While on eBay, I found a new scam (sort of) regarding gold leaf. It is made by evaporating a thin gold layer on a copper foil base. Although it doesn't say it, I would think there is a Ni layer between the Au and Cu to prevent migration.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/500-x-Gold-Leaf-24K-Sheets-for-Design-Gilding-Art-/350198611130?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518976bcba
If you Google "gold on base", you find a lot of the entries are from the same company selling on eBay (Blue-Point-International). I sent the following email to this seller:
I Googled "gold on base" and found a lot of entries. Most all (including you) said the actual gold thickness is 0.2-0.4 microns. However, at the lower thickness of 0.2 microns, the gold value (at today's spot of $1611/tr.oz.) of 500, 2"x2" sheets (total of 2000 sq.in.) would be about $262.00. So, everybody is either lying or terribly misinformed. Probably, the total thickness of the gold plus base is 0.2-0.4 microns. Real 24K leaf (with NO base) is only about 0.1 microns thick. Look forward to your response.
Here's a quote from the listing:
Thickness of Gold in each leaf approx. 0.2 - 0.4 microns on base
The company is selling this 500 sheet lot for $15. Therefore, considering profits down the line and manufacturing costs, I would estimate the actual gold thickness to be in the range of 0.001 to 0.002 microns (.00000004" - .00000008"), more or less.
Another listing for essentially the same stuff, although the sheets are smaller - 1.5" x 1.5". In this case, though, it sounds like he's correctly saying the OVERALL thickness is 0.2-0.4 microns.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/500-Gold-Leaf-Sheets-for-Gilding-Design-Art-/260784283182?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb7f45e2e
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In thinking further on this, I doubt if the "base" is metallic. Somewhere, I found a series of photos by one of these sellers (I can't seem to find it again). In them, they dissolved the "base" with some sort of thinner to show the resulting foil. This would indicate, of course, that the base couldn't be metallic. In the vinyl sign business, they use a product called Sign-Gold. This is a thin layer of real gold on a yellow vinyl base. The leaf above must be similar, but thinner with no adhesive.
http://www.suppliesunlimitedonline.com/supplies/index.php?cPath=1_22_57&osCsid=294b514abab2a0417b33565009100547
I found the photos I spoke of. What they're trying to prove is confusing. Maybe there's NO gold on this stuff.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Gold-Base-Gold-leaf-sheets-size-4-5-x-4-5-cm-/120704020185
