In recent years gold and other precious metals have drastically increased in value, making the purity of the base components the most important attribute of any precious metal product. Therefore, precisely determining alloy composition and monitoring the trace and minor elements they contain is critical. Testing high-value coins and identifying fakes requires a reliable, accurate and non-destructive measurement technique.
When dealing with high-value coins, adulterated or counterfeit alloys can cause considerable losses and trading in fakes can entail legal ramifications. To avoid these risks, reliable analytical methods are necessary – but destructive analytical methods damage the coin’s material and value, which is unacceptable. Thus, non-destructive methods have become the standard for material testing valuable objects made of precious metals. In short, these methods must be predictable, reproducible and able to:
- Identify the alloy and the precious metal content
- Detect ignoble inclusions and forgeries
The various alloys and fine gold all differ in their electrical conductivity, making this particular physical dimension optimally suited for the quick analysis of precious metal bullion and coins.
The FISCHER SIGMASCOPE® GOLD measures electrical conductivity using the eddy-current method according to DIN EN 2004-1 and ASTM E 1004. The phase-sensitive evaluation of the measurement signal enables determination of the electrical conductivity in a contactless way – even through non-conducting protective layers such as plastic packaging.
The SIGMASCOPE® GOLD uses a measurement frequency of 60 kHz (or alternatively 15, 30 and 120 kHz) and is therefore optimised for the testing of coins and thin ingots.
Gold coins such as the Kruegerrand consist of a precisely defined alloy which, itself, features an exactly defined electrical conductivity value. Authentication based on this characteristic is therefore quick and easily verifiable. Matching conductivity values can only be achieved by using a metal alloy with a dramatically different density, which is then evident in the visibly different coin thickness.