PAMP Suisse Gold Bars: A Guide to Their History and Product Range
PAMP Suisse has been a venerable international brand for precious metals for decades. This Swiss refiner is well known for the quality of its products, ranging from investment-grade bullion to precious metal collectibles. If you are considering buying PAMP gold bars, this article will give you a better understanding of PAMP's history and products.
Who is MKS PAMP?
MKS PAMP is a leading Swiss precious metals company that sources, supplies, refines, and trades precious metal products. PAMP is an abbreviation for Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux. The company was formed in November 2021 after a merger between PAMP SA and MKS PAMP SA.
Founded in 1977 in Ticino, Switzerland, PAMP SA is one of the largest gold refineries known for its minted gold bars. In 1979, Mahmoud Kassem Shakarchi used his initials to found MKS (Switzerland) SA in Geneva, Switzerland, forming a close relationship with PAMP SA to trade gold throughout the Middle East. Mahmoud Kassem Shakarchi was a northern Iraqi whose initial business foray was in the sheep trade in Istanbul. He moved to Beirut, Lebanon, in 1948, where he set up a foreign exchange and gold trading business.
In 1981, Skakarchi became a shareholder of PAMP after MKS (Switzerland) SA acquired a majority shareholding of PAMP SA. Under his guidance, MKS and PAMP became two of the most renowned suppliers of precious metals worldwide. After he passed away in 1983, his daughter Karma and son Marwan took over the family business. They led the company to greater heights as it expanded towards Asia and the rest of the world with offices established in:
- Dubai (1996)
- Malaysia (1996)
- Thailand (1996)
- Australia (1998)
- United States (2002)
- China (2002)
- Netherlands (2008)
- India (2008)
- Vietnam (2008)
- Singapore (2009)
- Turkey (2010)
PAMP Suisse gold bars have been accepted as Good Delivery by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) since 1986.
MKS PAMP SA was appointed by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) as one of the five Referees to the London Good Delivery system since 2004.
PAMP SA is a COMEX-approved refinery, and its 100 troy-ounce gold bars are COMEX Deliverable bars, also known as COMEX Acceptable bars. Comex, also known as the Commodity Exchange Inc., is a futures and options exchange owned and operated by CME Group in the United States.
Besides gold, MKS PAMP SA also refines silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium products.
The PAMP Minted and Cast Gold Bars
While there are many ways to invest in gold, buying physical gold bars is one of the safest options. PAMP Suisse gold bars are undoubtedly one of the most popular brands to buy today.
MKS PAMP produces investment-grade bullion gold bars with two types of finishing: cast bars and minted bars. Gold cast bars are produced directly from melted gold poured into a mold from a crucible. They are often tapered in shape to facilitate their removal from the mold. Therefore, the length and width of the top and bottom surface areas are often different. In terms of appearance, cast bars are usually rough-looking, with blemishes on their surfaces.
Minted gold bars are often produced using blanks cut from cast bars rolled to a uniform thickness. They often have well-polished surfaces with selected artistic designs on their reverse sides. Examples of PAMP minted gold bars are the Lady Fortuna gold bars and the Lunar Series gold bars.
PAMP Suisse Minted (left) and Cast (right) gold bar
The PAMP Lady Fortuna Design
PAMP was the first precious metals brand to introduce designs on its minted bars' reverse sides. Its most famous design was the Lady Fortuna artistic motif implemented on its minted bars, which has become one of the most recognized bullion bar designs worldwide.
PAMP's Lady Fortuna design is based on Fortuna, the goddess of fortune and the embodiment of luck in Roman religion. The motif is exquisitely crafted with sheaves of wheat, poppies, precious coins pouring out of the horn of plenty, and a wheel of fortune, showing all of Lady Fortuna's ancient symbols and mythical attributes. At the bottom, the Hands of Fortune freely share her benevolence with all.
When reproduced on PAMP minted bars, the Lady Fortuna motif has a highly polished and frosted finish using a complex PAMP proprietary process.
The PAMP Lady Fortuna Design
PAMP Official Stamp and Certification Mark
PAMP Suisse gold bars possess PAMP's official stamp and certification mark, in addition to the bar fineness and serial number. Since 1982, PAMP's official stamp has been found on its gold bars, and the PAMP certification mark ('Essayeur Fondeur') has been used since 1980.
PAMP Suisse official stamp
PAMP Suisse certification mark
Features of PAMP Suisse Gold Minted Bars
PAMP Suisse Gold Minted Bars are recognizable worldwide for their distinctive gold bar packaging. First developed in the 1990s, its CertiPAMP assay-card packaging securely seals each gold bar and bears QR codes, the official signature of an independent Swiss Federal Assayer, and individual serial numbers.
These details on the CertiPAMP packaging are the equivalent of certificates of authenticity issued for PAMP's gold cast bars, which do not have the same packaging.
PAMP Suisse CertiPAMP packaging
In 2015, PAMP introduced VERISCAN, an innovative scanning system that verified any registered bullion product whose CertiPAMP assay-card packaging or certificate bears the VERISCAN logo and accompanying QR code. This was done to reduce the risk of counterfeit PAMP gold bars circulating in the market.
According to PAMP, the patented anti-counterfeiting detection technology "identifies the bar's unique microscopic topography" and can be used as an iPhone app or on a PC with an attached scanner. PAMP VERISCAN works on the principle that every man-made product bears distinctive microscopic surface differences akin to human fingerprints. Using its proprietary scanning system, VERISCAN identifies and compares the 'surface profiles' of PAMP products with the digital record captured at the production stage to verify their authenticity.
In 2023, AlpVision, the anti-counterfeit technology used by PAMP VERISCAN, received the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Security Feature accreditation as part of the LBMA Gold Bar Integrity (GBI) program.
PAMP Suisse Gold Bar Sizes
PAMP minted and cast gold bars are produced in various sizes. We group them below according to their packaging.
PAMP Suisse Lady Fortuna Gold Bar Sizes
Blue CertiPAMP assay-card packaging: 1g, 2.5g, 5g, 10g, 1 tola, 20g, 3 tola, 50g, 5 tola, 100g
Clear Plastic Case with assay certificate: 5oz, 250g, 10oz, 500g, 1kg
PAMP Cast Gold Bar Sizes
PAMP gold cast bars do not have individual packaging like minted gold bars. They are usually packaged in a box of a certain quantity of bars. For example, the 1kg gold cast bars are shipped in a box of twenty five bars.
Without original packaging: 10 tola, 50g, 100g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 100 oz, 400 oz
PAMP Suisse 1kg gold bar monster box. Credit: PAMP
Pros of Investing in PAMP Suisse Gold Bars
Investing in PAMP Suisse gold bars offers several advantages, including:
Purity and Quality
PAMP Suisse products are known for their quality. Their gold bars are refined with 99.99% purity (24k), following the industry standard for investment-grade gold bar fineness.
Highly Recognizable
PAMP Suisse is one of the most famous precious metal brands worldwide. We attest to its brand recognizability from our experience operating our Millenia Walk retail store and interacting with countless customers over the years. PAMP Suisse is one of the major brands customers look to when they want to buy Swiss gold.
Liquidity
Given PAMP's global brand recognition by gold dealers and investors worldwide, investors can easily sell their gold and silver bullion products in many international markets. With the many potential buyers competing for PAMP Suisse gold, their gold bar prices will be competitive.
Security
Newer PAMP Suisse minted gold bars are produced with the VERISCAN tamper-evident system as an anti-counterfeiting measure. However, all PAMP gold bars can be easily authenticated using non-destructive precious metal tests, like Silver Bullion's DUX Testing.
Cons of Investing in PAMP Suisse Gold Bars
While buying PAMP Suisse gold bars has many advantages, the main disadvantage, in our opinion, is their higher prices. Compared to other global gold bars brands such as Valcambi Suisse, Heraeus, Metalor, and Argor-Heraeus, PAMP Suisse gold bars are usually sold at a premium to bullion dealers, who then pass the cost to customers through the selling prices. This is despite the same quality and purity of gold bars produced from these different brands.
It is also common for bullion dealers to quote the same buyback price for different branded gold bars of the same weight class. Therefore, investors' profits may be slightly smaller if they had purchased PAMP Suisse gold bars at a premium and sold at the same buyback price of lower premium gold bars.
Types of PAMP Suisse Gold Bars
There are several types of investment-grade PAMP Suisse gold bars produced besides the Lady Fortuna design, including:
PAMP Suisse Rosa gold bar
The PAMP Suisse Rosa gold bar depicts a rose, the most prized and beautiful of all the flowers, in full bloom with two buds sprouting from the stem. The Rosa design is usually as common as the Lady Fortuna design.
PAMP Suisse Liberty gold bar
The PAMP Suisse Liberty gold bar depicts the Statue of Liberty, the United States' most famous icon of freedom and democracy, with the country's flag partially shown in the background. The Liberty design is the least common among the 3 designs (i.e., Rosa, Lady Fortuna, and Liberty).
PAMP Suisse Lunar Series gold bar
The PAMP Lunar Series gold bar commemorates each Lunar New Year, featuring one animal from the Chinese Zodiac in the corresponding year's issue. Therefore, each year's design is different. In addition, once all twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac have been produced, the Lunar Series gold bars will sport different gold bar designs for the next twelve-year lunar cycle. The PAMP Lunar Series gold bars are produced in their distinctive bright red CertiPAMP packaging, which signifies luck in Chinese culture.
PAMP Suisse Lunar Series gold bar packaging
Buy Pamp Suisse Gold Bars From Silver Bullion
You can invest in PAMP Suisse gold bars by buying them from Silver Bullion, one of Singapore's premier bullion dealers.
In Singapore, you can visit our bullion retail store in Millenia Walk to buy PAMP Suisse gold bars.
Overseas clients can purchase and store PAMP Suisse gold bars in our S.T.A.R. Storage Program or The Safe House's safe deposit boxes.
Selling Pamp Suisse Gold Bars
Selling PAMP Suisse gold bars is easy, thanks to their high liquidity. You can sell gold bars to Silver Bullion even if they were not purchased from us. We are active buyers of gold and a major market maker for retail investors. Please find our updated buyback prices for gold on our website.
Buyback prices can be locked online via our website 24/7. Please note that online sell orders submitted are binding, and a cancellation charge/market loss charge will be levied if the order is canceled. Please find more information about selling gold to us here.