That's exactly what I thought! They're a beautiful bar, OP must be blind I've got a few still in their cards and they're the only bullion I haven't checked for specific gravity yet. I do wonder if those serial numbers and assay certificates actually mean anything. I'm probably the opposite of most. If gold ownership becomes commonplace I won't touch anything I can't at least weigh, measure and XRF. As it stands mine are from a reputable dealer and feel about right in the hand
I like the weight that you get with the PM smuggler cast bars better. The carded bars i never look at 'cause i can't touch them.
X-ray fluorescence. When you bombard elements with X-rays (and other forms of electromagnetic energy), they absorb some and then emit the absorbed radiation back again. Each element does this at a characteristic frequency. Makes for a cheap, easy way of identifying constituent elements. They make handheld scanners in industry, never seen what jewelers use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_fluorescence
Start at around $20k mark. Have heard of old second hand ones selling under $10k. Others here could clarify but I believe there's some registration required or similar because they contain radioactive isotopes (basically a hand-held x-ray machine).
in or out a packet, it wouldn't bother me. they are the best looking bar in my opinion. having them in a pack would get you more money from noobs though. you can tell them its some magical plastic that's worth $100
That's what has killed the idea of certified coins (esp Morgans) for me. Even holding a fake can be a difficult detection. If the coin is in plastic, just about impossible I'd say.
It only has to stop you buying 14 ounces of fake gold before its paid for itself. Not a bad investment for a dealer who buys and sells thousands of ounces a year.
Gold is gold, it should still worth the same. However, private buyers won't touch them without the certificate card. You best bet is to sell to bullion dealer and get your ass ripped big time. Because chances the dealer won't be able to sell the bar to their customers either. So they have to get it melted down and turned into some other bar.
for what it's worth - I actually weigh the whole thing. When you deal with them enough, you get a good idea on how much the package weighs. For example, the Perth Mint packaging usually weighs around 7 grams. So if I get a Perth Mint bar sealed in the package and it weighs, say 33 grams total, I know there is a problem. I also confirm the dimensions from outside the package.
Big A.D you dont have to convince me i have been using them for many yrs now but im saying for a private buyer its probably not worth it unless you trade alot.
Gutsy move! I wouldn't dream of doing it to mine. Even though the feel of just touching plastic after forking out a lot of dough is not ideal I find the Fortuna series one of the better designs out there, certainly a lot better than seeing Liz again, but each to their own. No idea. I wouldn't be interested in one removed from its home. But being just a regular buyer without the necessary equipment to verify it, I wouldn't even be buying it from a private seller to begin with.
