as Australian coins are .9999

 

No they arent and if it wasnt marked there's 0 chance youd be able to spot the difference on blank planchets

 

Who's talking blank planchets ? I am talking about actual coins, I f you cant tell the
difference, marked or not maybe its time you visit the eye doctor .9999 is much more brighter and shiny then .999 , as George Patton said a blind man can see
that in a second....LOL

 

Or just keep making stuff

 

So what are you telling me ?
lets take a closer look, 1st up
is a AGE .999

 

Now the Maple in .9999

 

0.09% composition difference has no visual difference.