Apart from an investment in gold and silver, the average person knows nothing else of the world of precious metals investing. A piece of knowledge that is forgot more than most is the fact that platinum is easily as sound, or even better of an investment than gold or silver.
Like gold and silver, platinum bars can be found in sizes as small as a gram to as large as 50 ounces. It doesn’t matter whether you are a huge investor or just getting started, platinum bars exist in sizes that are suitable for just about anyone. This article will introduce you to the different ounce sizes of platinum bars as well as some of the most popular producers of them. You might be wondering how a producer of platinum becomes any more famous or sought after than another producer of platinum, but just as there is brand power in any other industry, there is brand power with precious metals as well.
Ounce Sizes
As it is with gold and silver, the smallest ounce sized platinum bar is the 1 ounce bar. These bars are fairly small but even a single one ounce bar constitutes a decent investment in platinum. When you purchase these bars online they may come with what is called assay. Assay is more or less a certification that accompanies the platinum bar that guarantees the authenticity of the bar you purchased. Not every one ounce bar of platinum is accompanied by assay, but most are.
The next most commonly occurring size of platinum bar is the 5 ounce variety. These bars are significantly larger than one ounce bars, though they are still not overly large. Unlike a lot of one ounce platinum bars, 5 ounce bars do not typically come with assay. Instead, they are usually stamped with a unique serial number that can be verified by the producing mint, whose name is also usually on the bar itself.
As you move up the ranks, the next largest platinum bar is the 10 ounce version. This bar is where they start to become fairly large, yet their shape makes them easy to store just about anywhere. Like the 5 ounce bars, they have a unique serial number typically imprinted on the bar itself as to certify its authenticity. 50 ounce bars also exist, yet they are reserved for investors who have substantial amounts of cash to invest at one time. Everything that is regularly printed on the 5 and 10 ounce platinum bars can be found on the 50 ounce ones as well.
Ounce Platinum Bar Producers
Like we alluded to in the first section of this article, brand names do matter, even in regards to platinum bars. While there are only a few different producers of gram sized platinum bars, ounce sized ones have a wider array of producers.
Some of the most notable producers of ounce sized platinum bars include:
- Credit Suisse
- Pamp Suisse
- Engelhard
- Johnson Matthey
Even though many of these companies produce bars of a similar size, the prices are not always similar. This is because bars from certain producers are simply more sought after than those of another producer. To be honest, brand name does not really matter. So long as you are buying from a certifiably reputable dealer, you do not have to worry about what part of the world your platinum bar originates from.