"The Ringer", a new anti-counterfeit device!

[DoChenRollingBearing]

...

OK, amigos, here is my first round of tests with "The Ringer", a new device from Fisch Instruments (the people who make "The Fisch" balances for gold coins). My comments (posted elsewhere) in blue below:

Preliminary test results of "The Ringer" by Fisch Instruments on the below PM bullion coins (all 1 oz coins):

Pd Canadian Maple: very high ring tone, lasts reasonably long

Pt Canadian Maple: dull short-lived ring, at least it's not a thud...

Pt American Eagle: *slightly* higher tone than the Canadian Pt, but dull tone as well (note that these two Pt coins have a different shape, that influences the ring)

Ag American Eagle: medium-to-high tone, ring lasted longer than most of the above, fairly "satisfying ring" (note that I was expecting the silver to have a nice ring)

Au Australian Kangaroo: medium-to-high tone, slightly longer ring than American Buffalo (see next coin)

Au American Buffalo: medium-to-high tone, ring did not last long

Au American Eagle: satisfying high tone, the ring lasted longer than ANY other above coin

General comments

1) I do not own a Krugerrand, my *guess* is that it would be very similar to the Au Eagle, but as the Eagle has a little bit of silver (the K-rand does not, just copper as alloy -- hence a slight but noticeable color difference), and the dimensions are *slightly* different, the ring might be a bit (noticeably) different to a trained ear. Fisch has both the Eagle and the K-rand tested at their home page earlier referenced.

2) Fisch's website does note that the .999 fine gold coins have a duller ring than the .9166 (22 kt, Eagles and K-rands) coins do.

3) I have yet to try fractional sizes.

4) Scary tungsten has no ring (from Fisch website). If any of you can get a tungsten "coin" of about the right size and shape of an Eagle/K-rand, I would very much like to test it for myself as I do not own any tungsten.

5) I can highly recommend "The Ringer" ($104, delivered)! Smile,,,

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See (and hear) the device in action at their website (home page has a video and an audio):

thefisch.com

 

[pmbug]

From the comments on the YouTube:

Yes, the Ringer does work on 999 coins. However the difference is a lot less obvious than with a 916 coin. With the Maple Leaf 1oz, the tungsten fake only gives a dull thud when struck by the Ringer; the genuine coin gives a dull thud followed by a short, sharp ring. The Ringer works on 1/2 oz coins as well.

"Sounds" like this might pair well with one of those smartphone apps that measure ring frequency.

 

[ancona]

Very cool! Could one perhaps use tuning forks to verify the frequency? Better yet, an electronic "tuning fork", which can sustain a tone indefinitely?

As I've stated before, you could double verify by going to any reasonably sized scrap yard and asking them to test the coins using x-ray flouroscopy. Our XRF is dead balls accurate for determination of exact content and particular alloys. We use it to find lead, chromium and metals contamination in products and coatings prior to remediation efforts, and to confirm successful abatement of same.

Yeah, yeah..they're about 45 large, but we have two of them because we use the hell out of them. A consultant does the same thing for 700 a day, but as often as we need this service, it is simply cheaper to own them and resource them every 18 months or so when the source decays below useful calibration limits.