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Platinum Coins and Bullion Bars as Investments

Platinum, as are gold, silver, and palladium, is a member of the Noble Metals Family, a group of metals that have similar characteristics and traits.  However, platinum does not have a history of being used as money, as have gold and silver. Still, there is a universal belief that platinum will protect against inflation and monetary/economic crises.

Unlike gold and silver, platinum has not been around for thousands of years, having been discovered in 1557 and not come into abundance until 1750, when the Spaniards plundered Peru.  Platinum, which like gold, has high value and enables one to store great wealth in a small amount of metal.

Best Selling Platinum Bars

Platinum bullion coins and bars

The platinum bullion coins and bars that are readily available come from some of the world’s prestigious mints and refineries.  Australia’s Perth Mint produces 1-oz Platypus platinum bullion coins, and Canada’s Royal Canadian Mint produces 1-oz Platinum Maple Leaf  coins, and the U.S. Mint turns out 1-oz Platinum Eagles.

Johnson Matthey, once one of the world’s renown private refineries, produced 1-oz platinum bars but no longer does so.

Other platinum bullion products

Other platinum bullion items, such as the Isle of Man Platinum Noble and Engelhard’s Platinum Prospector are sometimes, but not often, available in the secondary market.

A brief history on modern platinum bullion investment products

In the late 1990s, when platinum traded at about the price of gold, a strong interest in platinum developed; and in 1997, the U.S. Mint added Platinum Eagles to complement its Gold Eagles and Silver Eagles. Platinum Eagles were well received, and in 1998, the first full year of production, 133,000 of the 1-oz Platinum Eagles were minted.

However, as the price of platinum pushed much higher than gold, interest in Platinum Eagles waned, and in 2003 only 8,007 of the 1-oz Platinum Eagles were minted, compared to more than 400,000 of the 1-oz Gold Eagles.

In recent years, the price of  platinum has been below the price of gold, and interest again has developed in platinum, resulting in 1-oz products being introduced by established mints and refineries.

Platinum, the metal

Platinum and the other noble metals have outstanding resistance to oxidation, one reason they are used to make jewelry.  The primary use of platinum, though, is in catalytic converters.  The jewelry industry also consumes considerable quantities of platinum.

Further, platinum, gold, silver, and palladium are excellent conductors of heat and electricity (Silver is the best.), and they are so malleable that they can be made in solid sheets thin enough for light to pass through. Additionally, noble metals are so ductile that they can be drawn into wires thinner than a hair. Because of these characteristics, noble metals are essential in the manufacture of many of the high-tech products we today take for granted.

Buying platinum

If you would like to know more about how to buy platinum, get live platinum prices or learn more about the platinum investment products that we have available, call us at 800-528-1380.  We take calls 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, Mondays through Thursdays, Fridays 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.