Clean a Krugerrand - How do I

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C

California

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
Messages
11
How can I clean a Krugerrand coin with simple household items? Vinegar and some salt? - a guy told me thats how to clean placcer gold.


The Pawn shop has a 1oz Krugerrand I want to buy but it is brown and dingy. I have a 1oz Krugerrand now from another store and its bright.

Thank You
 
Well if you have a Krugerrand before you that is brown and dingy the first thing I would think is that it is counterfeit due to the brown oxidation. I would walk away from this coin.
 
Kruggerrands are only 90% gold, I believe the balance is copper. They contain 1 ounce of fine gold so they weigh more than an ounce. They were made to be a coin of trade so they were alloyed for hardness so they didn't get all scratched up as fine gold would. I would guess it is possible for them to get dark and nasty looking if they were handled a lot.

Still I would be cautious, maybe check it on an XRF if the dealer has one.
 
Be Cautious, I agree. Counterfeit was something going through my mind too.

I own a TriElectonics Gold Tester, scale, and calipers. Between weighing, sizing and testing it I believe I will be able to determine if it is real.


Thank You for your suggestions.
 
4metals said:
Still I would be cautious, maybe check it on an XRF if the dealer has one.
Click to expand...

4metals,

Are XRF machines fairly expensive?

By the looks of them and what they do, it sounds like thy're a serious investment.
Just wondering.
 
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.collectibles-articles.com/collectible/collectible-image-large/krugerrand-gauges-fisch-instruments-wallet-2-5-pc_170564682434.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.collectibles-articles.com/collectible/KRUGERRAND-GAUGES-FISCH-INSTRUMENTS-WALLET-2-5-PC_170564682434.html&usg=__XB8uBvdO2V3xSJnXLU52rGfBZRs=&h=300&w=400&sz=27&hl=en&start=4&zoom=1&tbnid=qFpkIBJ6vI9jjM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&ei=_1VYTdq5AY2gsQOKqsm8BQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtest%2Bfor%2Bfake%2Bkrugerrands%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D984%26bih%3D534%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1

maybe your local coin dealer may have one to try it out?
 
Very simple coin + very popular coin = target for counterfeiting. I've seen sovereign's that are 100 years old and beat to hell but they still look like Crown gold to me. IIRC it's 91.7% or so (about 22 K). Shouldn't be excessive oxidation on any gold bullion coin, ever.


Lou
 
Why spend good money for a bad coin? K-rands are common as dirt in shiny new condition and have the lowest premium of any commonly traded gold bullion coin. This thing you describe is maybe totally fake and in any case a problem. Your pawnbroker's problem thankfully. Don't make it yours. Get a good one elsewhere.
 
Is it real?
I would compare your 'real' coin to the suspect coin.
Are they they same diameter and thickness?
It the coin impression equally sharp and detailed?
If the answer is yes to both then compare the wieghts with a tenth gram scale.
If the are the same size and weight then they are the same density and probably the same alloy. A fake would almost certainly be less dense.

Just a thought,
RTL
 
rtl326 said:
... A fake would almost certainly be less dense....

Just a thought,
RTL
Click to expand...

And if it wasn't - even if it were a fake - it would likely have as much gold content as a real K-rand.

I have heard of natural gold nuggets discolored brown or black from various compounds of sulfer and oxygen - but I have never seen a 90% or better gold coin discolored this way, even after having been buried. I suppose it's possible - but a Krugerrand is such a generic coin - sold as bullion with a low premium as opposed to for its numismatic value. Why not protect that premium, and buy only nice, shiny coins? This thread is over a month old now. I wonder whether the coin turned out to be a fake?
 

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