Fake Scottsdale Mint Silver Bars - Can You Tell the Difference Between Real & Counterfeit?

Let's take a look at some Scottsdale Mint silver bars and see if we can determine which are real and which are counterfeit.
Thanks for watching.
Please comment, share, like and subscribe.
See some of our inventory:
website inventory: oldpueblocoin.com/all-product...
eBay store: www.ebay.com/str/opcsales
Follow us:
www.instagram/thecoingeek
www.instagram/oldpueblocoin
Ben The Coin Geek
Old Pueblo Coin

[@goldeneye70]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm looking at two different listings right now on eBay, one guy has 10 of them for $320, another guy listed his product as real, now I'm looking at everything you just showed me and the real titled listing look definitely authentic, many thanks!

[@briangentry3118]

Yesterday I bought 6 Scottsdale 1oz bars from a local dealer. Today I pulled them out of the plastic and weighed them all. Four of them weighed a bit under. About .982 to .993 ozt. This was suspicious, as all other bars I've weighed are always slightly over, like 1.006 or so. Then I noticed that these under weight bars were thicker than my others. Examining them, I found the rims of the suspect bars were thinner and the design on the lion's crown was slightly different. The font was different too. Then I saw the backs. The backs of the suspects are all bright and shiny, while the others I have are matte finished on the back. So I did a specific gravity test with a scale, a string and a glass of water. All 4 suspect bars showed densities of about 8.15. I tested two "real" bars and found them to have about 10.4 for density. I measured the bars thickness: 2.5mm for the real ones, 2.9 for the suspect. While testing thickness, I noticed that when the bars touched the metal caliper the "clink" it made sounded wrong. So I tapped the bars against one another and got a dull "click" from the suspect bars. Did the same with real bars and got a nice "ping". I'm convinced these 4 bars are fake. I took them back to my dealer who said they came from the mint and could not possibly be fake. He couldn't make his calipers work. Or his scale. My scale showed them being slightly under weight and he said they were really close so they aren't fake. He wouldn't look at the differences in design that I pointed out. In the end, he gave me my money back on the 4 and then told me he would no longer sell to me. I had no idea Scottsdale bars were so widely faked.

[@TheCoinGeek]

😳 that’s a rough story. Glad you got your money back.

[@jerryhill4893]

Good work player

[@FreeThink1984]

Sounds like he realized he was caught and just wanted to get rid of you. Report him.

[@briangentry3118]

@@FreeThink1984 The dealer in question died earlier this year.

[@jamesrevell6475]

I know it's an old post but I just read it. I purchased 100 bars direct from Scottsdale mint about 5 years ago. This week I decided to take them out of the plastic wrap and put them in cases. The cases hold 20 bars each. I have 5 different types of bars. A stack of 20 of all the other types of bars fit into the case perfectly but I can not fully close the cap on the Scottsdale silver bars. The Scottsdale bars look identical to all the other bars to the naked eye. I stacked 20 bars of Scottsdale and 20 bars of each of the others and compared the height of the stacks. The Scottsdale stack was just slightly taller by about 2 mm than the other stacks. That would be about 0.1 mm thicker each than the others and enough for the container lid to not close. Not noticable individually but definitely when you compare a stack. I also noticed that the Scottsdale bars are shaped slightly different with a different radius on the rounded corners. I have not weighed them yet but YES they did pass the magnet test when I first got them, so I assumed they were good. After reading your post I am worried. I will be buying a scale immediately. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@xman577]

I buy directly from Scottsdale meant. I’ve actually talk to them directly on certain special orders.

[@islandboy7432]

Nice vid Ben.....I haven't been in the shop for a while

[@classiccoins1485]

Thanks for the great content. We have to be vigilant keeping an eye out for anything counterfeit. It would also be nice to see some more content on this issue. Keep up the good work.

[@don951]

Good looking out. I don't have any, however, I am picturing people running to their stack to find these bars. Thanks!

[@kroscuro]

What amazes me is the fact that someone bothered to counterfeit one ozt. silver bars. You'd have to sell a LOT of them to make a profit, especially in the past few years. There would be some setup costs, like making a die, etc. But I suppose they were made somewhere where labor is cheap or free china . It happened to me once - I'm a jeweler, and I bought some one ounce silver "Johnson Matthey" bars from a small town pawn shop back east, and the turned out to be plated brass. I was shocked - why would someone bother with one ounce bars? Great quality on your videos, BTW.

[@VeritasEtAequitas]

Yeah, China has an entire industry around different ways to use tungsten to fill gold to perfect density. Bars, rods, powder, and putties depending on what they're faking.

[@Codebreaker4981]

Thank you for making this informative video. It really helped me. I was shocked to learn about all the fakes out there in the market place, but relieved after watching your video that I have purchased a genuine piece. Thanks again 👍

[@papi7rx7]

Now, that was an awesome explanation. Thanks

[@neroboosh7846]

Good knowledge here. Thank you!

[@pajones02]

So, moral of the story: Buy Scottsdale Mint products directly from their website; from THEIR Ebay store; or from other reputable high-class bullion dealers like JM and SD.

[@squigglove]

Eyeball test for the win! I don't even have my bars yet but when you put the Magnifying glass on the fake I could see it immediately. I'm so proud if me.

[@princeofpeaceproductions3506]

Buy directly from Scottsdale-also only buy over the internet from reputable shops...Gainesville etc....

[@theradiounderground7298]

Thank you! Great work, Fake PMs are a nightmare

[@rrunkle]

How can the density be the same as silver... I'm not aware of any substitute that is very close to the same density.

[@lawrencemoseley8565]

A quick way to tell is a magnetic test. If it sticks, fake. If not...

[@aipacsucks]

Thanks for this! I live 4 hours from Scottsdale Mint. I wonder if they have Drive-Thru service? LOL...

[@SuperJupiter33]

no drive thru...10 -20 days out for delivery. average 22.60 oz physical is just crazy

[@aipacsucks]

@@SuperJupiter33 they mint coins for 100 countries. Exaggeration Warning - LOL. That's how they got their "essential business" status. But, the #1 complaint is they are SLOW>

[@SuperJupiter33]

@@aipacsucks total understand products are top notch,gorgeous... (first majestic silver corp.)

[@aipacsucks]

@@SuperJupiter33 Last month I bought some First Majestic stock. I like Keith!

[@SuperJupiter33]

@@aipacsucks price has went up but he added 10 oz bars ,some very good interviews with Keith.

[@paulbegansky5650]

Wow scary great video

[@jamesrevell6475]

I suspect I purchased some fakes. I got mine directly from Scottsdale mint a few years ago. What can I do about it now?

[@TJO1913]

Just one more reason to purchase from your trusted LCD when you can.

[@billyshepard5514]

Thanks I almost bought some of these from China on ebay for 7.99 each

[@YourHineyness]

Don't buy anything from China. Every purchase subsidizes their military machine.

[@ptaeiy]

I;d use an Ultrasonic Thickness Meter and a caliper. Way cheaper and more conclusive/definitive than the Sigma.

[@s1mv1d]

If the dimensions and mass are OK (ie density), what could the material be, other than silver? I bought a fake scottsdale bar and the volume measured by displacement is over by 30%. Mass was OK though.

[@00_BUCK_671]

Would fooled a noob like me. Thanks for the info.

[@Danny_ll]

There is no chance of it being fake if we buy from the Scottsdalemint site itself right? I know silly question.

[@Asian_Connection]

Do the FAKE weight one ounce?

[@LeePenn2492]

Be buying nothing else of Ebay..looking like I had me spuds in fire there.

[@christconscious1784]

I just ordered a 100g hand poured scottsdale bar off ebay...hoping its authentic but i really dont know how to tell with hand poured bars..

[@ptaeiy]

Get an Ultrasonic Thickness Meter for $180. Probe many different spots to find any foreign metal inserts. I've even used it on my 100 oz RCM bar to verify my caliper measurement. Go to Silver Bullion TV on YT to learn abt precious metal testing. As you can see on this video, the Sigma (ECM) is not that reliable/consistent.

[@bendavidson4692]

Cut into it

[@jeffw1267]

I'm not an expert but I don't see how those fakes could be die transfer counterfeits. Note that the inside of the 9(s) is round on the real one and needle-shaped on the fake.

[@PJPalas]

The 0’s and o’s as well.

[@sendmail7426]

You should have done an acid test.

[@Exceedvictory]

I actually may have ordered from th fake mint. They keep pretending my gold is coming but now I gotta tell everyone that eBay covered their contract wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....,,,, before Arizona, Scotland’s Gold Bars

[@PJPalas]

G H will eBay refund your money if they are fakes? I literally just purchased 5 Scottsdale bars only to find this video right after. Now I am super paranoid.

[@salvadordalinian1986]

wow. bummer. pirates everywhere.

[@flybone100]

I kept waiting to see a pea under one.

[@That1ufo]

oops i thought the rims on the fakes were far better looking...

[@agivens061]

Buy from legitimate companies.

[@slicksilver9441]

Buy a sigma. You will sleep better at night. Or just do specific gravity tests

[@josefigueroa3930]

I need to get into silver bars there very interested almost ass much as coins:)

[@Asian_Connection]

How can it weight the same with the same dimension? Maybe they put gold in the middle!

[@sendmail7426]

So is all the apmex shit fake too? Because to me they look all fake.