Counterfeit gold coins and bars from tungsten : Bad Credit Advisor

Counterfeit gold coins and bars from tungsten

With gold prices hovering over $1,100 and possibly going higher, the question of counterfeit gold coins and bars made of tungsten must be addressed. Tungsten, though quite brittle, which makes it the exact opposite of gold, is pretty much the only metal that is suitable for manufacturing of counterfeit gold coins and bars. Since tungsten has the same density as gold, a counterfeiter with the right technology can make a bar or coin from it, cover with a thin layer of gold and get a perfect tungsten counterfeit which is almost impossible to detect visually or by holding it in your hand. Of course, coins due to their design, are much more difficult to counterfeit than simple gold bars.

Probably the only way to discover a fake without scratching your bar or coin or without performing some chemical analysis, is to drop suspicious gold object against a solid hardwood desk, as long as you do not mind having some nicks and small dents on it. Dropping a real gold coin will produce a very particular ringing sound quite different from the one that tungsten counterfeit coin makes.

Before you panic and start dropping your gold, understand that tungsten is the metal which is extremely difficult to work with. Besides being brittle, it has the highest known melting point of any non alloyed metal at 3,422°C or almost 6,192°F. So such counterfeit gold requires quite a bit of investment and knowledge, which both of course are available our there. So it is important to buy your gold bullion from reputable dealers, but even they can make a mistake and unknowingly sell you something else.

Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:12PM by Tony | More in Gold Investing | Comments (0)

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