November 5, 2014

The Ringer is designed primarily to be used to detect tungsten counterfeits of 1oz gold coins.  

The Ringer can also be used to check 1oz silver coins as a different composition of metal/s used to make a fake will give a different ring tone to that of a genuine coin. Having said that, the fake 1oz silver coins I have tested and have been reported are too thick and will be detected by the Fisch. This emphasizes the necessity of using the Ringer as well as the Fisch to check a coin.

The smaller the coin, the more difficult it is to ring. The limit is probably a coin that is no smaller than 1/2oz.* However no tungsten fake coins of less than 1oz size have been reported. Use the Fisch to check for common metal fakes such as lead, brass, copper and steel or combinations of these metals.

*A user reports getting a good ring on a British Sovereign. So this means that a coin as small as 1/4oz gold would be ring-able. 

916 fine or 22 karat coins such as the American Eagle, Krugerrand, Mexican 50 Pesos, US $10 & $20, 100 Corona, Britannia (1987-2012) give a very distinctive ring.  999 fine or 24 karat coins  like the Maple Leaf & Philharmonic, give a less distinct, but still discernible ring. After the thud of the hammer on the coin, you can hear a soft ring.  A tungsten fake gives no ring whatsoever.  Go to “Sounds of Coins & Fakes” in these Fisch Family pages to listen to a comparison of the rings of a genuine Maple Leaf coin and a tungsten counterfeit.

Also go to ”About Coins & Fakes” in the same Fisch Family pages where there are pictures of genuine American Eagle, Krugerrand & Maple Leaf gold coins alongside tungsten based counterfeits.  These pictures are important tools in detecting fake coins: The tungsten fakes, due to the manufacturing method used, do not have the definition, or detail, of a genuine coin.  

From an email dated November 4, 2014:

“I received the Ringer yesterday.  It worked great on a variety of coins I tested.  Excellent design on this ingenious product.”