How to Tell if Gold is Real | Testing Gold At Home
At a Glance:
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- The easiest way to tell if gold is real is to accurately weigh and measure it.
- Gold’s density is unique, so weight is a dead giveaway of a coin or bar’s authenticity.
- It’s also possible to use magnets, testing kits, or visual features to authenticate gold.
How to Tell if Gold is Real – And How to Spot Fake Gold
No stacker wants to buy fake gold. Counterfeit operations rob consumers of over $200 billion every year, according to a 2023 study. Counterfeiting is especially prevalent in the gold industry. Coins like the American Gold Eagle are some of the most commonly faked in the world. As scammers get more sophisticated, it’s important for investors to learn how to tell if gold is real.
The good news is that it’s surprisingly easy to tell if gold is real. Stackers have multiple options when it comes to authenticating gold coins and bars. Since gold doesn’t share a density with any other metal, one of the simplest ways to verify a product’s gold content is to determine its exact measurements and weight. It’s generally impossible to create a coin or bar with the exact dimensions and weight of a gold product using any other metal.
That isn’t your only option, either. Popular methods used to tell if gold is real include the weight and size test and the magnet test. Investors who buy coins from reputable mints can also use security features, purity stamps, and other visual tools to verify that their coin is really made of gold.
This page is a full guide on how to tell if gold is real. We’ll go over the methods of verifying the gold, tools for spotting fake gold coins, and a brief primer on how counterfeit gold coins are made.
Methods to Test if Gold is Real
There are three simple methods investors can use to test if gold is real:
- The Size and Weight Test.
- Magnet Testing.
- Security Features.
We recommend using a combination of different gold authentication strategies. For investors who have access to reliable measurement tools, the size and weight test is the most indisputable way to prove that gold is real. An ice test can rule out certain types of common counterfeit metals, and checking for security features is an easy way to prove that a government mint coin is authentic.
Here’s a basic explanation of how each method of gold verification works:
| Gold Test | How To Do It |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight |
Accurately weigh and measure your gold coin. If it’s made of real gold, it should include the exact same size and weight as any other gold product with those specifications. |
| Magnet Test | Hold a magnet against your gold coin or bar. Gold isn’t magnetic. If your product reacts against the pull of the magnet, you’re probably dealing with fake gold. |
| Security Feature Inspection | Most mints include small, nearly microscopic security features on their gold coins. Examine your coins closely with a magnifying glass. If the coin doesn’t have these security features, it may be a fake. |
Using Size and Weight to Authenticate Gold
We like to call this method the size and weight test. Gold is one of the densest metals on the planet. No other metal has the exact same density of gold. This means that a gold coin or bar weighing 1 gram will have a different size than a 1 gram coin made using any other metal. Using this information, investors can tell if gold is real by weighing and accurately measuring their item.
There are a couple of caveats to this method, though.
First, gold testers should make sure that they’re using extremely accurate tools to weigh and measure their gold coins and bars. Being off by even a fraction of a gram could ruin the accuracy of this coin authentication test. For example, a difference of only .05 grams per cubic centimeter separates gold’s density from tungsten. Inaccurately weighing or measuring gold can lead investors to believe that a fake product is real.
This leads us to the second major downside to the size and weight method of verifying gold. While gold shares its density with no other metal, some metals are very similar in density to gold. Tungsten is incredibly close to gold when it comes to density. Tungsten’s density is 19.25 grams per cubic centimeter – gold’s is 19.30.
Because tungsten and gold are so similarly dense, tungsten is one of the most common metals used to create fake gold coins and bars. The size and weight test can be a reliable way to tell if gold is real, but only for investors who take the time to make sure their measurements and math is 100% accurate.
How to Test Gold Using the Magnet Test
The magnet test is another way for investors to tell if gold is real. Gold is diamagnetic, which means that it won’t react to the pull of a magnet. This means that a genuine gold bar or coin won’t be pulled in any way in the direction of a magnet held up to it. Other metals react differently to magnets.
It’s not particularly common to see fake gold bars made of magnetic metals like iron, cobalt, or nickel. However, some counterfeiters may place these cheap metals underneath a thin coating of gold to trick investors. If your gold coin or bar reacts to a magnet, it’s likely that you have a fake on your hands!
Like the size and weight test, the magnet test for verifying gold content comes with a big limitation. Testing gold with a magnet can tell investors if their gold is fake – but it can’t prove that the gold is real. Plenty of metals are not magnetic and can be used to create fake gold, including tungsten.
We recommend using the magnet test along with other methods of verifying gold.
Checking Security Features to Tell if a Gold Coin is Genuine
Most government-minted gold coins include security features, which investors can use to authenticate gold at home. Security features are very small visual characteristics given to gold coins to deter counterfeits. Not all mints use sophisticated security features, but information about the security features for a given gold coin can usually be found on its mint’s website.
Security features are intentionally very small, and some are so tiny they can only be spotted under intense magnification. To check the security features that are supposed to be on a coin, collectors should examine their coin using a powerful magnifying glass.
Take a look at the manufacturer or mint’s website for your gold coin to see what security features the coin should have,
Common security features on gold coins include:
- Tincture Lines.
- Micro Text.
- Latent Images.
- Surface Animations.
The point of a security feature is to make it harder for scammers to create convincing fakes of a gold coin. To test if a gold coin is real, investors can magnify their investment to make sure that it possesses all of the tiny security features that are supposed to be present.
Cracking a Myth: Does the Ice Test Work on Gold?
The ice test is a method used to test if silver is real, but it doesn’t work quite as well on gold coins and bars. Silver has the highest conductivity of any precious metal. When cold ice is exposed to the surface of a genuine silver bar or coin, it should rapidly begin to melt. If the ice stays perfectly cold, the silver coin might be a counterfeit!
The ice test isn’t a good way to tell if gold is real, since gold is less conductive than silver. Another limitation of the ice test is that there are many cheap metals that will also melt ice. Because gold is so expensive, counterfeiters can afford to spend money on another conductive metal to trick investors into thinking their gold is real.
Warning – Be Careful Testing Gold!
We don’t recommend testing gold at home using tests involving ice or acid. While these methods of verifying gold content are popular, they also run the risk of ruining the quality and visual appearance of a gold bar or coin.
As long as investors are careful while handling their gold products, the size and weight test is a good way to tell if gold is real. Precise measurements can help investors make sure they haven’t been tricked into buying fake gold, since gold’s density is entirely different from any other metal.
What is the Best Way to Make Sure My Gold is Real?
The best way to make sure gold is real is the size and weight test. Investing in a reliable, precise scale is an absolute must for investors who want to test their gold at home. If your measurements are 100% accurate, the size and weight test is almost impossible for counterfeit coins and bars to pass.
Using the magnet test can be a good way to make sure your gold coins aren’t made from a common magnetic metal, but only the size and weight test provides complete accuracy when testing gold from home.
How to Spot Fake Gold Coins | Tips for New Collectors
Counterfeiting operations get more sophisticated every year. According to some research, the beloved American Gold Eagle is the world’s most commonly counterfeited gold coin. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to spot a fake gold coin – if you know where to look.
Coins like the American Gold Eagle include security features meant to deter counterfeiters from making convincing fakes. For this particular coin, a small missing ridge makes it harder for basement counterfeiting operations to replicate the exact look of a genuine Gold Eagle. The U.S. Mint changes the location of this missing ridge frequently, most recently in 2023.
To tell if a gold coin is genuine, make sure that its security features match what you’ll find on the mint’s website for that coin and year. Missing security features are a dead giveaway that a coin is not authentic.
Other visual clues can help investors spot a fake from a real gold coin. Make sure that your gold coin or bar looks exactly like its manufacturer says it should. While errors happen when minting gold coins, specimens with radically different designs are likely poorly made counterfeits. Weight, purity, and designer initial stamps should also be clearly marked on government-minted gold coins. If these things aren’t present, investors should reach out to a professional to make sure they haven’t been scammed.
Professional Consultations for Coin Authentication
No stacker wants to pay for coin authentication, but reaching out to an expert can be a fantastic way to add value to a gold investment. Professional Coin Grading companies use expert coin evaluators called numismatists to verify that gold coins are both real gold and authentic products from the mint they’re produced by.
When you use a professional grading service, your coin will be shipped back in a protective case that verifies its gold content, authenticity, and condition. Investors who plan to sell their coins in the future can always benefit from these services, because a certificate of authenticity goes a long way in assuring future buyers that they’re not falling for a fake gold coin scam.
Is Your Gold Really Gold?
Learning how to tell if gold is real is one of the best things new gold stackers can do. Using a combination of visual examination, the size and weight test, and the magnet test, investors can reliably test and authenticate gold at home. When in doubt, be sure to get the help of an expert.
Investors lose millions of dollars annually to counterfeit gold coins and bars. Don’t be one of the victims of the multi-billion dollar counterfeiting industry. Shop 100% authentic gold coins and bars with Hero Bullion. We do the work to make sure all of our gold is real – so that you don’t have to.
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About The Author
Michael Roets
Michael Roets is a writer and journalist for Hero Bullion. His work explores precious metals news, guides, and commentary.