No — silver is not magnetic. A magnet will not pick up a genuine silver coin or bar.
Silver is diamagnetic, which means it weakly repels a magnetic field instead of being attracted to it. That one fact makes a magnet one of the fastest fake tests in the hobby: if a coin snaps onto a magnet and sticks, it is not silver.
What Happens When You Hold a Magnet to Silver?
Nothing visible — and that is the point. A fridge magnet held to a silver coin does nothing at all: no pull, no stick, no movement. With a strong neodymium magnet, the effect is subtler: silver very slightly pushes the field away. You cannot feel that repulsion by hand — but you can see the slide test below, where a strong magnet dragged across silver behaves as if the metal were thick syrup.
The physics is straightforward: silver’s electrons create a tiny opposing field when a magnet approaches. The effect is far too weak to lift or move the coin, but it is the opposite of what iron, steel and nickel do — those metals are ferromagnetic, and their atomic magnets line up with the field and pull hard toward it.
The Magnet Test: How to Do It
Take a strong neodymium magnet and touch it to the coin or bar. A genuine silver piece does not stick. A fake with a steel or iron core snaps on hard and stays there — that hard stick is a verdict: the piece is not silver, and no further test is needed to reject it.
Two practical notes: use a strong magnet — a weak fridge magnet can fail to grab even a steel fake — and test the edge and the face, not just one spot, since a plated fake can have a magnetic core that only shows at a thin edge or a worn patch. For the full six-test sequence this test belongs to, see our guide on how to tell if a coin is silver, where the magnet test is one step alongside the date, the edge and the weight.
The Slide Test: Silver Falls Slowly Down a Magnet
Hold a strong magnet at a steep angle and let a silver coin slide down its face: a genuine silver coin falls noticeably slowly, as if it were dragging. The cause is eddy currents — the moving magnet induces circular electric currents in the silver, and those currents create a field that opposes the motion. Physicists call it Lenz’s law; stackers call it the slow slide.
The test needs a strong magnet and a clean, flat piece of silver — a bar works best. Tilt the magnet to about 45 degrees, place the coin at the top, and watch: a silver bar slides down in a slow, controlled glide. A steel fake does not slide at all; it sticks. An aluminum piece drops at nearly normal speed, because aluminum generates much weaker eddy currents.
What Sticks and What Does Not
| Metal | Magnet behavior | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Silver (.999 fine) | No stick; slow slide | Diamagnetic — the genuine article |
| Sterling silver (.925) | No stick; slow slide | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper — neither is magnetic |
| Gold | No stick; slow slide | Also diamagnetic — same behavior as silver |
| Copper | No stick; slow slide | Diamagnetic and conductive — mimics silver in this test |
| Aluminum | No stick; falls fast | Weakly magnetic, low conductivity — no slow slide |
| Nickel | Sticks | Ferromagnetic — a nickel-plated fake gives itself away |
| Steel / iron | Sticks hard | Ferromagnetic — the most common fake core |
The table carries the test’s honest limit: copper behaves almost identically to silver in both the stick test and the slide test. A magnet separates silver from steel, not silver from copper — it rules fakes out; the weight, dimensions and sound tests rule the real thing in. Our authentication guide, how bullion is authenticated, ranks every common test by what it can and cannot prove.
If Your Silver Sticks to a Magnet
First, re-check with a stronger magnet and on a clean spot — a weak magnet on a dirty surface can mislead. If it still sticks, the piece is not solid silver. The usual explanations are a steel or iron core under silver plating, a nickel-plated base-metal copy, or a “silver” item that is actually stainless steel. Silver-plated flatware with a steel base is the commonest case.
A piece that sticks has no silver value beyond its plating, and no amount of cleaning changes the metal underneath. If you bought it as solid silver, the seller’s return policy is the remedy. For what a genuine 90% silver coin is actually worth in metal, see our silver coin melt value guide: at today’s silver price of $52.77 per troy ounce, a single pre-1965 silver dime melts near $3.82.
Melt figure from Data by Bullion Price Check, data as of November 11, 2026 (silver spot $52.77 per troy ounce; 0.0723 troy ounces per silver dime). Melt is metal value only; dealer prices sit above melt and exclude shipping and tax.
Shop Silver You Can Test
The magnet test works best on a solid bar: a 1 oz Silver Bar – Perth Mint – Kangaroo at $56.88, or the classic coin version, $1 Face Value 90% Silver Mercury Dimes – XF at $42.63 — both in stock on November 11, 2026. Prices track spot and move daily. Still deciding whether a piece in hand is silver? Start with how to identify silver coins — dates and marks settle most questions before any test is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does silver stick to a magnet?
No. Genuine silver does not stick to a magnet of any strength. If a coin or bar snaps onto a magnet and stays there, it is not silver — it is steel, iron, nickel, or a plated base-metal copy.
Is sterling silver magnetic?
No. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, and neither metal is magnetic. A sterling piece that sticks to a magnet is plated over a magnetic core, not solid sterling.
Will a magnet pick up a silver coin?
No. A magnet cannot pick up a silver coin, because silver is diamagnetic — it weakly repels magnetic fields. A strong magnet will instead make the coin slide slowly down its face.
What does it mean if my silver bar sticks to a magnet?
It means the bar is not solid silver. The usual cause is a steel or iron core under silver plating, or a nickel-plated copy. The silver value of such a piece is limited to its thin plating.
Can you test silver with a fridge magnet?
Not reliably. A fridge magnet is too weak to grab even some steel fakes, so a negative result proves nothing. Use a strong neodymium magnet — the kind sold as a silver-testing magnet — for both the stick test and the slide test.
Does the magnet test prove a coin is silver?
No — it proves what a coin is not. Copper behaves almost exactly like silver in the magnet and slide tests, and aluminum also fails to stick. A pass needs the weight, size and sound tests alongside it.
Educational content only — not financial advice.