How do i know if a royal mint gold bar is fake or not?

[theylivewesleep27]

I bought a royal mint gold bar in a blister pack. But the packaging seems a little different to the other royal mint bars i have. How can i tell if i have a fake or not?

[StackerNoob]

Throw a picture up on here with as much detail as possible. We wont be able to fully verify, but people on here are super handy at spotting fakes.

Otherwise go to a jewellers. Most have the equipment to quickly test any item without damaging it. They might charge you a small fee (usually no more than £5) but if its a real concern its worth it.

[Pete]

Make a specific gravity test

[theylivewesleep27]

15 minutes ago, StackerNoob said:

Throw a picture up on here with as much detail as possible. We wont be able to fully verify, but people on here are super handy at spotting fakes.

Otherwise go to a jewellers. Most have the equipment to quickly test any item without damaging it. They might charge you a small fee (usually no more than £5) but if its a real concern its worth it.

It's the 1g bar I am concerned about. It's a different colour to the rest, has a different signature on it and doesn't appear to have the same kind of film on it as the others do. I know all the others are real as I bought them all directly from the royal mint. The 1g does look pretty genuine, it's just different to the rest, but maybe it's just an older one or something?

[Scaffstacker]

It looks pretty genuine to me, but I’m sure you can do a business check through the government’s website that will tell you who the current deputy master chief executive is and the past ones and the year they left. 
 

you can do that with normal businesses so hopefully you can do that with the royal mint.

[Scaffstacker]

Nice set as well  

[StackerNoob]

It looks to me as if the film has just been peeled off the 1oz bar case. I did that for my pamp bars tbh, I dont like the bubbly effect it gives.

Im no expert on these bars but all looks well to me. You say you see a sligthly different hue to the 1oz bar? TBH I have seen different hues between my QBs and britannia gold 1/4 and 1/10 oz coins and all mine are genuine. 

 

Also, I cant be sure, but I would imagine there would be a UV watermark on the back side opposite to the barcode. Most shops have a blacklight for checking notes, maybe just go in and buy a paper and then do the whole "would you mind letting me check something" routine lol

[BigRed]

https://www.royalmint.com/aboutus/press-centre/all-change-at-the-royal-mint/

[Stuntman]

I'm pretty sure that 1g bar appears genuine from the photos.

[SilverStorm]

On 13/04/2021 at 09:42, Pete said:

Make a specific gravity test

Yes, you could do the specific gravity test to test for authenticity.  But it would mean taking the gold out of the packaging, and that may be problematic if the OP wanted to sell the gold in the future.   Future buyer may not want to buy a tampered package.   Ideally, the OP should find a local coin/bullion dealer that has the testing equipment (like the Sigma Analytic PMV Pro or Pro Mini) to confirm validity of the gold.  They can scan through the capsules and packaging to confirm authenticity.    

[TutoredSoup232]

Do you know when the bar was produced? It looks pretty genuine to me and they might have just changed the packaging slightly since release. I don't necessarily see the point in faking one of those RM plain bars. Also there are very few photos of the actual packaging online and they don't advertise it on their website, pretty much have to buy it to know what it looks like. 

Also seems a weird bar to fake imo, the Britannia would've made more sense. Considering there's a different chief executive on the back I reckon its an old one but visit a jeweller for peace of mind 

[LawrenceChard]

On 13/04/2021 at 17:13, theylivewesleep27 said:

I bought a royal mint gold bar in a blister pack. But the packaging seems a little different to the other royal mint bars i have. How can i tell if i have a fake or not?

As someone already suggested, include photos with your post. Also include information about your source. The ones you bought from the RM should be OK.

I just received photos of a fake 5 gram Royal Mint bar which I tested a week or so ago, I have posted photos on a new thread:

 

 

[theylivewesleep27]

22 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

As someone already suggested, include photos with your post. Also include information about your source. The ones you bought from the RM should be OK.

I just received photos of a fake 5 gram Royal Mint bar which I tested a week or so ago, I have posted photos on a new thread:

 

 

I have included photos. That fake of yours looks identical to the real ones. So maybe my one is fake too? But would it be worth it for them to fake a 1g bar?

[LawrenceChard]

31 minutes ago, theylivewesleep27 said:

I have included photos. That fake of yours looks identical to the real ones. So maybe my one is fake too? But would it be worth it for them to fake a 1g bar?

I had seen that you had added the photos is a subsequent post, but I had not made that clear.

My final photo was of a genuine bar, but I had not captioned it.

It does require careful attention and effort to recognise fakes.

One common piece of advice is only to buy from trusted sources.

If Chinese factories can make fakes they can profitably sell for £1 or £2 each, then yes it's worth making them. There are also plenty of Westerners who will be happy to buy cheap fakes from China and push them on ebay for £10, £20, or whatever.

[SilverStorm]

2 hours ago, theylivewesleep27 said:

I have included photos. That fake of yours looks identical to the real ones. So maybe my one is fake too? But would it be worth it for them to fake a 1g bar?

IMHO...if you are buying PM, it behooves you to determine whether or not the product you buy is genuine or not.   You should not allow criminals to take advantage of you (or anyone else for that matter) by allowing them to sell fakes, regardless of PM size.  As LawrenceChard mentioned above, buy from trusted sources.   If you want to buy from EBay to save on premiums, you run the risk of buying fake PM.  If you are determined to go the EBay route, then at least have the tools on hand to determine authenticity of your purchase.   A scale, rare earth magnet, and doing a specific gravity test are all cheap solutions to confirm whether or not you have the real McCoy.