100g Engelhard Bar Gold Bar

A Discontinued Refinery's Enduring Legacy

The 100g Engelhard gold bar comes from one of the most historically significant names in precious metals refining. Charles W. Engelhard Sr. founded the company in 1902 in Newark, New Jersey, and by the 1950s Engelhard was the world's largest precious metals smelter. The company produced retail bullion bars from the late 1960s through approximately 1986, when it exited the retail bullion market to focus on industrial catalysts and materials technology. BASF acquired Engelhard in 2006 for US$5 billion, ending the company's independent existence entirely.

Engelhard gold bars are secondary-market products. No new Engelhard bars have been produced since the mid-1980s, meaning every bar available today has been through at least one previous owner. This discontinued status creates a dynamic that separates Engelhard from virtually every other gold bar on the market: the bars carry both their intrinsic gold value and a collector premium based on brand recognition, rarity, and historical provenance. The collector premium varies significantly by bar type and condition.

At 100 grams of 999.9 fine gold, the metal content is identical to any other 100g gold bar from a modern refinery. The difference is entirely in the brand premium and resale dynamics. Buyers should be aware that Engelhard bars, particularly at larger sizes, are among the most counterfeited bullion products on the market. Authentication is essential for secondary-market purchases, and the AllEngelhard.com collector community maintains the definitive reference for identifying genuine bars by their specific die markings, serial number formats, and edge characteristics.

For investors focused purely on gold exposure with minimal premium over spot, modern bars from Valcambi or Heraeus are more cost-efficient. The Engelhard bar is for buyers who value the historical provenance or who already own one and are comparing prices for sale.

Engelhard 100g Gold Bar Specifications

Engelhard produced bars in both cast (poured) and pressed formats. Gold bars from Engelhard carry the company's distinctive hallmarks, which varied across production eras. Earlier bars (late 1960s) feature the elongated octagon hallmark. Later bars (1981-1986) introduced the 'E' globe logo. Serial numbers appear on nearly all Engelhard bars, with specific formats that collectors use to date and authenticate individual pieces.

The 100g gold bar is less commonly encountered than Engelhard's silver bar production, which ran into the millions of units. Gold bar production was smaller in scale, and the higher unit value means fewer bars were melted during the 1979-1980 precious metals price spike (which decimated silver bar survival rates). Nonetheless, the same authentication concerns apply: verify against the AllEngelhard.com definitive pages for the specific bar type claimed.

Tax Treatment for Secondary-Market Engelhard Bars

Engelhard gold bars at 999.9 fineness qualify for investment gold tax treatment in all major jurisdictions, regardless of their discontinued production status. Tax authorities assess the metal's purity and form, not the manufacturer's current operating status.

• United Kingdom: VAT-exempt on purchase as investment gold. Subject to CGT on disposal at 18-24%, with a 3,000 GBP annual exemption.
• United States: State sales tax varies by state. Federal capital gains taxed at the 28% collectibles rate. The 999.9 purity meets the IRA threshold of 99.5%, but IRA custodians may have specific requirements about bar provenance or sealed packaging that secondary-market Engelhard bars may not satisfy. Confirm with the custodian before purchasing for IRA purposes.
• European Union: VAT-exempt under EU Directive 98/80/EC for gold at 995+ fineness.
• Canada: GST/HST-exempt at 99.5%+ purity.
• Australia: GST-free for investment-grade gold at 99.5%+ purity.
• Singapore: GST-exempt under IPM rules. No capital gains tax.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no duties, no capital gains tax.

One tax consideration specific to secondary-market bars: if the purchase price includes a significant collector premium above spot, the cost basis for capital gains calculations should include that premium. Conversely, if the collector premium has increased since purchase, the entire gain (including the premium appreciation) is taxable.

From Newark Refinery to BASF Acquisition

Engelhard's history spans the full arc of 20th-century American industrial precious metals. Charles W. Engelhard Sr. entered the business in 1902 by purchasing the Charles F. Croselmire Company in Newark, New Jersey. He expanded aggressively, acquiring Baker and Co. (a platinum smelter) in 1904 and establishing Hanovia Chemical and Manufacturing Company in 1905.

His son, Charles Engelhard Jr., consolidated the family holdings into Engelhard Industries, Inc. in 1958 and listed the company on the New York Stock Exchange. By this time, Engelhard was the world's largest precious metals smelter, processing gold for the US Treasury among other major clients. Charles Engelhard Jr. is widely cited as the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond villain Auric Goldfinger, a connection that adds cultural cachet to the brand.

Retail silver bar production began in the late 1960s and ran through approximately 1986. Gold bars were produced alongside the silver range. The 1979-1980 silver price spike (driven by the Hunt Brothers' attempted market corner, when silver briefly hit around $50 per troy ounce) led to mass meltdowns of silver bars, paradoxically increasing the long-term collector value of survivors. Gold bars, with their higher unit value, survived in larger proportions relative to production volumes.

Engelhard exited retail bullion in the late 1980s to focus on industrial applications, particularly catalytic converters and materials science. BASF's hostile acquisition in 2006 for US$5 billion ended the company entirely. Engelhard was renamed BASF Catalysts LLC on 1 August 2006, and no further bullion products have been produced under the Engelhard name.