Private seller, not a SS member, meeting F2F I know you guys know better than me re: counterfeits and other dodginess TIA
I'd say your pretty safe with $200 coins, take some scales for peace of mind - a fake of the same weight will be a noticeably thicker coin (more like a $1 coin than a 10c)
22k is hard to fake convincingly as it's hard to plate 22k. I've seen fake 22K krugerrands, but the plating scans at 24k. Dead Giveaway and too goldy coloured.
I have handled thousands of them, I have checked them all with a pmv. never have I seen a fake and I have seen most gold faked (most the time badly) but never in all my time have I seen a $200 gold coin faked. and yes, if you have handled a number of them previously you will be comfortable with knowing what they feel/look like , but if you are new to them either go to a coin show/shop and handle some to get a feel for them or buy from reputable sellers like captain kook, me, wrcmad, spannermonkey, bobble, aurora etc (don't be offended if I didn't mention you, I just grabbed a few examples) the further along in coin collecting the more likely you are to be exposed to fakes so having knowledgeable people to talk to will save you long term
Being in Melbourne If I had any doubts then i would do my f2f at either bullion now or Goldstackers. Either one of them would be happy to test the coins for you.
Same here, never heard of or seen one. Given that they were last made 30+ years ago, and they basically aren't that popular, I guess no one has bothered to counterfeit them, let alone the ones in boxes. That makes them a great coin to hold at near spot IMO.
My thoughts exactly SilverDJ. To me they are a very reliable and well known coin to stack. Back in the early 1980’s when I was paid fortnightly, I’d buy some gold every payday from my LCS. Back then, I wasn’t a fan of $200 coins as they were too expensive. I could get a full Sov for approx $130 or a $200 for $240, the then going price. Then, 8 gm of 22ct gold for $130 was way better than 10 gm for $240. Now, I’m an equal fan of both. The good thing about $200s is that they aren’t worn or counterfeited and are really well known. regards Acorn
Maybe selection bias but I'm seeing far fewer 1981 relative to 1980 and 1982+ and I'm taking into account 81 was only unc. Early coins had thinner edge than later. Same volume though. Same diameter.
Mintages explained here https://www.australian-coins.com/collecting-coins/australian-200-dollar-coins/ Courtesy of @thepurplepenny
Different coins had different words too, if you have one to compare that one will know it is gold lol and weight matches up
My comment was about being less dense. Put a koala against a platypus and it's not unreasonable for person to think the latter fake.