Investors concerned about market volatility and political uncertainty prefer holding physical gold bullion over owning gold mining stocks or ETFs.
For these investors, buying gold bars as part of diversification in precious metals offers the best deal over owning gold bullion coins.
Physical gold bars are deemed more appealing because they typically attract lower premiums and may offer more weight for the dollar than gold coins.
The other advantage of buying gold bars is the ease of finding bullion bars to suit a broad range of investors’ needs.
You can buy gold bars ranging from a bar weighing just a gram to a kilogram gold bar and even a 400 oz gold bar, similar to those held in central banks and places like Fort Knox.
On the contrary, you might come up against a brick wall trying to find gold coins smaller than a .5 oz. piece or any coins larger than a 10 oz. piece from a reputable dealer.
When it comes to investing in gold bullion bars, choosing the best gold bar brand may be just as important as selecting the right size and weight of gold bars to purchase.
Some of the factors you need to consider when choosing the best gold bars to buy in 2021 include:
- Reputation and history of the refinery
- Quality of the minted precious metals
- Cost of the gold bullion bars
- Premium added above market price
- Shape, size, and design
- Security protocols and authenticity guarantees
- Availability with a reputable bullion dealer
We outline the best gold bar brands based off of the above considerations.
What is The Best Gold Bar to Buy
1) Credit Suisse: Best Overall
Minted by the prestigious Credit Suisse Group, these are among the world’s best gold bars to buy for any portfolio.
Credit Suisse gold bars are guaranteed to have 99.99% fine gold selling at very affordable prices.
They produce gold bars in a wide range of sizes from 1g to 1 kilogram along with 10 tolas, 0.5 troy oz, 1 troy oz, and 10 troy oz gold bars.
These gold bars are considered highly liquid assets because of the world-renowned Credit Suisse branding and a unique serial number that ensures authenticity.
Further, these gold bars have the added benefit of carrying the backing of the Bank of Switzerland.
2) PAMP Suisse: Highest Quality
Headquartered in Ticino, Switzerland, PAMP (Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux) produces highly regarded precious metals in a variety of weights, shapes, and sizes.
Though it was only established some 40 years ago, PAMP Suisse quickly became the preferred choice for investors looking to buy gold bars of the highest quality, with excellent craftsmanship.
They offer gold bars in cast bars, minted ingots, other forms; typically struck in .9999 pure gold.
The uniquely designed PAMP gold bars come in 1g to 1kg and 0.5oz to 10 oz bars.
PAMP’s elegant 1 oz ‘Lady Fortuna’ gold bars are popular artistic bullion products among private collectors. Most investors go for PAMP gold bullion bars for holding in self-directed gold IRAs.
PAMP Suisse gold bars are backed by the Swiss Federal Bureau for the Control of Precious Metals.
Also Read: Top Self-Directed Gold IRAs
3) Royal Canadian Mint: Most Trusted
The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is a trusted leader in the Canadian gold market as well as a globally recognized refiner.
Established in 1908 as the official mint of the Government of Canada, the prestigious RCM was primarily tasked with preparing the nation’s standard circulation coins.
And while its reputation within Canada begun with its history with the country’s coinage, the now world-renowned mint built a solid reputation with its unique series of silver and gold coins for collectors and investors.
In addition to minting coins for use in the Canadian economy and investment-grade silver and gold coins, the Royal Canadian Mint produces handsomely designed gold bars.
RCM gold bullion ranges from beautifully crafted gold coins, small gold wafers, and mid-sized bars to “good delivery” larger bars.
Being the world’s first refinery to successfully mint .9999 gold coins in 1982 and later a .99999 pure gold bar in 1999, the Royal Canadian Mint set itself apart for crafting top-quality god products that few other refineries can match.
4) Johnson Matthey: Best in Rare Category
Like Credit Suisse, Johnson Matthey has a long history with an excellent reputation in the precious metals industry.
Johnson Matthey metals gained prominence in 1946 when the United Kingdom commissioned the company to become its official producer of silver coins.
Both their gold and silver bullion bars are renowned and trusted worldwide.
Johnson Matthey no longer produces these precious metals after selling its refining business in 2014.
Because of their increased rarity today, Johnson Matthey’s gold prices are slightly higher than other gold bars in the same weight class.
Despite their higher premium, Johnson Matthey gold bars are still a favorite amongst investors eager to purchase high-quality gold bars.
5) Perth Mint: Best for Gold Minted Bars
The Perth Mint in Australia is a well-known government gold mint that has been producing the country’s coinage for decades. It is also a trusted manufacturer of high-quality gold bullion bars.
For individual and corporate investors, Perth Mint is better known for its “Gold Minted Bars” series, which are among the world’s best gold bars to buy.
This range offers the ultimate combination for investing in gold bullion while maintaining liquidity.
Gold Minted Bars coming off the Perth Mint line includes a hopping Kangaroo brand hallmark alongside several other inscriptions for weight and purity.
Each gold bar comes packaged in a tamper-evident display card and is guaranteed by an array of sophisticated security features.
6) Valcambi Suisse: Best for Combi Bars
Yet another widely respected and recognized Swiss company in the gold market, Valcambi is perhaps better known for its unique 50-gram gold bullion bars dubbed “Combi Bars.”
Valcambi Combi Bars are unique because each 50-gram bar is divisible into individual 1-gram bars, making them extremely popular with small and large investors.
Valcambi Combi Bars are IRA-eligible because they meet IRS specifications for minimum fineness requirement.
They also manufacture gold bars in regular sizes, refined at .9999 purity making them IRA eligible.
While Valcambi Suisse lacks the unique identification serial numbers we see in products from other highly regarded refiners, it boasts a much superior fraud prevention design element.
7) Argor-Heraeus: Best for Minimal Design
Two things make Argor-Heraeus gold bars attractive;
- Smaller-sized gold bar options allow gold investors greater flexibility with their investment.
- Simplistic designs cut high expenses typical of sophisticated minting processes, thereby reducing the premium over spot price.
Note that while Argor-Heraeus may offer the lowest price per troy ounce, they do not sacrifice the quality of their metals.
In fact, Argor-Heraeus is one of the best brands for Swiss gold bars. Their gold bars are minted to excellent degrees of refinement, typically 99.99% purity.
A unique serial number stamped on Heraeus gold bars makes it easy to identify and guarantee the quality of your physical gold investment.
8) Sunshine Minting: Best for Low Premiums
As one of the most highly recognized gold bar brands out of North America, these are another excellent low-cost investment opportunity.
Investors can buy high-quality gold bars directly from the Sunshine Mint, making it highly cost-effective.
Investors can also find Sunshine Mint gold bars from any reputable online gold dealer. Bullion dealers can secure lower premiums on bulk orders from the supplier and pass the savings back to the investors.
Sunshine gold bars are available in varying designs and sizes ranging from 1 gram to 1 kilogram and .5 troy ounce to 10 troy ounce bars.
Quality is guaranteed by the Sunshine mintmark on each gold bar, and the .9999 fineness indication, among other steps to combat counterfeiting.
Final Word
You may pay more per weight of gold for bullion coins than for gold bars.
While gold bars are generally low-cost compared to coins and rounds of the same weight class, you could pay more for uniquely decorated bars and rare brands of gold bullion bars.
With some gold bar brands fetching higher premiums, others offering more security protocols, and a few others featuring simplistic designs and are merely priced off their melt value, no two gold brands are the same.
While this article helped navigate the world of gold bullion bar brands, our list was not exhaustive.
We outlined several factors you should consider when choosing which gold bar brand to buy for your precious metals portfolio in 2021.
Also Check Out: Why is Gold Valuable?