As the global economy lurches toward recovery, investors continue to flock to gold and other precious metals as a reliable investment opportunity. When it comes to investing in gold bullion, consumers have a lot of options available. Ohio Precious Metals is one of the newest, yet most respected, refineries in the world. The plant, located in the U.S. state of Ohio, rose to fame on the strength of its silver bar and round minting process, but the company is gaining an increasing foothold in the gold bullion market as well.
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The Ohio Precious Metals Gold Bar’s main reason for being so successful is its pricing. Whether you are looking to buy one ounce, or a large kilogram, the bars cost very little above the current spot price of gold. This has attracted the attention of investors looking to acquire the most metal for their money. Aside from cost, there are also many other draws to the OPM gold bar, which we’ll go over in full detail below.
Conflict Free, Environmentally Friendly and American Made
Ohio Precious Metals opened its doors for the first time in 1974. The company’s primary refinery is located in Jackson, Ohio; a city located in the southeastern corner of the state near the border with West Virginia. From the very beginning, OPM has focused its business process on refining and minting precious metals for the sole purpose of investment. The company’s selection of precious metals ranges from bars to rounds, in both silver and gold.
The production quality of all of the bullion that leaves OPM facilities has helped the company gain fame across North America and around the globe, but the 21st century focus on environmental responsibility has also helped OPM attract investors with carbon footprint on their mind.
SCS Global Services has certified both the silver and gold sourcing of OPM and officially recognizes OPM for sourcing all of its fine silver and pure gold from 100% recycled sources. Additionally, OPM (like many other refineries) adheres to the standards regarding gold, silver, and other precious metals sourced from conflict zones.
None of the precious metals at OPM have come from conflict zones around the globe. SCS Globe Services also provided this certification, and with it certified that OPM products are produced using fair labor practices, and baseline energy, water, and waste practices that help reduce the impact of its refinery on the environment over time. OPM even goes as far as refusing to use gold and other precious metals in the refining process that has been contaminated by radioactive or chemically dangerous materials.
It may seem unimportant to the average investor, but to OPM it means the world to be recognized for its fair business practices, responsible sourcing, and environmentally friendly attitude. This has also helped to raise the level of trust associated with the OPM brand in many investors’ minds.
OPM Gold Bullion
Although silver bars and rounds were the first products to roll out of OPM refineries, the company has increasingly gained market share and status in the gold bullion market as well. Today, OPM refines and produces two standard gold bars. The 1 oz. OPM gold bar is the standard bar produced by the company. Additionally, the company produces a 1 kilogram OPM gold bar for larger investors.
Silver is still the predominant precious metal that OPM works with on an annual basis. The company produces 1 oz. silver bars/rounds, 10 oz. silver bars, 1 kilogram silver bars, and 100 oz. silver bars. There are also a number of other high-grade, finished products that come from the refinery at OPM. These products include, but are not limited to, .9999 gold grain, .9995 silver grain, catalyst silver, and crystal silver.
Gold Bullion Design
Every OPM gold bar comes with unique markings and stamps to ensure the quality and integrity of the precious metals refined at its headquarters. The 1 kilogram gold bars feature (from top to bottom) a stamp with the Ohio Precious Metals name across the top, the purity of the bar (.9999), the weight, an alternate company logo, and the official recycle logo (three arrows forming a connected triangle). The final stamp signifies the company’s dedication to environmental responsibility and clean sourcing of its precious metals.
On the popular 1 oz. OPM gold bar, the design features are slightly different than the 1 kilogram bar. The rectangular bar with rounded edges features the primary company logo, followed by OPM Metals, weight, and purity of the bar stamped on the front side.
On the reverse side, consumers will find the company logo stamped in a continuous pattern. A few unique stamp features on the front of the 1 oz. bar include the U.S.A. stamp, as well as a unique QR code that mobile enthusiasts can use to track the serial number and identify of their gold bars.
Assay Cards & Security Implementations
All of the 1 oz. OPM gold bars produced at the company’s refinery are sold with an assay card inside the plastic casing of the bar. The assay card, about the size of a credit card, is included in the sealed case to assure the purchaser of the quality and serial number of the bar. The 1 kilogram gold bars produced by OPM do not always come with an assay, but rather, include weight, purity, and serial number stamps on the bar itself.
When it comes to protecting against gold bullion fraud, OPM is one of the world’s best refineries at ensuring consumers are getting the real thing when purchasing OPM gold bars. Rising prices for gold and silver in recent years has led to an increase in the number of forgeries appearing on the gold bullion and precious metals market.
The 1 oz. OPM gold bars are all packaged in a CertiCard case. The CertiCard case is recognized as the industry’s most secure housing for gold bars, and provides for the long term storage and safekeeping of any gold bar purchase. In addition to the individual serial numbers and QR codes associated with each 1 oz. OPM gold bar, the CertiCard case comes with two unique security features.
The first of these security features is a UV light integrity seal that makes it easy to decipher if the CertiCard case has been opened and tampered with in anyway. Should the UV light seal fail to work, there is also a blister tamper evidence tool that helps identify when, and if, a gold bar case has been tampered with by someone other than the purchaser.
Buying OPM Gold Bars Online
Due to the world wide recognition associated with them, OPM gold bars are available from a variety of online gold dealers. Investors can purchase and store gold bars directly from OPM, or entrust their business to a variety of vendors including Provident Metals, JM Bullion, APMEX, Gainesville Coins and SD Bullion among others. There is no shortage of companies offering the OPM gold bars, but these are the largest out there. You can likely source them locally as well from coin shops or cash for gold stores.
When purchasing a 1 oz. OPM gold bar, be sure to inspect the CertiCard case and look for the included assay to ensure the gold bar is legitimate. If you are looking to invest in a large amount of gold, the Kilo OPM gold bar is a low cost option while buying 1 oz bars can also be cheap when purchasing them in larger amounts. In fact, OPM sells these bars in sealed cases of 25 bars similar to that of PAMP Suisse gold bars. The only downside to the paranoid investor, is that kilo gold bars from Ohio Precious Metals do not come with an assay card. With that said, there are many measures you can take to insure their authenticity.