Detecting Fake Gold Coins

Gold buyers, collectors and sellers could end up wasting their money buying a fake gold coin, unless they have the tools and knowledge to test whether or not a coin is genuine. You don't have to be an expert to tell the difference between a real gold coin and a fake as long as you have the right tools to measure it and a reference book to check those measurements against.

1.Hold a magnet over the coin you are testing. If the coin sticks to the magnet, it has traces of steel or some other metallic metal in it meaning it is forged or plated and not solid gold.

2.Place the coin on a scale and record the exact weight. Look up the official weight of the coin in a reference book or on a reputable website. If the coin is more than a hundredth of a gram lighter or heavier, than the coin is suspect.

3.Measure the exact diameter of the coin with a caliper and compare that to the diameter listed in the reference book. If the diameter is off, even by a little, than the coin could be a counterfeit.

4.Examine the coin's surface more closely with a loupe. Look for any bubbles, depressions or scoring marks that indicate the coin was crudely made. A soapy film on the surface can also be a sign the coin is fake. Also check the date and mint mark against the ones listed in the reference book.

5.Drop the coin and listen to the sound it makes when it hits a hard surface. Gold coins have a distinct ringing sound, while fakes do not.

6.Using tongs, carefully drop the coin in a beaker of nitric acid. If the coin is pure gold, it will not react with the acid. However, if there are any base metals in the gold than those metals will dissolve. They will appear to be bubbling up as they corrode in the acid.

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