1 oz PAMP Suisse Silver Bar

The 1 oz PAMP Suisse Silver Bar

PAMP (Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux) is a Swiss refiner based in Castel San Pietro, Ticino, and one of the most recognised bar brands in the world. It holds LBMA Good Delivery accreditation for both gold and silver, and is an LBMA Approved Referee, one of only three refiners worldwide holding both LBMA and LPPM referee status. Its 1 oz silver bars are minted in .999 fine silver and are best known in the Lady Fortuna design, the Roman goddess of fortune depicted with cornucopia, wheat sheaves, poppies and the wheel of fortune. PAMP was the first precious metals brand to put artistic designs on the reverse of minted bars, and Fortuna remains its flagship motif.

The 1 oz size is the entry point of the silver bar market. Bars are the cheapest silver form per ounce, though at 1 oz the premium is at its highest within the bar range; the big per-ounce savings arrive at 10 oz and above. What the small PAMP bar offers over a generic 1 oz round or bar is brand: an LBMA-accredited refiner's product in sealed CertiPAMP assay packaging, with a serial number and the signature of an independent Swiss Federal Assayer. PAMP's Veriscan technology, introduced in 2015, reads the bar's microscopic surface topography as a unique fingerprint verifiable by app. That chain-of-custody assurance translates into better buyback treatment than generic silver, which typically sells at melt value only.

PAMP Suisse 1 oz Silver Bar Specifications

The CertiPAMP blister packaging, first developed in the 1990s, doubles as the bar's assay certificate: it carries the serial number, a QR code and the signature of an independent Swiss Federal Assayer. PAMP has used its Essayeur Fondeur certification mark since 1980. Beyond Fortuna, PAMP produces other named designs including Rosa (rose motif), Liberty (Statue of Liberty motif) and an annual Lunar Calendar series in red CertiPAMP packaging based on the Chinese zodiac. Keep the seal intact; a bar removed from its assay card resells less cleanly than a sealed one.

1 oz Silver Bar Tax Treatment by Country

Silver does not get the VAT exemption that investment gold enjoys, so location matters far more for silver bars than for gold ones.

• UK: 20% VAT on new silver bars. Bars are also CGT-liable on sale, since the exemption covers only UK legal tender coins. That double exposure makes new silver bars the least tax-efficient silver form for UK buyers.
• EU: Full local VAT on new silver, ranging from 17% to 27% by member state (19% Germany, 21% Netherlands). Margin schemes can reduce the effective rate on second-hand bars in some countries, but new refiner bars typically attract the full rate.
• US: No federal sales tax; roughly 35 states exempt bullion. Long-term gains taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%. IRA-eligible silver must be 99.9%+ purity, which a .999 PAMP bar meets.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt; silver qualifies at 99.9%+ purity.
• Australia and New Zealand: GST-free at the 99.9% investment-grade threshold for silver, which this bar meets.
• Singapore: GST-exempt as an Investment Precious Metal (silver 99.9%+); no capital gains tax.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no CGT.

PAMP Since 1977

PAMP SA was incorporated in 1977 in Castel San Pietro, in the Swiss canton of Ticino near the Italian border, initially manufacturing small minted gold bars sold mainly into Middle East markets. In 1981 MKS (Switzerland) SA, the Geneva trading house founded by Iraqi-born gold trader Mahmoud Kassem Shakarchi, acquired a majority shareholding. After Shakarchi's death in 1983, his daughter Karma and son Marwan led the family business through decades of expansion into Asia and beyond. MKS and PAMP formally merged on 30 November 2021 to form MKS PAMP SA, headquartered in Geneva, with PAMP retained as the product brand.

The accreditation record is long: LBMA and LPPM trading accreditation in 1987, COMEX membership since 1986, Swiss National Bank acceptance of its Good Delivery bars since 1986, LBMA Approved Referee status since December 2003, and Shanghai Gold Exchange membership since 2014. PAMP supplies wholesale Good Delivery bars, including 1,000 oz silver bars, to central banks and institutions, and counts the US Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, Royal Mint and Austrian Mint among its wholesale clients. On the retail side, the CertiPAMP assay card arrived in the 1990s and Veriscan verification in 2015; in 2023 the underlying AlpVision technology received LBMA Gold Bar Integrity programme accreditation.

PAMP vs Other 1 oz Silver Options

Within branded silver bars, PAMP's nearest peer is Valcambi, another LBMA-accredited Swiss refiner from the same corner of Ticino. Both sell sealed, serialised 1 oz bars; PAMP's Fortuna design and Veriscan verification are its differentiators, and PAMP bars command a modest brand premium over generic alternatives. Generic 1 oz bars and private mint rounds are cheaper to buy but typically sell back at melt value only, while recognised refiner bars recover more of their premium.

The sharper comparison is against sovereign coins. A 1oz silver Maple Leaf or Britannia costs more over spot than a 1 oz bar but brings legal tender status, the tightest spreads and the strongest dealer recognition. In the UK the coin case is stronger still: a silver Britannia carries the same 20% VAT as a PAMP bar but is CGT-exempt, while the bar is not. In tax-neutral jurisdictions like the US, Singapore or Hong Kong, the bar's lower premium stands on its own merits.

Up the weight scale, the 10oz silver bar is where bar economics improve most: the largest single premium drop in the silver bar range happens between 1 oz and 10 oz. Buyers accumulating weight rather than divisible units usually do better with fewer, larger bars.