# Is there a quick way for a layman to know if a gold coin is genuine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105 "2011-09-30T02:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/21 "2011-09-30T03:57:27Z")
And it looks like I’m getting a deal, if it’s genuine. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/22 "2011-09-30T04:00:03Z")
I know jack about coins but I gotta say, that’s a pretty coin. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/23 "2011-09-30T04:01:57Z")
Would a coin dealer be able to make a quick determination? What do they do, weigh it? Do they have a magical gold detecting machine? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/24 "2011-09-30T04:49:35Z")
I thought you were talking about real government issued coins – where’s that thing from, the Franklin Mint? But you’re right, the only way to determine if something is really gold is through magic. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/25 "2011-09-30T05:09:24Z")
This general topic has been [addressed in the past](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578284&highlight=knox). It should be easy to determine whether or not one small coin is made out of gold. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/26 "2011-09-30T05:17:29Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > That’s it! Glad someone came along and answered that question for you. I was going to proffer the information that **Kopek** is a professional numismatist (at least, that’s what his profile says.:)). You might still want to give him a shout and get his opinion, couldn’t hurt. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/27 "2011-09-30T05:48:13Z")
A coin dealer would drill a hole in the coin to make sure it was solid gold. the coin itself would then become useless as a rare date or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/28 "2011-09-30T10:40:14Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > It certainly seemed like gold; it was quite heavy for its small size and had that unusual bright gold luster that you just don’t see on other metals. I know gold is soft but I was hesitant to bite down on it for fear of scarring it. You would be safe biting a genuine gold coin. You’d only leave toothmarks on the fake ones. Unless Stephen Fry has lied to me. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pj76xSFNK6c?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/29 "2011-09-30T16:10:22Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > A coin dealer would drill a hole in the coin to make sure it was solid gold. the coin itself would then become useless as a rare date or whatever. Uh, yeah. That sounds about right. :rolleyes: Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/30 "2011-09-30T16:29:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Patty O’Furniture** : > That looks like nasty stuff. Indeed; [nitric acid acts upon trousers.](http://www.bluffton.edu/~bergerd/nitric_acid.html) ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/31 "2011-09-30T19:58:09Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > You would be safe biting a genuine gold coin. Indeed - the fact that dentists use gold for fillings and caps argues that it’s hard enough to resist deformation by toothbite. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/32 "2011-09-30T20:22:47Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > A coin dealer would drill a hole in the coin to make sure it was solid gold. the coin itself would then become useless as a rare date or whatever. Nonsense. Also, that’s not a coin, it’s a round made of gold. A dealer would have to be familiar with who minted it and perform some tests to verify its purity. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/33 "2011-09-30T20:30:03Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Indeed - the fact that dentists use gold for fillings and caps argues that it’s hard enough to resist deformation by toothbite. Dental gold is not pure gold so your really can’t say much about biting into a 99%+ pure gold coin. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/34 "2011-09-30T20:34:37Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Is [this](http://www.overstockbullion.com/gold-bullion/quarter-troy-lady-liberty-9999-pure-gold-bullion-coin.html) your coin? Penn? _Teller_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![quangdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8e7dd6/32.png) [@quangdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quangdog)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/35 "2011-09-30T23:20:26Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > That’s it! Sounds like they are likely the real deal, and you are getting a great price on them! I found this site because of the traffic I noticed coming from here to my server - I’m the owner of [OverstockBullion.com](http://OverstockBullion.com), where you found a match for the rounds your neighbor has. One other important item to check on: If this is really one of our rounds, at the lower right of the lady’s profile on the round, there should be a small G with a circle of stars around it… this is the mark from the mint, and it indicates that the round really does contain 1/4 troy ounce of pure gold. Gold fluctuates a lot, but right now is around $1625 / ounce. If they have the G with the stars around it, and your friend is really willing to sell them that cheap you should buy them… Obligatory plug: We offer several other high-quality rounds in both silver and gold. If anyone is interested in learning more about gold, silver, bullion in general or has specific questions about how to easily buy bullion, visit us at [http://www.overstockbullion.com](http://www.overstockbullion.com). Enjoy your rounds! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/36 "2011-09-30T23:44:45Z")
Well thanks, mr. Overstock. I shall give them a much closer inspection the next time I have access to them. Maybe snap a photo if I can. The question of how to quickly/easily determine whether or not they are real gold still remains. I believe gold is supposed to be very malleable - do you think I’d be able to bend these coins/rounds with my bare fingers? That would be a minor amount of “damage” that I should be able to reverse. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/37 "2011-10-01T00:33:25Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Well thanks, mr. Overstock. I shall give them a much closer inspection the next time I have access to them. Maybe snap a photo if I can. The question of how to quickly/easily determine whether or not they are real gold still remains. I believe gold is supposed to be very malleable - do you think I’d be able to bend these coins/rounds with my bare fingers? That would be a minor amount of “damage” that I should be able to reverse. You won’t be able to bend them. ---
**Author:** ![quangdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8e7dd6/32.png) [@quangdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quangdog)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/38 "2011-10-01T04:20:06Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Well thanks, mr. Overstock. I shall give them a much closer inspection the next time I have access to them. Maybe snap a photo if I can. The question of how to quickly/easily determine whether or not they are real gold still remains. I believe gold is supposed to be very malleable - do you think I’d be able to bend these coins/rounds with my bare fingers? That would be a minor amount of “damage” that I should be able to reverse. No, you won’t be able to bend them… and any damage you are able to do to them (hit them with a hammer, for example) will not be reversible. If they match the picture from our website, and the G with the stars is clearly visible, you can pretty much guarantee you have a real pure gold round. Fakes are possible, of course, but this round was only introduced last year, and is not in very wide circulation (in comparison with the full troy ounce rounds). If you have any doubt at all, take them to a reputable coin dealer or pawn shop - they can tell you immediately and accurately if it is real or not - and most pawn shops will offer you “spot” (the current trading value of 1 troy ounce of gold) or very close to it for gold. As I write this, gold spot is at $1625.8 - so a quarter ounce round is worth $406.45 just in the gold. Hope this helps! [http://www.overstockbullion.com](http://www.overstockbullion.com) ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/39 "2011-10-01T08:18:24Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Uh, yeah. That sounds about right. :rolleyes: > > Cite? This page has lots of info on counterfeit coins coming from China The remark on this page about drilling a coin is related only to ancient coins, but I know for a fact that it is becoming standard practise with some dealers and gold coins being sold for their metal value. > **[Counterfeit Coins - Coin Forgeries - Coin Counterfeits](http://rg.ancients.info/guide/counterfeits.html)** > > A primer on detecting counterfeit coins ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105/40 "2011-10-01T15:25:23Z")
So, does anybody else think the model on the coin is a babe? hh [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-quick-way-for-a-layman-to-know-if-a-gold-coin-is-genuine/598105.md?page=3)