How to spot a phony Krugerrand gold coin
If you've been giving some thought to making an investment in gold Krugerrands, the gold bullion coin of South Africa, then it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the coin. In particular, you'll want to be able to spot a fake Krugerrand. Luckily, this is something that virtually anybody can do when armed with the right knowledge.
The most effective way to avoid acquiring a phony will be to buy coins from a professional vendor, specifically a coin merchant who has a lot of experience with Krugerrand coins. These vendors will have been dealing with this sort of coin for many years, so they can easily notice when a certain coin doesn't have the correct hue or weight. What's more, reliable coin vendors are quite concerned about their reputations, so there will be a real incentive to ensure that they are only offering legitimate coins.
With that said, you should know that it's entirely possible to ensure the genuineness of a Krugerrand by yourself. Physical standards are published and publicly available from the South African Mint, and you can easily see how your coin stacks up against these standards. Also, you should know that gold has some special characteristics that make it unique. Particularly, its density is very high, a lot higher than the other easily available metals. In the case that you do come across a fake coin fashioned out of one of these other, lesser metals, the difference in weight really should be fairly obvious if you know what to look for. Also, keep in mind the fact that metals that have a density comparable to gold are usually pretty difficult to get a hold of, very high-priced, or rather brittle. All of this puts you at an advantage when attempting to spot a fake.
In terms of physical properties, this is what you should be looking for: a one-ounce Krugerrand has a weight of 33.930g, a diameter of 32.77mm, a thickness of 2.84m, and 160 edges. A half-ounce coin has a weight of 16.965g, a diameter of 27.07mm, a thickness of 2.215mm, and 185 edges. A 1/4 ounce coin has a weight of 8.482g, a diameter of 22.06mm, a thickness of 1.888mm, and 150 edges. And lastly, a 1/10 ounce coin carries a weight of 3.393g, a diameter of 16.55mm, a thickness of 1.35mm, and 115 edges.
To be able to perform this testing, you'll want fine-grained ruler with millimeters markings and an accurate scale that can make weight measurements in grams. If you like, there's a very nifty gadget known as the Fisch Tester that is able to conduct all of these tests for you. It has a coin-shaped recess used for checking shape, a slot for checking a coin's thickness and diameter, and a fulcrum to check a coin's weight. The Fisch Tester will save you lots of time and can make it much easier for you to discover a fraudulent coin. Just be careful about buying a Fisch on eBay because, ironically enough, there have been some reports of imitation Fisch Testers being offered there. If you decide to go with one of these, you should consider buying directly from Fisch.
Armed with this new knowledge, you should now have the capability to identify a bogus Krugerrand by yourself. Good luck in your investments in gold!
The most effective way to avoid acquiring a phony will be to buy coins from a professional vendor, specifically a coin merchant who has a lot of experience with Krugerrand coins. These vendors will have been dealing with this sort of coin for many years, so they can easily notice when a certain coin doesn't have the correct hue or weight. What's more, reliable coin vendors are quite concerned about their reputations, so there will be a real incentive to ensure that they are only offering legitimate coins.
With that said, you should know that it's entirely possible to ensure the genuineness of a Krugerrand by yourself. Physical standards are published and publicly available from the South African Mint, and you can easily see how your coin stacks up against these standards. Also, you should know that gold has some special characteristics that make it unique. Particularly, its density is very high, a lot higher than the other easily available metals. In the case that you do come across a fake coin fashioned out of one of these other, lesser metals, the difference in weight really should be fairly obvious if you know what to look for. Also, keep in mind the fact that metals that have a density comparable to gold are usually pretty difficult to get a hold of, very high-priced, or rather brittle. All of this puts you at an advantage when attempting to spot a fake.
In terms of physical properties, this is what you should be looking for: a one-ounce Krugerrand has a weight of 33.930g, a diameter of 32.77mm, a thickness of 2.84m, and 160 edges. A half-ounce coin has a weight of 16.965g, a diameter of 27.07mm, a thickness of 2.215mm, and 185 edges. A 1/4 ounce coin has a weight of 8.482g, a diameter of 22.06mm, a thickness of 1.888mm, and 150 edges. And lastly, a 1/10 ounce coin carries a weight of 3.393g, a diameter of 16.55mm, a thickness of 1.35mm, and 115 edges.
To be able to perform this testing, you'll want fine-grained ruler with millimeters markings and an accurate scale that can make weight measurements in grams. If you like, there's a very nifty gadget known as the Fisch Tester that is able to conduct all of these tests for you. It has a coin-shaped recess used for checking shape, a slot for checking a coin's thickness and diameter, and a fulcrum to check a coin's weight. The Fisch Tester will save you lots of time and can make it much easier for you to discover a fraudulent coin. Just be careful about buying a Fisch on eBay because, ironically enough, there have been some reports of imitation Fisch Testers being offered there. If you decide to go with one of these, you should consider buying directly from Fisch.
Armed with this new knowledge, you should now have the capability to identify a bogus Krugerrand by yourself. Good luck in your investments in gold!
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If you want to invest in gold coins, you should really take the time to learn how to spot a phony gold Krugerrand. The test is easy enough that virtually anybody can do it, and it will help you avoid buying something you will regret.