How We Verify Authentic Precious Metals
Counterfeits are getting smarter every year. Here is the layered, multi-point process we use to protect every dollar that passes through our shop — and what you can do at home.
Multi-Point Verification
There is no single test that proves a precious metal is real. Modern counterfeits are built specifically to defeat one or two checks at a time — so we use a layered approach.
Multiple Tests
No single tool catches every counterfeit. We run several independent checks on each piece.
Layered Coverage
Surface tests, density tests, electronic tests — each covers a different fakery technique.
Confirmed Authenticity
When every layer agrees, you and we both walk away confident in the result.
Primary Testing Tools
Six tools we rely on most often, in roughly the order we apply them — from cheapest and fastest to most precise.
How We Use Professional-Grade Equipment
Some of the equipment listed above — XRF analyzers in particular, and high-end Sigma units — requires local licensing for legal use and represents significant capital investment. That puts these tools out of reach for home use and even for most small-scale dealerships, including ours.
For tests that require this equipment, we rely on trusted local partners — refiners and labs who use these instruments in their day-to-day operations. When a piece warrants XRF or Sigma verification, we route it through them and pass the results back to you.
If you ever want to see XRF or Sigma results for a piece, just ask — we'll arrange the test through our partner network.
High-value piece you want professionally verified?
Call or text — (913) 777-4635Layered, multi-point verification on every piece that walks in.
Supporting Checks
These are the cheap, fast tests we layer in alongside the primary tools.
Magnetism Test
Gold, silver, and platinum are non-magnetic. A strong rare-earth magnet reveals iron- or steel-cored fakes immediately. Quick and free, but it doesn't catch lead, tungsten, or copper-cored counterfeits — those metals aren't magnetic either.
Calipers & Dimension Checks
Authentic bullion has tight tolerances on diameter and thickness. Compare measured dimensions to mint specs. Inexpensive, non-destructive, and a strong filter when paired with weight — most fakes can't match all three at once.
Specific Gravity (Water Displacement)
Suspend the item in water on a scale and calculate density. Gold's density (19.3 g/cm³) is hard to fake without using tungsten (19.25 g/cm³), which is why tungsten is the counterfeiter's metal of choice. A useful confirmatory test that needs no special equipment beyond a scale and a glass.
Visual Inspection
Hallmarks, mint marks, edge reeding, strike sharpness, and surface luster all carry identifying detail. A loupe and a reference catalog beat almost every other tool for spotting obvious fakes — but trained eyes are required to catch high-quality counterfeits.
Destructive vs Non-Destructive Testing
Most of the time we stay surface-level. Sometimes the only way to know is to break the piece down.
Non-Destructive
Sigma, XRF, electronic conductivity testers, ping testing, weight, calipers, and visual inspection. Nothing about the item changes — it goes back to the customer in the same condition it arrived.
Best for: coins, bullion, jewelry, slabs, and any item the seller intends to keep or resell intact.
Destructive
Drilling, cutting, and melting reach metal that surface tests can't. A drilled core sample combined with acid or XRF on the chip catches plated tungsten, lead-fill, and bonded fakes that pass every non-destructive test.
Best for: scrap-bound jewelry, suspect bullion, and any piece headed to the refiner anyway. Never appropriate for graded coins or pieces with collector value.
Melt & Assay — the Final Word
For mixed scrap or items where surface testing isn't enough, the only path to a definitive number is melting and assaying the metal.
- Step 1
Melt
The lot is melted into a homogeneous bar. Mixed karats, plated pieces, and cores all blend together — no more hidden surprises.
- Step 2
Assay
A sample is taken from the bar and analyzed by fire assay, ICP, or XRF. The result is the true gold/silver content across the entire lot.
- Step 3
Settle
The refiner pays based on assayed content, not stated karat. This is the most accurate possible payout for mixed scrap.
For high-value lots, we partner with established refiners who provide assay reports for every settlement. Customers receive a copy of the lot results and a transparent settlement based on the assay.
Slabbed Coins & the Limits of Non-Invasive Testing
Graded and slabbed coins present a unique problem. The plastic case protects the grade and the coin's collector value — but it also blocks every surface test we have. Acid, conductivity probes, and ping testing all need direct contact, and slabs were designed specifically to prevent that.
Sellers are understandably reluctant to crack a slab. Once that case is opened, the coin loses its certified grade and the work that grade represents. So we test through the plastic — and that means relying on tools designed to read through it.
Sigma Metalytics is the workhorse here. It reads electromagnetic resistivity through plastic, so a slabbed coin can sit on the platform fully sealed and still get a valid reading. XRF can read through thin plastic too, though calibration matters more than usual.
Watch out for fake slabs and QR-code spoofing
Counterfeit slabs imitating PCGS and NGC packaging are an active and growing problem. Some now include scannable QR codes that point to look-alike landing pages. Always verify the cert number directly on the grading service's official website — never trust a QR code in isolation. When in doubt, bring it in for a Sigma reading.
Why Authenticity Matters
Counterfeits today aren't the obvious painted-lead fakes of decades past. Modern fakes are produced with real precision: tungsten cores plated to exact gold thickness, struck from authentic-looking dies, sealed in counterfeit slabs with QR codes pointing to look-alike landing pages.
For buyers, that means a single missed verification can cost thousands of dollars. For sellers — even honest ones — it means a piece passed down from family can turn out to be a fake the family didn't know they had.
Verification isn't paranoia. It's the price of trust in this market.
Resources for Collectors & Stackers
A short list of tools and references we trust.
PCGS — Verify Cert Number
Look up any PCGS-graded coin by its cert number to confirm the slab is real.
NGC — Verify Cert Number
Same thing, for NGC-graded coins. Always verify on the official site, never via a QR code on the slab.
American Numismatic Association
Educational resources, grading guides, and a directory of trusted dealers.
Sigma Metalytics — Tester Information
Manufacturer site for the Sigma family of verifiers. Useful if you're considering one for personal use.
A note on home testing: the tools listed in this guide are excellent first lines of defense, but no single home test is foolproof. For high-value items, a professional verification with Sigma, XRF, and a trained eye is the only reliable path to certainty.
Bring it in. We'll verify it.
Walk in, mail it in, or schedule a private appointment. Every piece gets the full multi-point treatment — and you walk away with a real number, not a guess.