An apparatus and method in which one or more taggants that are intrinsically located or extrinsically placed in an article or product (11) The taggants are detected by X-ray fluorescence analysis (20, 21) to identify or verify the article of its point of manufacture. taggants are manufactured as part of the article or the taggant is placed into a coating, label, or otherwise embedded within the articl for the purpose of later verifying the presence or absence of these elements by X-ray fluorescence, thus determining the unique elemental composition of the taggant within the article.