Tools of the trade stackers edition…

Afternoon everyone ….

In any profession, having the right tools for the job is a requirement in order to be successful. While I know this first hand being a craftsman, it doesn’t only apply to the workplace.

There are many hobbies that require having the right equipment in order to maximize one’s ability to perform at one’s best, or to be successful at whatever your hobby is.

Well this one pertains to stackers….

While it’s not completely necessary to have some of the higher end things for stacking such as a Sigma Metalytics precious metals detector. Or have a know how to use acids to tell the purity of the gold you are buying.

There are a few things that you should absolutely have in order to protect yourself from being scammed.

These are the minimum tools of a stacker….

Every stacker should own these three items. A quality inexpensive scale that is accurate in both grams and Troy ounces. I have several lying around, this is one of them that was close by.

These can be bought for around $10 and should be a staple item for anyone stacking.

Here is one that I’ve personally bought on Amazon as well.

The second item ever stacker should have is a strong yet small magnet. I personally use Neodymium magnets also known as rare earth magnets. They are small and very powerful magnets. I use these on projects so they are always on hand for me. They easily detach fake bars, rounds or coins. Both silver and gold have no magnetic properties so if your magnet sticks it’s fake.

My final item on must haves for stackers is a loupe. Again these aren’t required to stack, but are extremely helpful in ensuring you are not getting scammed. A basic 20X or 30X loupe combo is inexpensive at also around $10. The one that I carry around also has a light on it to help with seeing the details of what you are looking at. This helps with coins, mint marks on silverware, karat numbers on gold jewelry and more.