Metal discriminating metal detectors. Any reccomendations?

[Prestonianus]

Can anyone reccomend any (preferably hand-held) metal detectors capable of assessing the the ratio and type of metals within a target item? I believe they may be useful in being able to detect fakes and distinguishing fourees/contemporary forgeries from the real things....

[Silenus]

HI,

there is NO WAY, to tell with a metaldetector, if a coin is genuine or fake!

The output signals of a metaldetector depens on so many thinks(air,mineralisation, shape, angle etc)

Even if you had the same genuine  coin twice,  you will have always a different output signal!

The same situation   is with a fake coin.

[Ghengis_Jon]

Hand helds are usually good for fourees that do not have a solid silver coating.  I have returned some questionable coins to sellers when a denarius 'rings' of tin, copper and iron, but no silver.  Even a heavily debased authentic coin will ring some silver.  The key is a very good detector, which will set you back several hundred to almost two thousand dollars.  Not something you can buy at Radio Crap.  But can it be used to determine fake vs authentic?  Nah.  Before the days of mass chemical cleaning (when uncleaned coins were ACTUALLY uncleaned), hand helds were used to pull out silver from 'unsearched' lots.  Today, you can use them to find coins, not rate them.

[Prestonianus]

So its not worth bothering then. OK, thanks guys, I'm learning as I go along...