If you’ve ever visited an online bullion dealer or have bought gold bars locally at a coin shop, you are probably aware that there are a ton of options to choose from in regards to the brand. Many private mints and refineries throughout the USA (and a wide range of other countries around the world) manufacture gold bars in different varieties. Each brand has their own makers mark, design and unique sizes of gold bars.
This large selection can make it difficult to navigate the world of gold bullion and find the best gold bar brand. On this page, we’ll go over each of the most popular brands of gold bars in 2019 to help you understand all of the different types gold bars available to you today. Below we will touch base on some popular gold bar manufacturers and talk about their history, reputation and the selection of gold bars they produce for investors.
Bullion Deals Happening Now
Dealer | Company Info | Shipping | Check price |
 | Bullion Shark LLC | Free Over $99 | |
 | Money Metals Exchange LLC | Free Over $500 + free insurance & reduced charges |  |
Gold Bar Manufacturers
PAMP Suisse Gold Bars
PAMP Suisse may be the most well known producer of gold bullion in the world. They offer a large number of different gold bars and medallions in several varieties, which each feature a unique design. PAMP Suisse, located in Switzerland, has been manufacturing gold bars for private investors and collectors since the 1970′s. Over the last 5+ decades, PAMP has become a preferred choice for those looking to purchase high quality gold bars. They make .9999 pure gold bars ranging in size from 1 gram all the way up to kilogram sizes and even produce a 400 ounce LBMA good delivery gold bar.
Credit Suisse Gold Bars
Credit Suisse is another sought after brand when it comes to buying gold bars. Like PAMP, Credit Suisse is also located in the country of Switzerland and has the added benefit of being backed by the national bank of Switzerland itself. They are most widely recognized for their .9999 one and ten troy ounce gold bars as well as their “Liberty” design gold bars which are produced in 1, 2, 5 and 20 gram sizes. They have helped pave the way for what we know now as “Swiss Gold”; a widely recognized label given to gold bars produced in Switzerland.
Royal Canadian Mint (RCM)
The Royal Canadian Mint, or RCM for short is the national mint of Canada which is run by the Canadian Government. Aside from producing some of the most beautifully crafted gold bullion coins in the world, they also manufacture a wide range of other precious metal products including gold bars. They are probably most famous for the 1 oz RCM gold bar which contains several unique security features and is sealed in it’s black assay card containing images of the maple tree leaf; one of Canada’s national symbols and a hallmark of the mint.
Valcambi Suisse Gold Bars
Valcambi is another sought after brand when it comes to gold bullion. They are probably most well known for their divisible, 50 gram gold bar which is perforated into 50 – 1 gram gold pieces which can be broken off as needed. Aside from offering these unique “Combi Bars” they do also produce some regular 1 oz gold bars which are pretty desirable as well.
Johnson Matthey Gold Bars
Johnson Matthey was founded over 150 years ago and has been producing gold bullion since then. Because of their storied and long history as well as the quality and purity of their bullion, their gold bars are both collected and purchased for investment purposes as well. They offer gold bars in sizes of 1 oz to 400 oz with dozens of other options in between.
APMEX Gold Bars
If you have ever invested in gold bullion before I’m sure you’ve heard of APMEX. Even if you have never bought gold online, if you have ever visited a local coin shop you’ve most likely seen an APMEX silver bar or round. APMEX is unique in that it is both a retailer and manufacturer of gold bars. Aside from selling gold bars online through their retail store, they also produces their own brand of gold bars containing their logo. A unique approach to branding, APMEX’s gold bars can usually be bought for a few dollars more than some other brands such as PAMP Suisse.
Perth Mint Gold Bars
The Perth Mint is actually Australia’s national mint which not only produces the country’s coinage but also manufactures gold bullion coins and bars for investors. The bullion coins they mint are regarded as some of the most beautiful in the world and their bars are no exception. They make .9999 gold bars in 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram 1 oz and 10 oz sizes. Each gold bar comes sealed in an assay guaranteed to be 100% pure and authentic by the mint. Perth Mint gold bars are recognized by investors throughout the world by their unique, dark green colored assay cards containing the mints logo.
Argor-Heraeus Gold Bars
Argor-Heraeus, located in Switzerland, is a well known producer of gold bars. Heraeus gold bars are minted in sizes from as small as 1/2 oz to as large a kilogram and are generally 99.99% pure. Their smaller minted bars are often sold in assay while their larger bars are stamped with a serial number. Argor-Heraeus gold bars are very affordable and can often be purchased for around $20-$40 over the current gold spot price.
Ohio Precious Metals (OPM)
Ohio Precious Metals or OPM for short, is a widely recognized producer of gold bars. They are actually America’s largest supplier of LBMA approved gold bars. Though OPM produced these larger sized gold bricks, they are probably most well known to investors for their 1 oz, 10 oz and kilogram size gold bars. One of the main reasons investors enjoy buying OPM gold bars is that they tend to be priced lower than other manufacturers such as PAMP and Credit, enabling them to get the lowest price per ounce.
Choosing The Best Gold Bullion Brand
Some gold bar brands are more well known than others and will fetch a higher premium, while others are made purely to be low cost and are merely priced based on their gold melt value. One analogy I like to use regarding bullion is that choosing a gold bar manufacturer is similar to choosing a car manufacturer. Before making a purchase, many gold owners prefer to know the history behind the brand to see what they offer versus all of the other brands. Some gold bar brands offer low-cost options, while others offer more premium options.
When it comes to narrowing down your options and choosing the best brand to purchase before entering into a gold investment, your final decision really just depends on personal preference. Some brands offer more in the way of design, while others will offer simplistic, low-cost gold bullion. With that said, it also depends on your investment goals, and there’s not one single, clear choice on which brand is the best. If you are just trying to hunt down the cheapest gold bar, there are many brands to choose from whose bullion is available inexpensively.
You can learn more about each of these brands on their respective review pages above to better understand your options when it comes to physical gold bullion investments. Once you have chosen a product and a brand, you can compare the different sellers to see which dealer has the best prices and offers an overall satisfactory buying experience. Some mints even offer direct sales which enables investors to buy direct, though this is not too common.
Types of Gold Bars Available From These Brands
Each of the brands that we have mentioned above manufacture several different types of gold bars. This most commonly includes cast (poured) and new (assay-encased) bars. New bars will come from a gold dealer/mint in a plastic assay case which not only helps to protect the bar from wear and tear, but also includes security features such as a serial number or tamper-proof case. Additionally, these bars are marked with the weight, purity/fineness and usually the mint’s logo or hallmark.
Cast, or “poured” bars, are produced by mints that use the old technique of “casting” bars which involves pouring smelted gold into a pre-made mold.
Beyond this, the brand will sometimes imprint a nice-looking design onto the face of their bars. Gold bars can be made in most any size imaginable, but the most common weights are 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram, 50 gram, 100 gram and 1,000 gram. Beyond gram sizes, gold bars can also be found in weights of 1 oz and 10 oz. The cast gold bars are usually only produced in larger sizes including 50 gram, 100 gram, 1 oz and 10 oz. Assayed bars are offered in all sizes, and are more common for smaller gram sized gold bars.
