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Gold bars are popular investment vehicles primarily because they carry much lower premiums than gold bullion coins. For example, premiums on kilo gold bars can be as much as $50 per ounce lower than the premium on American Gold Eagles.
Truly, gold bars are an exciting way to invest in gold bullion. Hefting large gold bars causes an adrenalin rush. When people hold large gold bars for the first time, they always ask, “How can something so small be so heavy and contain so much wealth?” Gold bars are dense not only physically but also in monetary terms. A vast amount of wealth can be stored and concealed in gold bars, making them an ideal investment vehicle and wealth preservation tool.
The primary reason to buy gold bars instead of the popular gold bullion coins is gold bullion bars sell at smaller markups over the spot price than popular gold bullion coins.
Investors who want to buy gold with the lowest markup over spot should consider buying Austrian 100 Coronas or Mexican 50 Pesos, which were the primary gold bullion coins of the 1970s, before Gold Maple Leafs (1979) and American Gold Eagles (1986) were introduced. However, Austrian 100 Coronas and Mexican 50 Pesos are no longer promoted in the U.S. and are not always available.
One ounce .9999 fine (pure) gold bars have grown in popularity since the 2008 Financial Crisis mainly because they carry lower premiums than the popular one-ounce gold bullion coins, of which American Gold Eagles and South African Krugerrands are the most popular. Several refineries such as the Perth Mint and PAMP SUISSE Mint produce 1-oz gold bars.
Simply put, buying gold bars is for investors solely interested in bullion investments with the lowest premiums.
Gold bars come in various sizes, from one-ounce to kilo bars. Gold bars for sale include 1-oz gold bars, 10-oz gold bars, kilo gold bars, and 100-gram gold bars. All these gold bars are .9999 fine (99.99 pure.)
Historically, only 1-oz and 10-oz gold bars were available; however, today, kilo gold bars are commonly bought by large investors. That’s because kilo gold bars are easier to store than 1-oz gold bars. In the space it takes to store twenty-five 1-oz gold bars (in their packaging from the refinery), six Royal Canadian Mint kilo gold bars (192.90 ounces) could be stored.
Investors wanting low-premium gold bars may consider the 100-gram gold bars, which carry slightly higher premiums than kilo gold bars. Buying 100-gram gold bars provides investors more flexibility when it comes time to sell.
As a rule, smaller gold bars carry larger markups over spot. However, the premiums on 100-gram gold bars are usually less than those on 10-oz gold bars.
Hallmarks on gold bars are important for customer protection when it comes to verifying the authenticity and purity of the gold bar. The official marks are a safeguard against fraud, ensuring that the gold you purchase is genuine and meets the advertised purity. Hallmarks typically include information such as:
PAMP and Perth Mint hallmarked bars currently dominate the gold bar market. However, RCM kilo gold bars are just as popular because they carry the hallmark of the prestigious Royal Canadian Mint.
Other hallmarks of gold bars include Johnson Matthey, Engelhard, Metalor, and Umicore. Most U.S. precious metals investors recognize the names Johnson Matthey and Engelhard. Metalor and Umicore are equally recognized in Europe. Metalor is based in Switzerland; Umicore is headquartered in Belgium, with operations throughout Europe. While some of these mints are no longer in business, you can still find their products on the secondary market and their hallmarks still provide valid authenticity.
Another recognized hallmark for gold bars is Credit Suisse, the huge Swiss bank. Credit Suisse bars are manufactured by PAMP. (A few years ago, Credit Suisse bought First Boston Bank to gain a major foothold in the U.S. banking market.)
The primary reason to buy gold bars instead of the popular gold bullion coins is that gold bullion bars sell at smaller markups over spot than do the popular gold bullion coins.
Investors who simply want to buy gold with the smallest markup over spot should consider buying Austrian 100 Coronas or Mexican 50 Pesos, which were the primary gold bullion coins of the 1970s, before Gold Maple Leafs (1979) and American Gold Eagles (1986) were introduced.
Today Austrian 100 Coronas and Mexican 50 Pesos are no longer promoted in the U.S. But, because they are no longer promoted, they often carry smaller premiums over spot than new 1-oz Credit Suisse and PAMP gold bars. However, Austrian 100 Coronas and Mexican 50 Peso gold coins are not always available.
Did you know you can set up a precious metals IRA with eligible gold and silver bullion products? Gold or silver have proven to be a safeguard for wealth during times of economic downturns and uncertainty, so why not use this same power to safeguard your retirement savings? With a gold or silver IRA, investors own and control the invested bullion through the convenience of a custodial in the storage of a safe and secure IRS-approved depository. Similar to cash IRAs, the same tax implications apply to precious metal Traditional IRA and Roth IRA contributions. But, with precious metal IRAs, you receive the added benefit of the power of wealth preservation from gold and silver.
The Perth Mint produces 20-gram, 10-gram and 5-gram gold bars, which sell at higher premiums than the gold bars discussed above. However, small metric-weight gold bars sell at much lower premium than fractional-ounce gold coins, such as 1/10-oz Gold Eagles.
For more information on small metric-weight gold bars, visit our Small Metric-Weight Gold Bars page.
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