Gold has an “opportunity cost” of owning because the metal pays no interest, must be exchanged into currencies to make most purchases, and needs safe storage. Nations store bullion in certified depositories, like the 550,000 glistening 12.4-kilogram bars of 99.99 percent pure gold under the New York Federal Reserve worth about $350 billion.
Individuals buying, selling, or holding gold in coins and kilobars (2.2 pounds) rely on the refinery manufacturer’s surface logo stamp for assurance of the gold’s source and purity.
Gold coins were first minted in the 6th century B.C. in the Kingdom of Lydia. Counterfeiters soon learned to shave off edges and mix actual gold with less valuable metals such as copper, lead, and nickel. Later, counterfeit coins were hallowed or mixed with tungsten for weight and density that had a similar “feel” to pure gold. The ancient Romans officially stamped their coins as a sign of authenticity. But gold purity “debasement” during wars and famines was what some historians blamed for the Roman empire’s eventual collapse.
Over the last three years, 1,000 gold kilobars worth about $50 million with Swiss refinery fraudulent stamps marking them as 99.99 percent pure gold were discovered in top bank depositories, such as the J.P. Morgan & Chase vault across from the New York Federal Reserve building. The quality of the embossed logos was so professional, experts suspect that many more counterfeits bars are still outstanding.
Corporate executives and commercial bankers familiar with the gold markets told Reuters they believe the forgeries originated in China, and then spread internationally through supply chains. But the Shanghai Gold Exchange that regulates the Chinese gold market and storage stated: “The process for gold (material) to enter the warehouse is strictly managed and in compliance with the regulations.”
Under the Gold Road, Chinese manufacturers and jewelers will be offered so-called “gold leasing” to finance gold regional trading, vaulting, and transfers. But the new financing scheme would seem to be highly reliant on refinery authenticity stamps that prove the gold bullion and jewelry, offered as “gold leasing” collateral, are not counterfeit.