We are now stopping off in the USA on our virtual tour through all the Engelhard facilities around the world. Engelhard headquarters was located in Iselin, New Jersey. Actually accredited with developing the first production catalytic converter. Another location was in Plainville, Massachusetts. I found out about 6 years ago that my grandfather was an employee at the Plainfield location. That certainly threw some fuel on the fire for me! In 2006, the German chemical manufacturer BASF bought Engelhard for $US5 billion.
The US Engelhard ingots all are stamped ENGELHARD in capitol letters. Purity and weight usually stamped on the right and left side. Shown below are several unique and rare Engelhard ingots produced in the US.
^ 1st Series ingot. Crude casting finish, non '+' variety. Notice the 'top logo' placement on the early 1st and 2nd series ingots.
Mintage <25
Recorded Sale: 12/7/2017 for $3,643.95
^ 3rd Series in 5-digit serial variation with 'MFR' counterstamp. MFR stands for Metals Fabrication and Refining.
Mintage <100
Recorded Sale: 8/10/2015 for $1,750 USD
^ 3rd Series in 6-digit serial variation with partial 'X8' prefix. Similar to the 25oz 'Y9' ingot I shared in blog #2.
Mintage <250
Price range: $400-$650 USD
^ 3rd Series in 5-digit serial variation with very rare 0-prefix assignment. This is 1 of 2 known ingots in this variety.
Mintage <25
Price range: $2750-$3500 USD
The 3rd Series variation is one of the largest categories in the 10oz class. There are many more variations with in the 3rd series that can be seen at WWW.ALLENGELHARD.COM. I will now branch out into some other sizes manufactured by Engelhard in the US. (Pictured below)
^ 1st Series 1 KILO ingot. Manufactured with a P- prefix serial number.
Mintage <250
Price Range: $1000-$1350
^ 5th Series standard production ingot. Large Mod Hallmark design in FPM counterstamp. FPM stands for Fleet Precious Metals.
Mintage <100
Recorded Sale: 1/27/18 for $3,000 USD
The most popular collectable sizes are the 5oz and 10oz class ingots. The US and Canada manufactured majority of them. I tend to ask myself, why are these the most popular sizes? The 25oz and 1KG ingots can be half the price and you get double the weight in silver. BUT that's what makes this fun. Time and time again you see the rarest 10oz ingots fetching $3,000. Maybe it would pay off buying the larger bar's at less of a premium? Down the road when the smaller bar's dry up, the larger could then demand more money. Everyone in this market eventually starts building a collection around thier own personal taste. As well as where they perceive the current and future value to be.
Keep on stacking!
If you enjoyed this please resteem, follow, and upvote. Thank you!
** More information provided at www.allengelhard.com. This website has played a significant role in developing this market into what it is today.**