Golden Plates
by Mike Sanders

Here is some information that I've compiled on the Book of Mormon Plates.

Another set of criticisms concering the plates deals with their composition,weight, and if the descriptions would allow for enough space to accomodate theentire BoM text. A convenient reference discussing the dimensions and weight ofthe BoM plates is an article by Robert F. Smith in John W. Welch, ed.,"Reexploring the Book of Mormon" (Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992) entitled "The'Golden' Plates" (pp. 275-8). Smith cites Joseph Smith's description as found inthe Wentworth Letter as giving dimensions of 6" x 8" x 6". David Whitmer andMartin Harris gave slightly different estimates for the dimensions.

With respect to the weight of the plates, Martin Harris and William Smithestimated their weight at between 40 and 60 lbs. An LDS metallurgist, ReedPutnam suggested in an article printed in the Sept. 1966 "Ensign" (pp. 788-9,828-31) that they might have been made of the precolumbian alloy, tumbaga, whichis an alloy of 8 karat gold with copper. This alloy, which is normally a reddishcolor, when treated with a simple acid (e.g., citric acid), gives a brilliant0.0006" 23 karat gold gilded surface. If one allows for air space between theplates, Putnam estimated that a stack of plates according to Joseph Smith'sdimensions would weigh 53.4 lbs., well within the range estimated by MartinHarris and William Smith. William Smith is quoted in a talk he gave in the1880's while a member of the RLDS Church as saying that the plates were "amixture of gold and copper".

Robert F. Smith concludes his article by writing: "Thus, reasonable sense can bemade of the physical description of the plates and of their possiblemetallurgical composition."

-----------------------------------------------------------Gold Weight

According to Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon was "engraven on plates which hadthe appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long andnot quite so thick as common tin.... The volume was something near six inches inthickness...." (Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, v3:9, March 1, 1842, 707.) Foryears the critics have claimed that there could not have been any "goldenplates" because the plates would have been to heavy for Joseph to carry.

...this mass of gold plates, as they were not so compactly pressed as boxed tin,would have weighed nearly 200 lbs. (John Hyde, Jun., Mormonism: It's Leaders andDesigns [W.P. Fetridge and Co., New York, 1857], 244.)

If the plates were gold plates of the dimensions indicated they must haveweighed between 175 and 225 pounds. (William J. Whalen, The Latter-Day Saints inthe Modern World [University of Notre Dame Press, 1964], 27.)

Those who handled the Book of Mormon, however, claim that the plates were muchlighter.William Smith, a brother of the Prophet who had handled and hefted the plates ina pillow-case, claimed on several occasions that the set of plates weighed about60 pounds..., as did Willard Chase..., while Martin Harris said that theyweighed 40 to 50 pounds... (F.A.R.M.S. Updates, Oct., 1984.)

How do we account for the discrepancy? First the critics are wrong in theirestimations. Read Putnam explains that according to the approximate measurementsof the plates as given by Joseph Smith-- 6"x8"x6"-- the Book of Mormon plateswould equal a volume of about 288 cubic inches.

A solid gold block of totaling 288 cubic inches would weigh a little over 200pounds.... But the plates would weigh much less than a solid block of the samemetal. The unevenness left by the hammering and air spaces between he separateplates would reduce the weight to probably less than 50 percent of he solidblock.(Read H. Putnam, "Were the Golden Plates made of Tumbaga?" ImprovementEra, Sept., 1966, 829-830.)

100 pounds, however, is still much heavier than the sixty or so pounds suggestedby several Book of Mormon witnesses. The weight question, we find is a strongvindication for the book's authenticity. If Joseph Smith was the brilliantcon-man that the critics have made him out to be, he would surely have knownthat golden plates, in the dimensions he described, would have weighed at least100 pounds. If Joseph was making up the whole story he would have givendifferent dimensions. He could have described the record in any manner he chose.Joseph could have claimed that the record was written on parchment, or bark, orstone or on a scroll. If he had claimed that the Book of Mormon had beenpreserved on a scroll by descendants of Jews who had inhabited the New World hisstory might have sounded even more believable to the people of his day. Everyoneknew that the ancient Jews wrote on scrolls. Instead, however, Joseph Smithclaimed (and was ridiculed by the learned) that the record had been preserved onmetal plates. If he had been making all this up he could have chosen any metalhe desired. Obviously gold is the most attractive. Joseph could have said thatthe plates were made of pure gold and given smaller dimensions to accommodate alighter weight. If Joseph had been making all this up he could have claimed thatthe entire Book of Mormon record was contained on one or two plates in somecomplex hieroglyphic character which, with the aide of the Urim and Thummim,became the tale as told by the Nephites.

Joseph, however, gave the dimensions which he saw and the witnesses gave theapproximate weights which they hefted. Joseph, no doubt, understood that "gold"plates of those dimensions would have weighed at least 100 pounds and thus hedescribed the plates as having the "appearance of gold." Turning then to theNew World we find that the ancient inhabitants did indeed make engravings upon ametal which was lighter than gold but had the "appearance of gold." In 1984Scientific America addressed the recent discovery of several large metal objectsin South America. Most of these objects were made out of hammered sheet copper.When these copper sheets were first unearthed they were covered with a greencorrosion. Once the corrosion was removed, however, they discovered that thecopper had originally been covered with a thin layer of silver or gold so thatthese sheets "appeared to be made entirely out of those preciousmetals...."(Heather Lechtman, "Pre-Columbian Surface Metallurgy," ScientificAmerica, June, 1984, 56.) Scientific America explained that the most importantalloy discovered at these South American sites was a mixture of copper and goldknown as "tumbaga." When copper and gold (the only two colored metals known toman) are melted together they mix, and stay mixed after they cool and solidify.This alloy was known not only in South America, but in Mesoamerica as wellTumbaga ranged from 97 percent gold to 97 percent copper with traces of up to 18percent of other metals, impurities, or silver. Once the gold finish was appliedto the tumbaga it would appear to be made of solid gold. Putnam explains thattumbaga "the magic metal, can be cast, drawn, hammered, gilded, soldered,welded, plated, hardened, annealed, polished, engraved, embossed, andinlaid."(Putnam, 789, 828-829.) Nevertheless, tumbaga will destroy itself if itis not stored properly. It is therefore interesting to note that the Book ofMormon plates were laid atop two stones which lay across the bottom of the stonebox so that the plates would not be exposed to water or dirt.

Too little gold in the Book of Mormon plates would have made them brittle, andtoo much gold would have made them too heavy as well as increasing the danger ofdistortion during engraving. Thus, according to Putnam's calculations, the Bookof Mormon plates (which were probably tumbaga) were between 8 and 12 carat goldand thus would have weighed between 53 and 86 pounds. To the eye, however, thetumbaga plates would have had the appearance of pure gold. (Ibid., 830, 831.)The staff members of F.A.R.M.S. reveal that "if the plates were made of thetumbaga alloy, other details fit into place. Take the color of the plates: Theplates are consistently described as `gold' and `golden.' When tumbaga (which isred) is treated with any simple acid (citric acid will do), the copper in thealloy is removed from its surface leaving a brilliant .0006 inch 23 K giltcoating. Indeed, this process was used in ancient America.... Plus, this surfacecovering is much easier to engrave. Likewise, pure gold would be too soft tomake useful plates. But tumbaga is remarkably tough and resilient...."(F.A.R.M.S. Updates, Oct., 1984.)

Here is Putnam's article:

Were the Golden Plates made of Tumbaga?
By Read H. Putnam

The Improvement Era (Sept 1966)Vol. 69, No. 9, Page 788

Read H. Putnam, resides in Evanston, Wyoming, is a professional genealogist. Heis serving as high priests group leader of the Evanston 4th Ward, WoodruffStake.

----------------------------------------------------------The archaeology of the Book of Mormon begins with a stone box and a set of metalplates. These articles produced the first knowledge of the Nephite people inmodern times, although there were other items in the box. The other items werenot the products of the Nephites, however, so are not to be considered here.The plates, in part at least, were manufactured by one of the first men of theNephite nation, while the stone box was probably made by one who saw thecollapse of that nation.

The first consideration in the study of Book of Mormon archaeology is nottranslation, text, or family history; it is the plates themselves. Long beforethe translation began, before the engraved characters were studied, and beforethe Nephite story began to unfold, Joseph Smith's mind was busy with questionsthat have occupied the minds of generations since his time. But as soon as hehad hefted, handled, smelled, and turned the pages, his questions began to bereplaced with knowledge.

His experience has passed on to us the following information: (1) The plates hadthe "appearance of gold"; (2) they were about 6" x 8" x 6" or 288 cubic inchesin size; (3) the surfaces of the plates were engraved with figures of "curiousworkmanship"; and (4) they could be easily lifted and carried by one man.

The term "appearance of gold" probably means that the plates were yellow incolor but not pure gold. The easiest way of identifying gold, other than by itscolor, is by its weight and softness. During the four years the Prophet waitedto receive the plates, his mind perhaps speculated on the immense value hethought they represented. He was put to a good deal of schooling by the messenger to insure that he would not attempt to convert them to wealth.Reflection on the subject later caused him to say "appearance of gold" ratherthan gold or pure gold. He must have realized they were not 24-carat gold.Perhaps he noticed some red fracture around the binding holes or realized theywere lighter in weight than he had expected they would be. Evidently there werereasons chat he thus decided to qualify his description of them.The engravings on the plates, he reported, were "small" and "of curiousworkmanship." The plates were "filled with engravings" and were "not so thick ascommon tin." The exact size of the engravings, or glyphs, and the distancebetween them and between the lines are not known. However, the author has aspecimen of hand-engraved work in English that is very legible and in which thelower-case letters are less than 1/16 of an inch in height.

The "curious workmanship" displayed by the plates seems to indicate chat theProphet was unfamiliar with the script. The surface of the plates probably wouldhave been polished. The plates probably would not have exceeded .02 of an inchin thickness, and might have been a good deal thinner than that. In any event,the manufacture of the plates would be a prime factor in the success or failureof the engraver. The metal would need to be soft enough at the surface to acceptthe engraver's tool yet firm enough in the center to keep the plate fromdistortion under the pressure; it would also have to be smooth enough for thelines and figures to retain their proportions. The plates were described byJoseph Smith as "beautifully engraved," so we may suppose the metal met allthese requirements.

The plates were not so heavy that a man could not carry them. Joseph Smith was aman of youth and vigor, yet Mormon was 74 years of age when he turned them overto his son. (See Morm. 6:6.) We are not led to believe that the weight of theplates was a great hindrance. The witnesses testified that they had "hefted"them, indicating that the weight seemed tolerable.

Gold is the most ductile of all metals. It can be hammered into a leaf .0003 ofan inch in thickness, and a single ounce can be drawn into a thread 35 mileslong. Silver and copper, the next two most ductile metals, range very close togold both having properties almost beyond imagination.

Tumbaga is an alloy of gold and copper, the only two colored metals known toman. Gold melts at 1060°C. and copper at 1083°C. Yet an alloy of the two metalsthat has 15 to 40 percent copper melts at 200 degrees C. less than gold.

The early American smiths used the alloy of tumbaga extensively. It ranged incontent from 97 percent gold to the same proportion of copper, with severaltrace metals as impurities and silver as an impurity or deliberate alloy up to18 percent.

Studies have been made of metals of pre-Hispanic Panama and the peoples whopossessed them. Of the 15 cultures studied, all worked with gold, 9 employedsilver, 11 or perhaps 13 knew copper, and 8 worked tumbaga. All 15 knew thehammering process, while six employed the art of engraving. These culturesemployed a wide range of and copper alloy in both hammering and casting, butthey seem to have employed the higher gold alloys more in objects manufacturedby hammering.

Artifacts now accredited to these fifteen cultures may or may not have been madefrom alloys employed for the first time. The wide range of analysis and theapparent diversified methods and objects manufactured with like alloys indicatethat the metal was used many times before it appeared in the articles discoveredas artifacts of the cultures. The workmanship of the artifacts was the primemeans of identification for classification rather than the alloy. It is veryunlikely, then, that metals employed by the Nephites or objects theymanufactured that later fell into the hands of successive nations would bepreserved in workmanship, analysis, or location for us to identify and declareas being peculiar to them. In the case of the plates from which the Book ofMormon was translated, then, we have the artifact and the positive identification.

The versatility of tumbaga indicates that the American smiths were not requiredto be exacting as to particular gravimetric alloy. And it is apparent thatwhatever the alloy or object, once the gilding was applied, the result to theeye alone would be gold.

There is one property of tumbaga that should be remembered. When the coppercontent is particularly high and the gilding not perfect, the whole inside ofthe alloy beneath the gilding skin will destroy itself with electrolysis.

Tumbaga, the magic metal, can be cast, drawn, hammered, gilded, soldered,welded, plated, hardened, annealed, polished, engraved, embossed, and inlaid.Yet with all this versatility, tumbaga will destroy itself if it is improperlyalloyed, improperly stored, or improperly finished.

A word now about some of these processes: It is not suggested that all earlyAmerican metal workers used all the processes listed above; indeed, each smithwould probably use only those few that suited his talent and that were in demandby the people for whom he worked. The processes of hammering, gilding,annealing, and to some degree of smelting would have been useful in themanufacture and binding of the Book of Mormon plates. The engraving would haverequired a separate skill from that of the smith and need not necessarily havebeen done by the person who manufactured the plates. This was the case in atleast one instance in the Book of Mormon. ( See Omni in the Book of Mormon.)

The gilding could have been done by yet another workman, using one of twopossible methods. The first is called mise en couleur by the French and consistsof allowing the surface copper to be eaten away by citric acids and thenspreading and burnishing the remaining gold into a thin surface gilding. Thesecond consists of mixing some powdered gold (dust) with mercury, spreading themixture over the surface to be gilded, and then heating a little to spread thegold mixture and disperse the mercury. This is essentially the amalgam processand differs from the first method in that the gold is added from another source,whereas in the first process the gold used is contained in the article itself.

Annealing, it is stated, is the process of heating the metal and allowing it tocool slowly, which makes it softer and less brittle. However, this statement, sofar as copper and the alloys of gold are concerned, is incorrect, since copperbecomes very soft and malleable when it is strongly heated and immediatelyimmersed in cold water, its behavior under these circumstances beingdiametrically opposite to that of steel. Further many of these alloys (speakingof gold alloys, among which are those of copper and silver) are age-hardening;consequently, they can be softened by heating to temperatures around 700C.,followed by quenching, and then hardened by reheating to the appropriate rangeneeded to produce the physical properties desired. Thus copper alloys could behardened by applying heat and omitting the quenching process. The heat producedby cold-hammering or gilding would be equally effective. Since gold isunaffected by this series of heating and quenching necessary to cold-hammer thealloy, the gilded surface, when finally applied, would remain soft; theapplication of heat to spread effectively the gold of the gilding would hardenthe alloy beneath.

Let us now consider the box in which the plates were stored. The Prophet JosephSmith said, "In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box,and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them." Did theartisan who made the box intend merely to hide the plates, or did he intend topreserve them also? He must have intended to preserve them, since he (Moroni)sealed them up.

This could not have referred to the portion that was sealed together so thateach plate was inaccessible but rather to the disposition of the entire stack,since what was sealed included the portion to be translated. The sealing, then,must refer to the box in which the plates were deposited. Moroni was carefulthat no dirt or water should get to the plates, knowing that under certainconditions they could be damaged or destroyed.

The title page of the Book ofMormon indicates that the plates were "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, thatthey might not be destroyed."Dr. Sidney B. Sperry has said chat the word "ziff" in the Book of Mormonprobably referred to zinc meaning "bright" (See Mosiah 11:8.)

Another explanation may be that the Prophet Joseph Smith upon coming to this term, couldfind no English equivalent and therefore transliterated the Nephite sounds intoEnglish letters. The Nephite term could have meant "tumbaga," a name borrowedfrom the Spanish. (The same alloy is called quanin by the Arawak.) Tumbaga, whenproperly finished by gilding, is also "bright."Native workman have said that tumbaga had a peculiar odor. Do you have a copperpenny in your pocket? Rub it briskly, then smell it. Gold and silver have noodor, but copper, even when heated at very low temperatures, has an odor.

It is impossible to calculate the exact weight of the plates. The Small Platesof Nephi may have been of a different alloy than those made by Mormon, wholeaves some doubt as to whether he himself manufactured the plates he used orwrote on plates previously made by another.Joseph Smith said the plates were 6" x 8" x 6", in which case they were 288cubic inches in volume. Others have given different dimensions that would amountto volumes ranging from 244 to 336 cubic inches. The Prophet's figures arepreferable, since they represent an average and since he was more familiar withthe plates than anyone else. A solid block of gold totaling 288 cubic incheswould weigh a little over 200 pounds. (Gold weighs .697 pounds per cubic inch;silver, .379 pounds, and copper, .321 pounds.)

But plates would much less than a solid block of the same metal. The unevennessleft by the hammering and air spaces between the separate plates would reducethe weight to probably less than 50 percent of the solid block.As already noted, though, the plates were not made of pure, or 24 carat, gold.On one hand it seems probable that they were not made of an extremely low-goldalloy because of the danger of electrolysis and brittleness. On the other hand,they were probably not of an extremely high-gold-alloy either, since the weightwould thereby be increased. There would also be a danger of distortion while theplates were being inscribed, because of the ductility of these higher alloys.Some writers have suggested an 8-carat-gold alloy for the plates of Mormon. Ifthis is assumed, then, using the gravimetric system of William C. Rott, a blockhaving the dimensions of the plates would consist of 25.79 pounds of goldoccupying 37 cubic inches of the block; 77.84 pounds of copper, occupying 242.5cubic inches; and 3.25 pounds of silver (3 percent added as an impurity),occupying 8.5 cubic inches. Thus a block of tumbaga of the dimensions indicatedfor the plates of the Book of Mormon and with 8-carat alloy and 3-percent nativeimpurity would weigh 106.88 pounds. Using such a block as a beginning point, 50percent of the weight should be subtracted for air space; thus the weight of thestack of plates would be about 53 pounds.

If these figures seem unrealistic,remember that gold has twice the density of copper and therefore occupies aboutone-sixth of the total volume.If each plate were .02 of an inch thick, it would occupy up to .05 of an inch inthe stack, and there would be 20 plates to the inch. The unsealed portion wouldthen consist of 40 plates or 80 sides. Present-day food cans are manufactured ofmetal that is about .01" to .015" thick. How this compares with the "common tin"referred to by Joseph Smith remains to be investigated.If the plates have been made from a 12-carat-gold alloy, they would have weighed86.83 pounds, following the same system used for the 8-carat postulate. As theproportion of gold in the alloy is increased, so are the alloy's weight andductility and the tendency of the plates, if hammered very thin, to distort andwrinkle.We must conclude that ancient American smiths had sufficient knowledge and skillto make a set of plates using the alloy that the Spaniards called tumbaga.

The plates of the Book of Mormon, we allege, were of this alloy and were probably ofbetween 8- and 12-carat gold. They thus appear to have weighed between 53 and 86pounds. We further allege that the plates were manufactured by hammering themetal to a thickness of .02 of an inch with a 23-carat gilded surface of .0006of an inch, resulting in a hardness of 30 Brinells to the engravers tool, whilethe center of the plate maintained a Brinell of 80 or above.The plates themselves would have presented a solid gold surface to the eye, yet they would have weighed as little as half as much as pure gold.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

For further information concerning the plates of the Book of Mormon, see thefollowing:

Sjodahl, J. M. An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt LakeCity: Deseret News Press, 1927.Smith, Joseph. Documentary History of the Church. Salt Lake City: Deseret NewsPress 1902.Sperry, Sidney B. Problems of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City Bookcraft,1964.Widtsoe, John A., and Franklin s. Harris, Jr. Seven Claims of the Book ofMormon. Independence Missouri Zion's Printing and Publishing Company, n.d.For information on the properties of ancient metals, see especially thefollowing:Lothrop, Samuel Kirkland. Cocle: An Archaelogical Study of Central Panama, inMemoirs of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Vol. 7. CambridgeHarvard University, 1937.Lothrop. Metals from Cenote of Sacrifice, Chichen Itza, Yucatan, in Memoirs ofthe Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Vol. 10, No. 2. Cambridge:Harvard University, 1952.Orchard, William C. "Peruvian Gold and Gold Plating," Indian Notes, Vol. 7 No. 4(October 1930 ). New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.Rotto, William C. "Metallurgy," in Julian H. Stewart (ed.), Handbook of SouthAmerican Indians, Bulletin 143. Washington: Bureau of American Ethnology,1949.

=========================================

On the FAIR site located at: http://www.fair-lds.org/apol/ai108.html we find the following question answered:

"How could Joseph carry the golden plates around so easily, and how could thewitness have "hefted" the plates without (a recorded) difficulty when the plateshad to weigh at least 230 pounds? (The plates are said to have been 7" X 8" X 6"high, and gold weighs 1204.7 pounds per square foot--figure it out foryourself.)"

Response: by Malin L. Jacobs & John A. Tvedtnes
The critic has made three errors in the statement of his question. When they arecorrected, the problem (the perceived inability of Joseph Smith to carry theplates) disappears.Error 1"...gold weighs 1204.7 pounds per square foot."A square foot of anything weighs nothing, for a square foot is a unit of area,which has no thickness. Presumably what the critic meant to say was that goldweighs 1204.7 (actually 1206) pounds per cubic foot.Error 2The plates were made of 24-carat gold.Critics fail to note that at no time does the Book of Mormon itself say that theplates on which Mormon abridged his record were made of gold.

Joseph Smith recorded that Mormon told him that the Nephite record was "written upon goldplates," but this does not exclude the possibility that they were actually agold alloy. Many people wear "gold" wedding bands, but they are typically madeof an alloy of gold and copper or some other metal. LDS writer Reed Putnam longago suggested that the plates Moroni delivered to Joseph Smith may have beenmade of a strong alloy known to the natives of Mexico as tumbaga,1 which lookslike gold, is soft enough to take the engravings, yet is hard enough to preservethem for a very long time. Joseph Smith described the plates as"having the appearance of gold."2

These are the same words used by the Eight Witnesses:"...which have the appearance of gold..."3

If Joseph Smith, who regularly carried the plates about, and the eightwitnesses, who declared that they"did handle [them] with our hands"4hesitated to say that they were really made of gold, it is unwise ofnon-witnesses to assume they were.Because it is an alloy of gold and copper, tumbaga is lighter than gold. Putnamconcluded that the plates"...were probably of between 8- and 12-carat gold."5Using the data from Putnam's article, the weight of 8- and 12-carat tumbaga canbe shown to be:8-carat tumbaga = 0.368 lb/in312-carat tumbaga = 0.603 lb/in3Error 3

The plates were a solid block. Unlike books printed on paper, in which the sheets lie perfectly flat againsteach other, the plates were first hammered and then engraved with characters.This means that two successive plates would not be able to lie perfectly flatagainst each other. Consequently, a significant portion of the volume occupiedby the Book of Mormon plates was air, not metal. Putnam concludes that"...the plates were manufactured by hammering the metal to a thickness of .02of an inch with a 23-carat gilded surface of .0006 of an inch..."6He also concluded that after being hammered and engraved"If each plate were .02 of an inch thick, it would occupy up to .05 of aninch in the stack."7This means that only 40 percent of the plates' volume would be metal, with theremainder being air, which would not add to the weight.The Dimensions of the PlatesThe question under discussion estimates the dimensions of the plates as 7 inchesby 8 inches by 6 inches.

Joseph Smith estimated the dimensions as 6 inches by 8inches by 6 inches. Other witness provided different estimates, though all ofthese are in the same general range.8 Joseph Smith dealt personally with theplates over a long period. Consequently, his estimate is probably more accuratethan those of the other witnesses, who saw the plates only once for a shortperiod of time. The 7 inches by 8 inches by 6 inches estimate given in thequestion results in the largest volume for the plates. If the question can besatisfactorily answered for plates of this size, it will be satisfactorilyanswered for plates of the smaller size estimates.The Weight of the PlatesSince we do not know the exact dimensions of the plates, nor do we know theirexact material composition, nor do we know the precise percentage of the volumethat was metal instead of air, it is not possible to calculate the exact weightof the plates. All that can be said with certainty is that the plates must haveweighed considerably less than an equivalent volume of solid gold.The weight of a solid block of gold of dimensions given in the question iscalculated as follows:From any good physics or chemistry handbook:1. 1in = 2.540 cm2. Weight of gold in metric units, Wgm = 19.32 g/cm33. 1g = 2.205x10-3 lbFrom 1:4. 1.00 in3 = (2.540 cm)3 = 16.39 cm3From 2, 3, and 4:5. Weight of gold in English units,Wge = (19.32 g/cm3)(16.39 cm3/in3)(2.205x10-3 lb/g) = 0.698 lb/in3Now a block of gold of dimensions 7 inches by 8 inches by 6 inches has a volumeof:6. V = (7 in)(8 in)(6 in) = 336 in3Therefore:7. Weight of a solid block of gold of dimensions 7 inches by 8 inches by 6inches,Wgold block = WgVp = (0.698 lb/in3)(336 in3) = 235 lbs.Therefore, whatever the weight of the plates, it must be considerably less than235 pounds.While we can't determine just how much the plates weighed, we can come up with areasonable estimate.

Since we have calculated the volume of the plates based onthe dimensions given in the question, the procedure is to 1) multiply thisvolume by the percentage that represents the actual metal in that volume; thisallows for the air spaces between the plates, and 2) calculate the weight basedon the likely material composition of the plates. Following this procedureyields:From above,8. Vp = 336 in3Taking Putnam's 40 percent9 figure as the percentage of the plate volumeactually occupied by metal, we calculate a reasonable estimate for the volume ofthe metal in the stacked plates:9. Vm = (0.4)(336 in3) = 134 in3Using the weight of the most likely range of tumbaga alloys, we obtain10. W8-carat = (134 in3)(0.368 lb/in3) = 49.5 lbs11. W12-carat = (134 in3)(0.603 lb/in3) = 81.0 lbsTherefore, based on the largest estimate of plate size, they weighed between 50and 80 pounds. If Joseph Smith's estimate of 6 inches by 8 inches by 6 inches isused in the above calculations, the resulting weight is between 40 and 70pounds. Both sets of weight calculations are in good agreement with estimatesmade by those who hefted the plates.10

Earliest known LDS discussion:Parley P. Pratt, Mormonism Unveiled; Zion's Watchman Unmasked And its Editor,Mr. LA ROY SUNDERLAND, EXPOSED: TRUTH VINDICATED, The Devil Mad, and Priestcraftin Danger!!!, Fourth Edition, (New York, New York: Joseph W. Harrison, Printer,1842)Notes:1. Reed H. Putnam, "Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga?" Improvement Era69:9 (September 1969): 788-89, 828-31. Hereafter referred to as Putnam. Putnamwas not the first to suggest that the "gold" of the plates was an alloy of gold
and copper rather than pure gold. While not referring to the material of theplates as tumbaga, J. M. Sjodahl discussed the idea that the plates wereprobably made of a gold/copper alloy in An Introduction to the Study of the Bookof Mormon (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Press: 1927): 43. Hereafterreferred to as Sjodahl.2. B. H. Roberts, ed., History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-DaySaints (Salt lake City, Utah: The Deseret Book Company, 1970) IV:537.3. Book of Mormon, Testimony of Eight Witnesses.4. Ibid.5. Putnam: 831.6. Putnam: 831.7. Putnam: 830.8. Sjodhal: 38. It seems not to have occurred to anyone to actually measure theplates.9. Putnam: 830.10. William Smith and Martin Harris gave weights ranging between 40 and 60pounds. See FARMS UPDATE for October 1984, revised February 1985, quoting theSaints Herald 31:644; William Smith on Mormonism: 12; and Tiffany's Monthly, May1859: 165-66.

==========================================

and lastly, we have a couple of brief articles recently published concerning thewitnesses descriptions of the plates and the possible number of plates.

How Witnesses Described the "Gold Plates"Compiled
by Kirk B. Henrichsen

Although no single comprehensive description of the Book of Mormon plateshas been preserved, the Prophet Joseph Smith and several people closelyassociated with him made various statements that include partial descriptions ofthe plates.

When we consider all the sources together, quite a detailed pictureemerges of the physical characteristics of the ancient Nephite record.

Material

"the appearance of gold"

1 -Joseph Smith Jr., Eight Witnesses, Orson Pratt"golden plates"
2 -David Whitmer"a mixture of gold and copper"
3 -William SmithWeight"weighing altogether from forty to sixty lbs."
4 -Martin Harris"I was permitted to lift them. . . . They weighed about sixty poundsaccording to the best of my judgement."
5 -William Smith"I . . . judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds."
6 -WilliamSmith"They were much heavier than a stone, and very much heavier than wood. .. . As near as I could tell, about sixty pounds."
7 -William Smith"I hefted the plates, and I knew from the heft that they were lead orgold."
8 -Martin Harris"My daughter said, they were about as much as she could lift. They werenow in the glass-box, and my wife said they were very heavy. They both liftedthem."
9 -Martin Harris"I moved them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary indoing my work."
10 -Emma SmithJoseph's sister Catherine, while she was dusting in the room where hehad been translating, "hefted those plates [which were covered with a cloth] andfound them very heavy."
11 -H. S. Salisbury, paraphrasing Catherine SmithSalisbury

Individual Plate Dimensions

"six inches wide by eight inches long"

12 -Joseph Smith Jr."seven inches wide by eight inches in length"
13 -Martin Harris"seven by eight inches"
14 -Martin Harris"about eight inches long, seven inches wide"
15 -David Whitmer"Each plate was not far from seven by eight inches in width andlength."
16 -Orson PrattThickness of Each Plate"of the thickness of plates of tin"
17 -Martin Harris"thin leaves of gold"
18 -Martin Harris"about as thick as parchment"
19 -David Whitmer"not quite as thick as common tin"
20 -Orson Pratt"[We] could raise the leaves this way (raising a few leaves of the Biblebefore him)."
21 -William Smith"They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with ametalic [sic] sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one doessometimes thumb the edges of a book."
22 -Emma SmithVolume Thickness"something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed"
23-Orson Pratt"[W]hen piled one above the other, they were altogether about fourinches thick."
24 -Martin HarrisSealed and Unsealed Portions"A large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that itwas impossible to separate them."
25 -David Whitmer"What there was sealed appeared as solid to my view as wood. About thehalf of the book was sealed."
26 -David Whitmer"[A]bout two-thirds were sealed up, and Joseph was commanded not tobreak the seal; that part of the record was hid up. The plates which were sealedcontained an account of those things shewn unto the brother of Jared."
27 -OrsonPratt"A great many, in reading this record carelessly, would wonder why itwas that a part of these plates should be sealed, and why Joseph Smith shouldnot be permitted to break the seal. It was because, in this great revelation,the sealed portion of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was taken,contained this great vision, given to the brother of Jared. Joseph was notpermitted to translate it, neither to break the seal of the book; it is to bereserved to come forth in due time."
28 -Orson Pratt

Rings and Binding Format

"[T]hey were fastened with rings thus [a sketch shows a ring in theshape of a capital D with six lines drawn through the straight side of theletter to represent the leaves of the record]."

29 -David Whitmer"bound together like the leaves of a book by massive rings passingthrough the back edges"
30 -David Whitmer"They were bound together in the shape of a book by three gold rings."
31-David Whitmer"put together on the back by three silver rings, so that they would openlike a book"
32 -Martin Harris"bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, and fastened atone edge with three rings running through the whole"
33 -Orson Pratt"Through the back of the plates were three rings, which held themtogether, and through which a rod might easily be passed, serving as a greaterconvenience for carrying them; the construction and form of the plates beingsimilar to the gold, brass, and lead plates of the ancient Jews in Palestine."
34-Orson Pratt

Reading Order"I wish to mention here that the title-page of the Book of Mormon is aliteral translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of thecollection or book of plates, which contained the record which has beentranslated, the language of the whole running the same as all Hebrew writing ingeneral.*" [The asterisk directs the reader to a note that says, "*That is, fromright to left."]
35 -Joseph Smith Jr.Characters, Text, and Plate Surface"[The plates] were filled with . . . Egyptian characters. . . . Thecharacters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The wholebook exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in theart of engraving."
36 -Joseph Smith Jr., Orson Pratt"There were fine engravings on both sides."
37 -John Whitmer"We also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance ofancient work, and of curious workmanship."
38 -Eight Witnesses"[T]he characters . . . were cut into the plates with some sharpinstrument."
39 -William Smith"Upon each side of the leaves of these plates there were fineengravings, which were stained with a black, hard stain, so as to make theletters more legible and easier to be read."
40 -Orson PrattThe following statements, though based on transcriptions of thecharacters engraved on the plates and not on examination or intimate knowledgeof the plates themselves, are also of interest. "It [Joseph's transcription ofcharacters from the plates] consisted of all kinds of singular charactersdisposed in columns, . . . Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and flourishes;Roman letters inverted or placed sideways were arranged and placed inperpendicular columns, and the whole ended in a rude delineation of a circle,divided into various compartments, arched with various strange marks, andevidently copied after the Mexican calendar."
41 -Charles Anthon"The characters were arranged in columns, like the Chinese mode ofwriting, . . . Greek, Hebrew and all sorts of letters, more or less distorted, .. . were intermingled with sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and othernatural objects, and the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexicanzodiac."
42 -Charles Anthon"[Martin Harris] was in the habit of exhibiting to his hearers what heclaimed to be a fac simile [sic] copy of the title page of the forthcoming book[Book of Mormon]." One who saw this copy said, "On it were drawn rudely andbunglingly, concentric circles, between, above and below, which were characters,with little resemblance to letters."
43 -Charles W. BrownNotes

The descriptive material for this article was compiled by Kirk Henrichsen,of the staff of the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City, whokindly offered it for use in the Journal.1. Joseph Smith Jr., "Church History," Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842(also known as the Wentworth Letter); "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses," Bookof Mormon; and Orson Pratt, in a pamphlet titled An Interesting Account ofSeveral Remarkable Visions, and of the Late Discovery of Ancient AmericanRecords (Edinburgh, Scotland: Ballantyne and Hughes, May 1840), 12-13. TheWentworth Letter, the Prohet Joseph Smith's sketch of the history and faith ofthe Latter-day Saints written for the editor of the Chicago Democrat, utilizesmuch of the same language found in Pratt's pamphlet.

Although Pratt did not see or handle the plates, he learned much about them through his close associationwith Joseph Smith. Nowhere in the documentary evidence did the witnesses orother key participants in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon describe theplates as being made of solid or pure gold.2. David Whitmer interview, Kansas City Journal, 5 June 1881, in DavidWhitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness, ed. Lyndon W. Cook (Orem, Utah:Grandin, 1993), 60.3. William Smith (Joseph's younger brother) interview, The Saints' Herald,4 October 1884, 644.4. Martin Harris interview, Iowa State Register, August 1870, as quoted inMilton V. Backman Jr., Eyewitness Accounts of the Restoration (Salt Lake City:Deseret Book, 1986), 226.5. William Smith, William Smith on Mormonism (Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Steam,1883), 12.6. William Smith interview with E. C. Briggs. Originally written by J. W.Peterson for Zions Ensign (Independence, Mo.); reprinted in Deseret EveningNews, 20 January 1894, 11.7. William Smith interview, The Saints' Herald, 4 October 1884, 644.8. "Interview with Martin Harris," Tiffany's Monthly, May 1859, 169.9. Ibid., 168.10. Emma Smith interview, published as "Last Testimony of Sister Emma,"The Saints' Herald, 1 October 1879.11. I. B. Bell interview with H. S. Salisbury (grandson of Catherine SmithSalisbury), Historical Department Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints.12. Joseph Smith Jr., "Church History" (Wentworth Letter), Times andSeasons, 1 March 1842, 707.13. Martin Harris interview, Tiffany's Monthly, May 1859, 165.14. Martin Harris interview, Iowa State Register, August 1870, as quotedin Backman, Eyewitness Accounts, 226.15. David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in DavidWhitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221.16. Pratt, An Interesting Account, 13.17. Martin Harris interview, Tiffany's Monthly, May 1859, 165.18. Martin Harris interview, Iowa State Register, August 1870, as quotedin Backman, Eyewitness Accounts, 226.19. David Whitmer interview, Kansas City Journal, 5 June 1881, in DavidWhitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 64.20. Pratt, An Interesting Account, 13.21. William Smith, The Saints' Herald, 4 October 1884, 644.22. Emma Smith interview, The Saints' Herald, 1 October 1879.23. Pratt, An Interesting Account, 13.24. Martin Harris interview, Tiffany's Monthly, May 1859, 165.25. David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in DavidWhitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221.26. David Whitmer interview, Deseret Evening News, 16 August 1878, inDavid Whitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 20-21.27. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 3:347, 13 April 1856. OrsonPratt was not an eyewitness of the plates.28. Ibid., 19:211-12, 9 December 1877.29. David Whitmer interview, Edward Stevenson diary, 22-23 December 1877,Historical Department Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Original capitalization and punctuation have been modernized. In Stevenson'sinterview, Whitmer recounted his mother's description of the rings.30. David Whitmer interview, Kansas City Journal, 5 June 1881, 1.31. David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in DavidWhitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221.32. Martin Harris interview, Tiffany's Monthly, May 1859, 165.33. Pratt, An Interesting Account, 13.34. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 7:31, 2 January 1859.35. Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 1:71. One can surmise fromJoseph's statement that when the full stack of plates was positioned on a table,the open rings would be located on the reader's right side. The sealed portionwould probably be located at the bottom on the left-hand side with the unsealedplates on top so that they would open to the right.36. Joseph Smith Jr., "Church History" (Wentworth Letter); Pratt, AnInteresting Account, 13. Pratt's description is slightly different, adding, forexample, the following italicized words: "[The plates] were filled on both sideswith . . . Egyptian characters. . . . The characters or letters upon theunsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved."37. John Whitmer to Theodore Turley, "in the presence of his anti-Mormonfriends." As reported in Richard L. Anderson, Investigating the Book of MormonWitnesses (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1981), 131.38. "Testimony of the Eight Witnesses."39. William Smith interview, The Saints' Herald, 4 October 1884, 644.40. Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 7:31, 2 January 1859.41. Letter from Charles Anthon to E. D. Howe, 17 February 1834, as printedin B. H. Roberts, ed., A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints (Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 1965), 1:100-101. The version of theletter published in Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism (NewYork: D. Appleton, 1867), 44, contains slight variations.42. Charles Anthon to Rev. T. W. Coit, 3 April 1841, as printed in B. H.Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:101.43. From Charles W. Brown, "Manchester in the Early Days," ShortsvilleEnterprize [sic] 35 (ca. 1883), based on Orsamus Turner, History of the PioneerSettlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, and Morris' Reserve (Rochester,N.Y.: Alling, 1851), 215.

==============================================

The Book of Mormon Plates
Janne M. Sjodahl

As far as I know, we have no data from which to calculate, with any degree ofaccuracy, the number of plates contained in the original volume of the Book ofMormon, or their weight. And yet, such questions have been discussed seriouslyby unfriendly critics of the Book of Mormon.

The Prophet Joseph does notenlighten us on that point, any more than Moses does on the size and weight ofthe stone tablets on which the law was engraved. The particulars furnished bythe eye witnesses were given in answer to questions pressed upon them, in thecourse of what amounted almost to cross-examination, many years after they hadseen the plates, and their figures could not be anything but vague estimates, inthe absence of new revelations on the subject.Suppose, for the sake of illustration, that two or more men should be asked thedimensions of a book they claim to have seen, say Webster's Dictionary, and thatthe question was put to them twenty years after they had actually had it beforethem; what would the result be?

Each would give his own impression, unless,indeed, there had been collusion between them.David Whitmer, in an interview in the Kansas City Journal, not very long beforehis death, said of the plates:They appeared to be of gold, about six by nine inches in size, about as thickas parchment, a great many in number, and bound together like the leaves of abook by massive rings passed through the back edges.1

Martin Harris, according to Myth of the Manuscript Found,2 estimated the platesat eight inches by seven inches, and that the volume had a thickness of aboutfour inches, each plate being about as thick as thick tin.Orson Pratt had never seen the plates, but owing to his intimacy with theProphet and the witnesses, his word has great weight. He tells us that theplates were eight by seven inches, and that the volume was about six inches,each plate being about as thick as common tin. Orson Pratt also tells us thattwo-thirds of the volume was sealed.The question therefore is: Could one-third of a volume of metal leaves, eight byseven inches, by four (according to Martin Harris), or eight by seven by six(Orson Pratt), contain enough plates, each as thick as tin, to yield thenecessary space for the entire text of the Book of Mormon?We have been told that this was utterly impossible.Now look at the accompanying illustration [see the illustration on p. 22, whichhas been reproduced at actual size]. On a space seven by eight inches, myfriend, Brother Henry Miller, a Hebrew by birth, has written with pen and inkfourteen pages of the Book of Mormon text, translated into Hebrew, using thesquare letters in which the Hebrew Bibles now are printed.

That is to say, theentire Book of Mormon,3 fourteen pages of the American text to each page ofHebrew, could be written on 403/7 pages-21 plates in all.Brother Miller positively states that, even if the compilers of the Book ofMormon used much larger characters than he has used in this copy, they couldhave engraved the entire text on 48 plates.This may sound incredible to some, but in the first place, the Hebrews ancientlydid not write the vowels, as we do. They wrote only the consonants and they didnot leave a blank space between words. That was an immense saving of space. Inthe second place, they did not need as many small words to complete a sentenceas we do. And frequently the auxiliary words consisted of only one letter, whichwas attached to the main word, either as a prefix or suffix.

Finally, they usedmany abbreviations and that was another great saving of space.Now, if we allow fifty plates to an inch, and four inches for the thickness ofthe volume, we find that one-third which was translated consisted of 66 or 67plates. But as only 48 were actually needed, there is ample enough margin toallow for large, readable characters, and the necessary thickness of each plate.It is just as difficult to estimate the weight of the plates as their number.Thirty-five twenty-dollar gold pieces would cover a surface 8 by 7 inches. Tomake a column four inches high, 48 would be needed. That is to say, thirty-fivetimes forty-eight twenty-dollar gold pieces-1,680 in all-would make up thedimensions of the plates, 8 by 7 by 4 inches. But each of these weighs, as I aminformed, 211/2 pennyweights. That would make a total, if my figures arecorrect, of 123 pounds avoirdupois.But from this weight liberal deductions must be made. The plates did not fit asclosely together as gold coins stacked up in columns. They were, in allprobability, hammered and not cast, and there would be quite a space betweeneach. Further, they were not solid gold but an alloy. Nephi's plates were madeof "ore," and Moroni mentions "ore" as the material of which his plates weremade (1 Nephi 19:1; Mormon 8:5). The ore certainly was considerably lighter inweight than the refined gold would have been. Then again, some allowance must bemade for the metal cut away from every plate by the engraver.

Everything considered, the entire volume could not have weighed a hundred pounds even if weaccept the dimensions given as the actual measurements. But they were not. Theywere only approximations.The question may also be approached from a different angle. If the entire textwas written on 48 plates, then the book contained only 144 leaves, sincetwo-thirds were sealed up. But if 200 leaves weighed 123 pounds, 144 leavesweighed a fraction over 88 pounds. When the necessary deductions are made fromtheir weight, something like anywhere from 50 to 75 pounds remain, and that, Ibelieve, comes nearer the truth than any estimate made by unfriendly critics.

The plates were not heavier than that the Prophet, who was an unusually strongman, physically, as well as intellectually, could lift them and handle them.4This is the testimony of eye witnesses. And that testimony stands.But, is it certain that the Prophet Joseph had charge of the part of the platesthat was sealed up? That may be the general impression, but is it correct? OrsonPratt5 says:You recollect that when the Book of Mormon was translated from the plates,about two-thirds were sealed up, and Joseph was commanded not to break the seal;that part of the record was hid up.If the words which I have italicized mean that the sealed part of the volume washidden before the translation of the other part was even begun, then the Prophetdid not have the sealed part in his keeping, and the objection based on theweight of the volume rests on nothing.NotesLike the article itself, the following notes are as they appeared in theoriginal article from the April 1923 Improvement Era, with the exception thatpublication data has been added in brackets.

1. This is quoted from [Gregg Thomas,] The Prophet of Palmyra [New York: J. B.Alden, 1890] and may or may not be authentic.
2. An excellent little book by George Reynolds [Salt Lake City: JuvenileInstructor Office, 1883].
3. The American edition, published at Nauvoo, 1842, has 566 pages, 53/4 by 37/8inches, including the margins.
4. See History of the Prophet Joseph, by his mother, Lucy Smith, pp. 85 and 105.The account related must have been given by the Prophet himself to his mother.[The pages cited correspond to the 1902 edition of this book, revised by GeorgeA. Smith and Elias Smith and published by the Improvement Era.]
5. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 347.

Sincerely,
Mike Sanders