100g Fortuna Platinum Bar

The 100g PAMP Suisse Fortuna Platinum Bar

The 100g Fortuna is often cited as the sweet spot in PAMP Suisse's platinum bar range. It contains 3.2151 troy ounces of 999.5 fine platinum at a per-gram premium that is substantially lower than the 1 oz Fortuna platinum bar, while the absolute cost remains within reach of serious individual investors. PAMP's own marketing has pointed to the 100g size as offering the best value per gram across its Fortuna bar lineup.

The bar carries the Lady Fortuna design, the motif that PAMP introduced in 1979 and that remains the most widely recognised image in the minted bar market. Each bar is individually serial-numbered, sealed in CertiPAMP tamper-evident assay packaging, and enrolled in PAMP's VeriScan authentication system. VeriScan records the microscopic surface topography of each bar at the point of manufacture, creating a unique digital fingerprint that can be verified through the PAMP smartphone app or PC software even after the bar has been removed from its packaging.

For platinum specifically, authentication matters more than for gold. Platinum is visually similar to silver, stainless steel, and other white metals, making visual identification unreliable. The combination of VeriScan, the sealed assay card, and the serial number provides three independent verification layers. Platinum's density (21.45 g/cm3) also acts as a natural counterfeit deterrent: no common cheap metal comes close enough in density to substitute convincingly.

100g Fortuna Platinum Bar Specifications

PAMP Suisse (Produits Artistiques Metaux Precieux) was founded in 1977 in Ticino, Switzerland and is now part of the MKS PAMP GROUP. The refinery holds both LBMA and LPPM accreditations. Fortuna bars are minted (struck) rather than cast, a process that produces sharp design relief and a polished finish but costs more than simple casting. PAMP pioneered this approach when it introduced the Lady Fortuna design in 1979, creating the category of decorative minted bars that had not existed before.

The Fortuna design shows the Roman goddess of fortune blindfolded, with a cornucopia of gold coins, wheat sheaves, poppies, and a wheel of fortune. The reverse displays the PAMP Suisse logo, a registered Swiss cross mark, and the bar's technical details. The design has remained essentially unchanged since 1979.

Tax Treatment for the 100g Fortuna Platinum Bar

Platinum bars are taxed at standard sales tax rates in several major jurisdictions where investment gold is exempt. At the 100g price point, the tax impact in absolute terms is significant.

Purchase Tax

• United Kingdom: 20% VAT on all platinum, bars and coins alike. At 100g, this adds a substantial cost on top of the spot price and the refiner's premium. VAT-free vault storage avoids this charge as long as the platinum remains in the bonded facility. The Platinum Britannia faces the same 20% VAT, so there is no VAT advantage to coins over bars in the UK for platinum.
• United States: No federal sales tax. Most states exempt platinum bullion. IRA-eligible at 99.95% purity from accredited refiners; PAMP qualifies. 28% collectibles rate on long-term capital gains.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt at 99.5%+ purity.
• EU: Standard VAT applies (19-27% depending on country). Switzerland charges 8.1% VAT on platinum. PAMP bars purchased and stored in Swiss vaults are subject to this rate.
• Australia: GST-free at 99%+ purity.
• New Zealand: GST-exempt at 99%+ purity. No CGT.
• Singapore: GST-exempt as IPM at 99%+ purity from LPPM-accredited refiners. No CGT. Singapore is a major hub for PAMP products through dealers like Silver Bullion Pte Ltd.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no duties, no CGT.

UK Capital Gains

Platinum bars are subject to CGT at 18-24% on disposal in the UK. The Platinum Britannia coin avoids this as UK legal tender. For an investor holding a 100g platinum bar and realising a gain above the £3,000 annual CGT allowance, the tax exposure is real. This creates a structural advantage for Britannia coins over bars for UK investors, partially offset by the bar's lower acquisition premium.

Fortuna 100g vs Valcambi, Argor-Heraeus, and Stacking Coins

At 100g, PAMP's brand premium adds a quantifiable cost compared to other Swiss refiners. The 100g Argor-Heraeus platinum bar and the Valcambi equivalent both carry lower premiums, typically 1-3 percentage points below PAMP. On a 100g bar, that difference translates into a meaningful dollar amount. Buyers who intend to hold the bar long-term and sell back to a dealer will recoup some of the PAMP premium through stronger resale pricing, but not necessarily all of it.

The VeriScan authentication system is PAMP's most distinctive feature at this weight. Argor-Heraeus offers its Kinebar hologram as an alternative visual security feature, and Valcambi relies on its sealed assay card and serial number without additional authentication technology. For platinum, where visual identification is unreliable due to the metal's resemblance to less valuable materials, authentication carries more practical weight than for gold.

Against stacking 1 oz Platinum Britannia coins to reach the same weight (approximately 3.2 coins), the 100g bar offers lower per-gram premiums but worse liquidity and no CGT exemption in the UK. The coins can be sold individually, giving more flexibility. The coins are also more widely traded on the secondary market. The bar wins on premium efficiency; the coins win on flexibility and tax treatment.

Within PAMP's own range, the 1 oz Fortuna is the most liquid individual unit, and the 10g Fortuna serves as an entry-level piece. The 100g bar occupies the middle ground between accessibility and efficiency. Larger sizes exist (500g, 1 kg) but become illiquid in the retail secondary market.