How can I ensure the purity of bullion?

If you buy physical silver or gold for investment purposes then you should buy well known “branded” bullion as it is much more liquid once you want to sell them and the company behind the bullion guarantees its purity.

“Branded” in this context means bullion that was cast either by a well known government mint or a major foundry. Such “branded” bullion is safe because these foundries have been in the business for a long time, sometimes hundreds of years, and have independent assay processes in place. In addition, these mints sell so much bullion that many third parties conduct random assays on their bullion.

Branded bullion pretty much eliminates purity concerns due to the high manufacturing standards but leaves open the possibility that the branded bullion is not genuine. If you are worried about such a scenario, consider a DUX Bullion Test which will give you an accurate surface composition report while the ultrasound scan will test for pure gold or silver.