I believe that when you watch the TV series, you will see such a scene: many people will bite twice in their mouths after receiving money to distinguish between true and false, how dirty the money is, I believe that there is no need to give you a detailed description, whether it is the previous silver or the current banknotes there are very, very many bacteria on it, so why did it in ancient times? Aren't you afraid of poison? In fact, according to the principle, as long as you don't lick the silver with your tongue or hold it in your mouth, there should be no big problem. Moreover, the act of biting silver did exist in ancient life, not for the effect of filming, and the purpose of doing so was very simple, that is, which was to distinguish the truth and falsity of silver. So is there any other way besides this method? In fact, there are many more ways.
First of all, you can listen to it, the real silver has no elasticity when it lands, and the sound of landing will be a little low. If it is mixed with copper, the sound of landing will be a little higher and sharper, and if it is mixed with lead or tin, the sound of landing will be more low. Although this method is very simple, the ancients basically did not use this method, because at that time, throwing the received silver on the ground in front of others was not only impolite and unsafe, if you were picked up by others, then there was no place for you to cry. Secondly, it can be weighed that silver will generally be a little heavier than metals such as aluminum and copper. Therefore, it can be judged whether it is real silver by weighing, and in ancient times, there were merchants who would weigh silver when they received it, but because they needed experienced people to operate it, it was not popular. Then there's the most common way to bite with your teeth. In ancient times, this method was the most popular, and biting down to see what color was inside could verify whether the silver was real.
In fact, from a chemical point of view, silver ions still have a bactericidal effect, so the ancients usually said that silver will bring happiness and health to people, and this method is most widely used in the Republic of China, and the proportion of silver dollars in the domestic circulating currencies during the Republic of China period is getting higher and higher. And in ancient times, pure silver was rarely used because its value was relatively high. In ancient times, everyone preferred to use this method to test gold, because gold is easier to counterfeit, and the material is very soft, so it is difficult to distinguish between true and false without biting. There is still a difference between silver, which is only divided into pure silver and mixed silver. The difference is only in the amount of silver. In addition to biting, there is also another method that everyone often uses, that is, to see the color.
The color of miscellaneous silver is relatively dark. Sterling silver because of the relatively small impurities, so particularly pure, the overall appearance is very white. Miscellaneous silver can be seen from its color as inferior and rough. If left for a long time, the miscellaneous silver will turn black. If your seniority is relatively old, you can basically distinguish between true and false at a glance, if you deal with money for many years, you can even use your hands to distinguish the true and false of silver, how much silver will produce in your hands, how much weight will be generated, they are very aware. On the whole, there are still many ways to identify counterfeit money, although the ancients did not have such advanced technology as we have now, but they still rely on their own wisdom to protect their own rights and interests, which is also a wealth left to us by the ancestors.