As an investor or collector of gold coins, being aware of the existence of fake gold coins is a must, since there are quite a few of them in circulation. If you’re buying them from individuals and not from gold dealers or banks, there is a good chance that at some point you can come in contact with a gold coin that you’re not sure about. Recognizing a fake gold coin for what it is can be difficult, since they can be very well made. There are some steps you can take to reduce the chances of getting a gold that is fake.

The old method of finding out if a coin is made from gold is by biting on it, but it’s not recommended. Movies show people doing this all the time, especially those created about old times, with pirates, treasure hunters and medieval themes. The reason why this method works is because gold is a metal which is soft, so the biting will leave on it the marks of your teeth or it will just feel like it can do that. The reason why this method is not OK is because if you do find a fake gold coin, it will not be soft and the chance of chipping a tooth is quite high in this case. Even when it’s gold, you can still damage your teeth.

One other method of finding out if the gold coin is real or not is by listening to how it sounds. If you have good ears and a bit of experience, you will realize that the fakes usually sound duller.

The best way of finding out whether a coin is real or not is by talking with a professional, that can tell you exactly what it’s worth. When in doubt, talk with a coin dealer.