Invest in Gold Bars

What are Gold Bars?

Gold bars are rectangular blocks of pure gold. People call them ‘gold bullion’ or ‘gold ingots.’ Gold bars are cast by pouring molten gold into a mold. A caliber gold bar weighs 400 troy ounces of 24K gold.

Gold bars come in different shapes and sizes, but they are all made from gold that is 99.99% pure. Some people prefer smaller or bigger bars, while others prefer them to be more evenly shaped. No matter what your fondness is, there is a gold bar out there for you. Gold bars come in divergent sizes, such as 1 oz, 10 oz, 1 kilo, and 400 oz. They are all .999 pure gold and are supplied by different sovereign and private mints around the world. Smaller gold bars are usually made by pressing them into shape using heavy machinery. Larger gold bars are usually cast by pouring molten gold into a mold.

Most investment-grade gold bars are very similar. The weight, purity, and value of the precious metal are the main things to look for when buying a gold bar. Gold bars that are accepted as investment-grade must have a certain shape, purity, weight, and serial number. The name and trademark of the sovereign mint or refinery are also inscribed on each bar. These measures are utilized to prevent counterfeiting and to help ensure authenticity.

Investment grade bullion bars are easy to identify, verify, track, and authenticate. All recognized refineries and government mints adhere to strict standards. Their gold bars are internationally accepted and can easily be bought and sold.

How Gold Bars are Made?

Gold cleansing has been around for thousands of years. People have been refining gold using different techniques for a long time. Even with new technology, the basic methods of refining gold are still used. There are two main ways to produce coins. One way is to cast them, and the other way is to mint them.

Gold Cast Bars

This is an old process that has been used for almost 6,000 years. It is called “molded” or “poured.” It is a straightforward way to refine almost any metal. First, heat gold to a high temperature until it melts into a liquid.

Melting the metal separates impurities and substances from the pure metal. Molten metal is streamed into a mold and cools quickly, solidifying into the shape of the mold. The molten metal is streamed into a mold and allowed to cool. The resulting solid bar is engraved with the name of the manufacturer and other simple details. Gold cast bars are not as smooth as other types of gold bars, but they have a lower price because they are made quickly and simply. This means that you can buy them closer to the market price.

Minted Gold Bars

Minting gold bars is a very detailed and expensive process that results in high-quality gold bars that are perfect for investments. Unlike casting, which can produce some blemishes on the gold, minting results in a shiny, brilliant finish that is free of any imperfections.

All bars of similar size have the same width, length, and height. Minted gold bars are made in high-tech refineries. They are registered, signed, and sealed by independent assayers. Some minted gold bars are packaged securely to protect them from damage. They also can’t be touched with bare hands. People usually pay more for minted gold bars than cast gold bars, but they tend to sell for more later on.

What Are They Used For?

Used as a Personal Asset

People often buy gold bars because of gold’s role as a store of value. This means that it is a good way to save money. The same is true for personal finance. Gold is often used as a way to protect investments from inflation or to have money that is easy to trade. Gold bars come in many different sizes, weights, and purities so that each investor can have the perfect portfolio for their needs.

Gold bars are usually refined to a purity of 99.9% or higher. However, this was not always the case. For example, many gold bars that were produced before 1980 have a purity of only 92%. Today, many gold bars come sealed with an official assay card. This is similar to a Certificate of Authenticity.

The assay card is a document that helps customers know if the bar is real. The card has information about where the bar was made and what it is made of. It also has the metal’s design, weight, and purity—this provides greater peace of mind and confidence for investors that buy gold bars. Major refiners, such as the Royal Canadian Mint, PAMP Suisse, and many other reputable private gold refineries, have made it a standard procedure to include an assay card with each purchase.

Used as a Reserve Currency

Gold has been utilized as a medium of exchange for thousands of years. People have used gold to trade for goods and services. However, the use of gold as a currency has been changing over the last century. Gold was once used to buy things directly (in the form of gold coins). Most governments use it as a reserve currency in settlement of international trade, and it can also be used to stabilize currency values.

Central banks often buy gold as a way to increase their reserves. The gold that is bought for this purpose is usually in the form of 400 oz bars that are in the shape of a truncated pyramid. The London Bullion Market Association sets the standards for “Good Delivery” bars. These bars are produced by many different private and government mints all over the world. In some places in Asia, gold kilobars (bars that weigh 1 kilogram) are often used for reserves.

Central banks all over the world purchase gold bars on the open market to bolster their balance sheets. This is because gold is a palpable asset that investors can trust. There is a large market for physical gold in financial hubs such as London, New York, Shanghai, and Dubai. Central banks are often the primary sellers of gold bars. The Bank of England, for example, famously sold off millions of ounces of its gold bullion reserves in the 1990s.

Used as a Commercial Finance Tool

Gold bars are utilized by individuals and governments as a way to store value. This is important because it can keep your portfolio or balance sheet stable. Gold bars can also be used as a reserve currency. However, gold bars have another use. They can be used by large corporations as an asset holding. This can assist lower their bond yields, allowing them to borrow money at a lower rate. ETFs, also known as exchange-traded funds, buy large amounts of gold bars. The funds then sell “shares” of those gold holdings in the form of paper gold.

However, before an ETF can issue shares that track the price of gold, it first needs to buy a lot of gold. This usually takes the form of gold bullion bars. Gold is often bought in large quantities by institutions like ETFs. When this happens, it drives the average gold bar price up because there is more demand for gold. Institutional investors are a major part of the market. This includes large financial firms and central banks.

After considering their options, investors need to decide where to buy gold bars at the best price. Gainesville Coins always offers a wide selection of choices for buying bullion at competitive prices. They have a variety of different sizes of gold bars, from as small as 1 gram gold bars to as large as 1 kilo gold bars. There are also many options in between, including the standard 1 oz gold bar.

The Istanbul Gold Refinery and the Royal Canadian Mint produce gold bars that are at least .995 fine (99.5% pure). Some refiners, like these two, produce gold bars of .9999 fineness, which is sometimes called “four-nines” or “extra pure” gold. Many of these gold bars can be put in a retirement account.

This is good for people who have a Roth IRA or Traditional IRA. You can pick any .995 gold bar from an accredited refinery to put in your retirement account.

Different Formats Of Gold Bars

Gold in these bars or bullions is deliberated by governments and other authorities in troy ounces. Troy ounces are heavier than just ounces because they have a higher number of grams. An ounce is around 31.1034768 grams. Keep in mind that there are unalike kinds of gold bars – some use US customary units while others use British weights.

There are two general designs, which are the following:

These gold bars come in the usual sizes: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 grams.

Combibars: these are small pieces of gold. Each combi bar will have around 50 grams of gold, equivalent to selling single-gram pieces. This is a good way to sell portions of gold bars instead of the entire whole.

One Ounce Gold Bars

One-ounce gold bars are small and flat bars of gold. They contain 31.105 grams of gold and are made by different brands like Valcambi, Perth Mint RCM, Asahi, Credit Suisse, and others.

10 Ounce Gold Bars

Gold bars that weigh 10 ounces are a medium size. Keep in mind that many smaller gold bars that are not the standard size are actually smaller than 10 ounces. Because they are easier to handle and store, gold bars of this type or format is popular among investors. Gold bars that weigh ten oz. are popular with investors because they hold a lot of value. The best producers of these gold bars are Perth Mint, PAMP Suisse, Asahi Refining, Valcambi Suisse, and Credit Suisse.

1 Kilo Gold Bars

These gold bullions each contain 1 kilo of 0.999 fine gold or around 32.15 troy oz. It is important to record that the condition of each bar may vary, depending on the company that minted them. There are three popular brands of bars of this size: PAMP Suisse, Valcambi Suisse, and Heraeus.

400 Ounce Gold Bars

Gold bars that weigh 400 oz. and have dimensions of 12.4 kg or 27.3 lbs are called Good Delivery Bars. They are about the same weight as an average person.

Length: 210 to 290 mm
Width: 55 to 85 mm
Height: 25 to 45 mm

Note that 400-ounce bullions are usually produced as cast bars. They are produced by government mints and private refineries.

Smaller Gold Bars

Smaller gold bars usually include the combi bars that were mentioned earlier. The smallest of these bars is only one gram or 0.32 troy ounces. That is the smallest size of gold bar that investors can purchase. However, the price for these smaller bars is usually higher because it takes the same amount of effort to produce them as large bullions.

What Makes Gold Bars a Good Investment Option?

Gold is often seen as a safe investment because it doesn’t tend to be affected by the same things that can affect other types of investments, like stock markets and financial markets. For example, if there is a crash in these markets, gold usually doesn’t go down in value as much.

Gold and other precious metals have been steady and grown a lot, even though there have been a lot of market changes in the last few decades. That is why when things get tough, investors put their money in gold.

Tips in Buying Gold Bars

Know the Difference Between Bars and Coins

There is a difference between buying either gold bars or coins. The following is a few comparisons of the two types of gold purchases.

Why Buy Gold Bars

• You get more ounces for less
• Ideal for high-volume diversification
• Easy to store
• Privately minted
• The average premium is much lower

Why Buy Gold Coins

• It can be utilized as legal tender in some countries
• They can make great gifts
• It has numismatic potential
• It is a liquid asset

Purity of the Gold Bar

Make sure that the gold you are buying is the right type. The only take purity of gold is 99.5% to 99.9%.

Refinery

Check where the gold came from. This will tell you how pure and good the gold is. Some of the largest refineries in the world are:

• Heraeus
• Royal Canadian Mint
• Perth Mint
• Argor-Heraeus
• PAMP
• Royal Mint
• Valcambi
• Rand Refinery
• Metalor
• Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogy

Tolerance Level

Make sure you check gold’s weight and purity tolerance levels before buying it. Some gold has a plus or minus tolerance on these factors. You are still getting a good deal on the gold you purchased, even though the tolerance levels for weight and purity are both zero.

Fineness

The purity of gold is measured in portion per thousand. The number you usually see on gold, like 999.9, shows how pure the gold is.

Denomination

This is the size of gold. It is usually expressed in grams. There are different denominations, like 5, 10, 50, 100, and others. There are also 1-kilogram denominations. Experts recommend that you remain your purchases at the lower denominations so you can sell them if you need to.

Certification

Gold certification can be offered by governments, banks, mints, and jewelers who sell gold coins or bullions. When you are buying gold, ask the seller for certification. This will help you determine if the gold you want to buy is real or not.

Buy Gold in Workable Sizes

When buying gold, it is usually a good idea to buy it in workable sizes. This means sizes like 1, 2 ½, 5, 10, 20, and 50 ounces. Keep in mind that the cost of gold is usually based on its weight. Gold is a good choice for investments because it is easy to handle and transport, liquid, and can fetch a higher price if you decide to sell it later.

Packaging

When you purchase gold bars, it is important to check the packaging first. This will assist you in determining the purity of the gold once it is delivered. You should never take the gold out of its packaging for any reason. Gold producers and third-party handlers never take the packaging off, so you shouldn’t either.

Avoid Rip-Offs

If you think that the gold you received has been tampered with, don’t accept it and ask for a refund or replacement. If you see anything wrong with the weight, size, certification, packaging, purity, denomination, tolerances, or dimensions of the gold, don’t buy it. Understanding these details can help you keep away from getting torn off.

Shop Around

Remember that you should do your analysis and compare prices before you buy or sell gold. Don’t just go with one online seller or dealer. If they have good reviews on the BBB, that is a good sign. Before acquiring, compare the fine print. Check the remit policy—real gold chains will offer both a full refund and an exchange of goods as long as you have the receipt.

 Summary

Gold bars are a great investment for your future. They offer stability and security, and over time their value usually increases. If you’re looking for a solid investment that will help you secure your financial future, gold bars should be at the top of your list.