Okay, I started off with an old nasty Grand Casino strike and dipped the heck out of it to see what color the rim would turn. Surprisingly, it actually got pretty shiny, and while lighter than a brand new strike, it didn't approach looking silver at all. That was sitting in EZest for three times, five minutes each!

Next, I took some sheet metal cutters, and cut the rim. The first thing I noticed is that the silver and rim are CLEARLY not in any way melted together, fused, etc. As I was cutting the rim (those rims are STRONG) it loosened up a little and the silver insert fell right out with no effort. It's just the tightness of the rim pressing on the silver that keeps it in. After I cut it, as this picture shows, and as Kirk also stated when he filed one, the entire rim is clearly all brass all the way through:

Then I put the center on the scale to check the silver weight:

That is in troy ounces.

Then I put the rim on the scale:

So hopes this helps with the silver rim questions.

Dave.