Detecting fraud/ fake bars and coins

S

silverzman

Active Member
Silver Stacker
Hi guys,

I'm very new to this. Just wondering wih the amount of trades going on gumtree/eBay and here (people that have low trade scores) how do you make sure what your buying is the real thing?

Also if I do face to face I would have to give them cash right and as a boonies how do I protect myself from getting ripped off?

Is there easy things that I can check for?

Thanks for any assistance :-)
 
Simply familiarize yourself with the weight, dimensions and detail from official sources. Fakes are getting more and more impressive so this alone will not always work.

Flick the coin to hear a special kind of ringing. This test also works well on 100oz bars.

The Neodymium magnet test- if it's not magnetic that's a good indicator but not a definitive test as some coins are alloyed with other metals.

Silver testing acid is another method. Just make sure the acid is new.

Ultrasonic thickness gauges can be bought relatively cheaply on eBay.

Fisch scale for all major gold bullion coins.

Scratch test. Gold has a hardness of about 2.5 to 3.0 on the Moh Szyslack scale. Glass has a hardness of 5.5. Scratch the gold on the glass, if it is of a low purity or contains other metals it will scratch the glass.

There's tonnes of info online and YouTube and many other methods too but the the best method to avoid fakes is to only buy from reputable dealers or established members on this wonderful forum :)

Forgot about the f2f Q. I always recommend meeting in a bank. That way there's CCTV, witnesses and security if anything nasty goes down. There was a thread on this but can't find it. Take some rules from online dating- always tell someone where you're going, who you're meeting and if you feel uncomfortable, you can always rearrange. Sounds cheesy but better safe than sorry etc.
 
For bullion only buy from reputable dealers

Forget gumtree

On eBay only small numi stuff - forget bullion
 
House said:
. . <snip> The Neodymium magnet test- if it's not magnetic that's a good indicator but not a definitive test as some coins are alloyed with other metals.
. .<snip>
Click to expand...
If the magnet is run briskly back and forth very closely, you should feel a drag as it is generating current in the metal. Place a sheet of paper between the metal and the magnet to prevent scratching.
A variation is to hold the metal (bar) at around a 55 degree slope and place the magnet on the top of the sloping face. It should slide down slowly, not sticking nor immediately dropping off.
 
I would strongly suggest making the effort to attend one of your local SS meets ( normally held monthly in most states )

Meets are an excellent opportunity to meet reputable dealers/stackers in your state.......who have a wealth of knowledge and who could direct you in the right direction in addressing your purchasing issues
 
WOW thanks for the responses guys!

Will take that on aboard and will check out when the next SS meeting is in Syd :)
 
Golden ChipMunk said:
Some coin shop selling them. Even they know is fake.
Sells as copies. There where another reason they get circulated.
Click to expand...

Which coin shop is selling them?
 
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