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| Product | /oz | Premium | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,767.34 | +38.33% | $927.12 | View Deal |
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About the 5g Engelhard Gold Bar
A Discontinued American Refiner's Gold
The 5g Engelhard gold bar is a product of one of America's most historically significant precious metals refiners. Charles W. Engelhard Sr. founded the company in 1902 by purchasing the Charles F. Croselmire Company in Newark, New Jersey. His son, Charles Engelhard Jr., consolidated the family holdings into Engelhard Industries, Inc. in 1958, listing it on the NYSE. By the 1950s, Engelhard was the world's largest precious metals smelter.
Engelhard exited the retail bullion market in the late 1980s to focus on industrial catalysts and materials. BASF acquired the company in 2006 for US$5 billion, renaming it BASF Catalysts LLC. No new Engelhard-branded bullion bars have been produced since the 1980s. Every Engelhard bar on the market today is vintage stock, and the brand's discontinuation has created a collector market where bars trade above their metal value based on historical provenance and scarcity.
The 5g gold bar is one of the smaller sizes in Engelhard's historical production range. Engelhard gold bars were struck in .999 or .9999 fine gold, with serial numbers on nearly all pieces. The collector premium over spot varies by bar type, condition, and rarity. For buyers interested purely in gold content per dollar, modern LBMA-accredited bars from active refineries offer lower premiums. The Engelhard bar's appeal lies in owning a piece of American refining history from a company that processed gold for the US Treasury and was, at its peak, the dominant force in global precious metals fabrication.
A frequently noted piece of trivia: Charles Engelhard Jr. is widely cited as the inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond villain Auric Goldfinger.
5g Engelhard Gold Bar Specifications
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5 grams (0.1607 troy oz) |
| Purity | .9999 fine gold |
| Manufacturer | Engelhard (Newark, New Jersey, USA) |
| Production Period | Late 1960s through mid-1980s (now discontinued) |
| Serial Number | Present on nearly all bars |
| Current Status | Discontinued. All bars are vintage/secondary market stock. |
Engelhard bars were produced using cast, pressed, and extruded methods, with weight and purity consistent across methods but finish and appearance varying. The company's hallmarks evolved over its production history: earliest bars used elongated octagon hallmarks, 1970s bars introduced a bull-and-bear commercial logo, and 1981-1986 portrait-orientation bars featured the distinctive "E" globe logo in multiple sizes. The final production run in 1986 used an Eagle logo design.
Authentication of vintage Engelhard bars relies on matching the serial number format, font consistency, and edge finishing to the specific production era. The AllEngelhard.com community maintains the most comprehensive catalogue of Engelhard bar varieties and is the standard reference for collectors and authenticators. Fakes typically fail on font details, serial number format, and edge quality.
Tax Treatment for the 5g Engelhard Gold Bar
Engelhard gold bars meet investment gold purity thresholds, though their vintage status introduces some nuances around IRA eligibility that depend on the specific custodian.
Purchase Tax
- UK: VAT-exempt as investment gold (purity of 995+ qualifies).
- US: No federal sales tax. Exempt in most states. IRA eligibility is potentially available since the bars meet the .9995+ fineness requirement, but specific approval depends on the IRA custodian. Some custodians may not accept bars from a manufacturer that is no longer in operation.
- Canada: GST/HST-exempt for gold bars at 99.5%+ purity.
- EU: VAT-exempt as investment gold under the directive.
- Australia: GST-free as investment-grade gold.
- Singapore/Hong Kong: No sales tax or import duty.
Capital Gains
- UK: Subject to CGT at 18-24%. No CGT exemption for bars.
- US: Taxed as a collectible at up to 28% for long-term holdings. The collector premium paid above spot is part of the cost basis, which reduces the taxable gain on resale.
- Germany: Tax-free after one year of holding.
Engelhard vs Other 5g Gold Bars
The comparison between an Engelhard 5g bar and modern alternatives is fundamentally different from comparisons between active manufacturers. Engelhard bars are secondary market products with a collector premium baked into the price. A buyer is paying for historical provenance and brand scarcity on top of the gold content. Modern LBMA-accredited bars from PAMP, Valcambi, Argor-Heraeus, and others offer the same or higher gold purity at lower total premiums.
The 5g PAMP Fortuna is the most liquid 5g gold bar on the market today, with global dealer recognition and PAMP's Veriscan digital authentication. The 5g Credit Suisse bar is also Swiss-manufactured by Valcambi and may itself become a collector piece if the Credit Suisse brand is discontinued following the UBS acquisition. The 5g C.Hafner bar and 5g Argor-Heraeus Lunar offer active production, sealed packaging, and full assay documentation.
The closest comparison in terms of market positioning is Johnson Matthey (JM), the other major American-era refiner whose bars circulate on the secondary market. JM's bullion division was sold to Asahi in 2015, and JM bars carry a similar vintage premium. Engelhard bars generally command higher collector premiums than equivalent JM bars, due to greater variety of documented types and the cultural connection to the Goldfinger character.
For buyers who prioritise gold content per dollar, any modern LBMA bar at this weight will be more cost-efficient. For buyers who value historical significance, the Engelhard bar is a genuine piece of American precious metals history from a company that dominated the global refining industry for decades.
5g Engelhard Gold Bar: frequently asked questions
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The lowest price we track for a 5g Engelhard bar is $927.12 from APMEX, about 38.3% over spot. The bar contains 5 grams of 999.9 fine gold. Engelhard bars are secondary-market items and sometimes attract a collector premium above what a comparable modern bar would carry.
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Engelhard Corporation wound down its bullion bar production some years ago, and after BASF completed its acquisition of the company, the Engelhard precious metals brand ceased producing new bars. No new bars have been produced under the Engelhard name since, making all existing bars secondary-market items.
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Engelhard's discontinuation means the supply of bars is fixed, while demand from collectors and stackers who value the brand's history keeps interest high. The vintage assay marks and the refinery's long-standing reputation in the gold market add a collectibility dimension that modern, actively produced bars generally lack.
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Engelhard bars were stamped with a serial number and assay hallmark at the time of production, but there is no public online registry to cross-reference them. Authentication relies on physical verification: correct weight, dimensions, and fineness stamp, combined with an XRF or ultrasonic test. Buy from reputable dealers with return policies when serial provenance matters.