Gold Coin Counterfeiting today

[dualstow]

@ocho: how did you test the maple without scratching it? One of the apps I found calls for spinning the coins on a hard surface.

This along with Leavy's description has led me to expect nothing less than the elven singing that Tolkien says created the universe.

light refracting lines: the new Britannias also have a kind of sun ray background design. Don't know if they're light refracting, but they're supposed to be a good anti-counterfeiting measure.

[ochotona]

I rang my Maples with soft plastic ballpoint pen.

[dualstow]

I rang my Maples with soft plastic ballpoint pen.

Cool, I'll try that.

[ppport]

If the coin is the right size and weight, and you are still unsure, then just test the sound. There is no known way to make a counterfeit coin that will be even close to passing all three tests (size, weight, tone) at the same time.

Thanks for that! My Australian Mint Kangaroos had a beautiful ring, also the Krugerrands, the Canadian Maple Leafs, because they are thick and smaller diameter didn't ring as much, and it was very high-pitched, but still they rang.

Any one test can be faked but all 3 at the same time is impossible as far as I know. They are easy to do. Add in a 4th test of a visual inspection and you're good to go. A little practice and any worries of buying fakes will disappear. Eagles are super easy to get a nice clear ping. Maples are difficult. I prefer to buy Eagles because of this. I would also recommend to avoid gold purchases on E-bay.

Product reviews:
The Fisch ringer is lousy and not recommended. I own 2 of them and it takes me 20 or 30 tries to get a Maple to ring. Eagles work better but it's still easier for me to just ping it by hand.

The Fisch balances are very nice, but expensive compared to the Gold Balance. Both seem to do the job.

Bullion Test app on android works well for ping test and gives more confidence than using the ear alone. Plus it's kinda fun to use.

Coin Ping app on android did not work well for me. Bullion Test was much better.