Genuine gold will make a resounding ping sound when it comes in contact with another metal. If there is any abnormality you are likely holding a counterfeit in your hands. You can measure the height and width of a gold bar with the use of a caliper, a professional tool that can be purchased online for $25 USD. Simply take a measurement of the gold bar and compare it with the weight indicated on the bar itself.Īll gold bars are pressed in exact dimensions with a machine by the producer. However, in doing so they shift the weight just enough to be noticeable. Pay special attention to any slight inconsistencies across the entire bar that are at odds with the producer’s style.Ī common counterfeit maneuver is to fill a gold bar with tungsten or some less valuable metal. Learning how to test if a gold bar is real starts with markings. If it’s a well-known producer, you can compare the marks on your bar with others. Much like an original painting, an authentic bar of gold will have unique engravings from its producer.

A lot this stuff ends up on Alibaba and duping consumers into thinking they have the real thing.īring your Bullion into Global Bullion for FREE testing! Susan Headly recently published an article on the topic, shedding light on the fact that a lot of fake bullion comes from illegal Chinese operations. Buying counterfeit bullion is one of these risks.

While gold is a lot more stable of an investment than a random ETF, it is still liable to some minor risks. So what's all this about the fake Royal Canadian Mint Gold Bar? According to Stu Mills at the CBC, a fake gold bar was purchased not so long ago from the Royal Bank of Canada. Expecting to see how many millions they accrued, it turns out the stock has gone from $5/share to bankruptcy.īut most of us gold owners don't often ask how to test if a gold bar is real?įile that under ‘Amateur Investment Mistakes’. They waited around for a year before checking the stock. A friend of a friend tried investing $1000 in a penny stock because they thought it would make them millions. We’ve all heard stock market sob stories.

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