I made a video review of the new Precious Metal Verifier PRO and did some comparison to the original PMV. The two biggest concerns with the original PMV are pure copper testing as silver, and copper (or silver) alloys testing as gold. I have yet to see a silver-plated copper fake, but theoretically this could be done and would fool the PMV by itself. And there are already counterfeit gold bars (mostly the fractional bars in plastic cards) that read as gold. By using the thickness measuring and dimension checking features of the PRO, you can indeed distinguish copper from silver and copper alloys from gold, even when the resistivity values are the same. And typically the two resistivity values you get with the PRO will differ enough on a plated item to raise suspicion (the values should be very close to the same for a pure solid piece of metal). You can of course also do this manually with calipers and a scale, which is what I have always recommended using in conjunction with the original PMV, however you have to remove the item from the capsule/card/slab and either need reference dimensions (such as those in the Fake Bullion Database) or must do the math to calculate the density and compare it to the known/reference value. The PMV PRO does all the calculating for you, so you get to use a visual interface instead of crunching numbers, and do not need to reference any external data sources. It is convenient and a time saver, and also something quite nice to show a customer across the counter if they are resistant to your measuring and weighing and math, either to show them that an item is real or to show them that they brought a fake into the store. The one area where there is still a limitation is what will fit under the small sensor while still in the packaging. 1 ounce items can go under the large sensor which has lots of clearance, but fractional gold/silver needs to go under the small sensor, which has about 4 mm of clearance. Perth and Pamp bars are the most widely faked at this time, and it seems that all of the genuine bars 20 grams and under will fit under the small sensor in the packaging except the Perth 20 gram bar which is extra thick. I found that the 1/2 oz, 20 gram, and some 10 gram fake bars do not fit under the small sensor in the packaging. So basically, if a fractional gold bar in the card does not fit under the small sensor in the packaging, and it's not a 20 gram Perth bar, there's a good chance it's fake anyway, so cut it out of the card and test the bare bar. It would also be safest to crack that 20 gram Perth bar out of the card to test it. You can check 1 ounce and some larger items in slabs under the large sensor. You'll get the resistivity values and a thickness measurement. However you typically can't see the edge of the item to confirm the diameter, so there's a limit to how thoroughly you can test slabbed items. Slabs do not fit under the small sensor. I did try to check a slabbed 1/4 gold eagle with the Refiner's Wand, however I did not get a reading. The coin was too small, and I'm not sure that the Refiner's Wand is meant for reading through a slab anyway. I'd be curious to try it with a 1/2 oz slabbed coin but I don't have any. The Refiner's Wand is really intended for larger bars, and the Microwand for little gram bars/rounds. If I did not have any PMV device and I was in the market for one, I would probably save up the extra cash to get the PRO over the original. If I already had an original PMV and I was using it to buy from the public, I would seriously consider upgrading to the PRO. If you have any questions about the PRO, I will do my best to answer them here.
Nice video. I have an original precious metal verifier, it is good but limited as it does not test 9ct gold items. I like the look of that mini-wand, I hope it is compatible with the original
Yes, and thanks! As far as I know, the new PRO wands only work with the PRO and the original wands only work with the original PMV. Thanks, good to see you too!
