Yes. My problem with buying precious metals is fraud. We all understand who sells these commodities. How do I know what I'm actually getting?
You could go the Archimedes route. The actual "eureka" moment.
If you measure the displaced volume and weight of any received bars, you could find the density, which can then be compared to what an ideal bar should be.
As to what recourse you have for any fraud, that is a different matter.
Great point. I guess I would buy small quantities and verify them each time. Fraud would be very low level. It's when you buy a massive quantity that you have to really worry.
The smaller the quantity, the more prone to error the density test is. You will need much more sensitive equipment to get good results.
When drops of volume change the density by 4-9%, you could have problems getting an accurate measure.
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