Also, raw materials.

Off the top of my head (not double-checking my recollection of details), Rutherford created gold in a laboratory.  He created new gold atoms from atoms of iridium, which is rarer and thus, more costly than gold.  And yes, it required energy, too.  He estimated that by his method of bombarding ₇₇Ir with alpha particles, he could produce ₇₉Au at a cost of about $7000/oz.  At the time, gold’s market price was $35/oz.

Of course, fulfilling the dreams of alchemy has been contemplated by modern science.  By actual scientists.

And I do not know of any existing or conjectured technology that would be less expensive in practice.  Perhaps you think to create new gold by fusing hydrogen atoms?  Eh, ask a physicist—I am not a physicist, but I suspect that you will get some high-energy gales of laughter...  N.b. that gold nuclei are much, much bigger than the biggest nuclei that can be formed from fusion that gives you energy.  (Key words:  “Binding energy”, “iron”, etc...)  Maybe try fission of bigger atoms?  Um, good luck working that out—and do not assume that no one has thought of that in the century since atomic fission was first explored!

Thus:  Can’t “counterfeit”—I think you mean, arbitrarily produce gold, either.  (The results would be real gold.  Gold can be truly counterfeited, viz., faked with gold-plated tungsten bars that will fool most buyers; caveat.)  Don’t try to FUD it with unscientific predictions about “just need a little fusion” (!).  LOL, and to become a Bitcoin whale, I “just need” a little time machine!