A common question I hear is, “How do I know the gold and silver bullion I buy is real and not fake?”
Great question. One way is to just test it yourself using something like The Fisch which will detect counterfeit bullion.
This method is obviously only possible post-purchase once the metals are in hand so it’s important to understand where your dealer is sourcing their inventory prior to making your purchase.
The United States Mint does not sell directly to the public. Instead, they distribute to 10 US-based companies, called “Authorized Purchasers”, who then provide wholesalers (My Gold Advisor, JM Bullion, APMEX, etc.) with inventory so that they can sell to the public.
So, US Mint → Authorized Purchaser → Wholesaler/Dealer → You.
A-MARK is one of the 10 Authorized Purchasers and the primary provider of My Gold Advisor’s inventory. When buying through MGA, your metals don’t come off the street where individual testing is required on every coin or bar. You can obviously still do this (It’s kind of fun anyway) but you can be confident that the metals you receive are backed by the guarantee of the US Mint or the private mint from which they are sourced.
My Gold Advisor then continually monitors the premiums that other Wholesalers/Dealers are charging on bullion products so that our pricing is as competitive as possible and matches current market conditions.
Let us know what other questions you have about the buying/sourcing/selling side of the precious metals market! Happy to share anything that can be helpful!
Full List of United States Authorized Purchasers: https://catalog.usmint.gov/coin-programs/bullion-authorized-purchasers.html
