Found a listing for it on Craig's list. Ended up being my son's scout leade r's kid. He bought it directly from the manufacturer online for $30... He felt terrible, but I let him keep the money. Wound up getting a 1907 v nickel in the lot.
From what I know of as far as bars go, most surefire method nowadays is to drill through the bar in a couple of places. Heard of a few guys that got burned really bad on gold bars where the center was weighted with some kind of material that has the same weight/density of gold.
It took me a few months to find a reputable coin/silver dealer once I went full force detecting!? But, after many deals with this particular dealer, they always sell and buy at spot prices. I hope you find same! Peace