How to test and steer clear of counterfeit bullion

mybullion.com.au

mybullion.com.au

Well-Known Member
Gold recently nudged past $A4,400 and bullion in general is getting more and more public attention. As positive as this for stackers it does unfortunately also incentivise unscrupulous actors from making fakes.

The video below was made to highlight some of the tools we use to stop counterfeits in their tracks, and how you can do so yourself:


Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
 
wow...even fakes costing more than $100AUD...but you can tell the fakes straight away from the hologram strip on the reverse...
 
Yeah to be fair, it is legitimately gold plated which contributes to its cost. The manufacturer stipulates this, so fair game. I take issue with the scumbags who buy it and try to palm it off as real.

Didn't know about the hologram strip.... thanks.
 
mybullion.com.au said:
Gold recently nudged past $A4,400 and bullion in general is getting more and more public attention. As positive as this for stackers it does unfortunately also incentivise unscrupulous actors from making fakes.

The video below was made to highlight some of the tools we use to stop counterfeits in their tracks, and how you can do so yourself:


Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
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Just watch the Video. Very interesting & informative. Thanks for posting :cool:
 
I hadn’t heard about Zappitec but it looks interesting. Which of their machines would be roughly equivalent to Sigma’s ‘Investor’ do you think? I’d like it to verify silver as well as gold if I could get both in one unit.

I’ve never tested my purchases before, since most of them come from dealers I consider a very low risk like Bullion Now. Purchases on this forum have all been from highly recommended members but I guess there’s always the chance they were hoodwinked when they bought stuff and passed it on, not realising it’s not genuine? What do you use?
 
Was $1600 a while back, not sure how much they are now
Verification includes specific coins like maples, buffalos, Roos and Bullion all sizes both in gold and silver. Jewellery verification is NOT good

All my purchases from SS are verified and all have been 100% pure.
I did purchase a few silver Au coins elsewhere that turned out to be brilliant UNC coins not silver. Oh well, wasn’t a big purchase
 
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Yes, I reckon I’m pretty safe buying here, but you never know for sure I guess and buying elsewhere would be problematic. How did you verify your purchases?
 
Hey Snaerff,

The Zappitec unit costs approx. $1000, however I believe it may be less. It has served me very well - just remember it only tests fine gold (range 23K - 24K)

Regarding the Sigma, @Holy Grail is currently selling them starting at $1519.02. See here.

In my humble opinion, the Sigma is like buying a Rolls Royce, whereas the Zappitec is grabbing yourself a Toyota. If you're just testing for Gold items, I'd recommend the latter.
 
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This thread has been dormant for a while, so here are a few questions from a newbie tester since gold is up around $7k and silver $110 now …

Has anyone seen any Sigma Analytics verifiers for sale second hand? I’ve been looking at water specific gravity testers too … brand new they are about 1/4 of the price of the Sigma Analytics ‘investor’ model but I’m not sure they’ll do as good a job. Zappitec is lovely for gold but they still don’t seem to have anything that does silver too. Are there other brands/types that do a good job?

Thanks in advance for any info you’d care to give. I’m not a hard core stacker but at today’s prices it seems prudent to start checking what I buy. Cheers
 
I have just noticed a few Sigmas (brand new) pop up on Ebay for ridiculously low prices. For example there is an international seller (from the UK) selling originals for $797.33 with $10.13 delivery and another (from Spain) selling Investors for $952.16 with free delivery. Personally I wouldn't go near these as every seller selling these at extremely low prices, have no selling history and a feedback score of 0%. Major red flags...
 
Silver Fox said:
Personally I wouldn't go near these as every seller selling these at extremely low prices, have no selling history and a feedback score of 0%. Major red flags...
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Absolutely. I saw those too and red flags were waving everywhere. Thanks for the tip/warning. I appreciate it.
 
Snaerff said:
I’ve been looking at water specific gravity testers too … brand new they are about 1/4 of the price of the Sigma Analytics ‘investor’ model but I’m not sure they’ll do as good a job.
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While only a quarter of the cost of a Sigma, keep in mind that a SG unit will take 4 times as long to test each item you own (speaking from personal experience).

Typical workflow:
Calibrate scale
Set up water container
Suspend item (can be tricky depending on shape and weight of item)
Weigh in water
Wait for machine to calculate
Dry the item afterward

Approx 5 to 10 min process per coin / bar.


Snaerff said:
Zappitec is lovely for gold but they still don’t seem to have anything that does silver too. Are there other brands/types that do a good job?
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I'm spewing Zappitec does not offer a gold/silver unit combo. For that I believe Sigma is the only option in the market right now.

Its fantastic you're looking into various methods. The more educated stackers are the better.
 
mybullion.com.au said:
Its fantastic you're looking into various methods. The more educated stackers are the better.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I trust ‘buyback’ stuff bought from myBullion and other dealers because it’s tested by XRF but sometimes a good bargain pops up elsewhere. When silver was $30 an ounce and gold $1500 I would happily take a chance but at today’s prices the risk is too big (for me, anyhow).
 
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