well maybe not illegal to sell counterfeit gold, Apart from the fact that it would be fraud to sell gold, and it turns out to be gold wrapped round whacky metal composite. But most gold buyers buy in the form of coinage, and those it would be illegal to counterfeit. You do get jewelers buying in bar form and those odd gold bar vending machines, but I've always seen them more as a PR stunt than anything like a proper business venture.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.