1 oz PAMP Lunar Year of the Monkey 2016 Silver Bar

History

The minted PAMP Lunar silver bar

Minted bars refer to the manufacturing process that is applied to create them. The process begins by heating silver materialin a furnace until it turns to a molten slurry. During the heating process, all unwanted impurities in the slurry are removed until only molten silver of high purity is left, most often at around 99.9%. The molten silver is then poured into moulds, usually in the shape of large bars, where it cools and solidifies.The solid silver is then inserted into a mill that rolls the silver into panels with a uniform dimension. Afterwards, the silver panels are inserted into ablanking press that punches blanks out of the silver panels. The next step involves the weighing of each silver blank to ensure that it is neither underweight nor overweight and those that pass this test are then polished forthem to obtain a shiny surface. The last stage involves the minting process where the silver blank is inserted into a minting press that presses its die with huge force to transfer the design from the die onto the silver blank. The result is a minted bar. The newly minted silver bar is then inspected before beingsealed in a transparent tamper-proof protective package.

The “Swiss made” PAMP 1 ounce Lunar silver bar

Switzerland’s reputation for producing high quality luxurious products is not limited to the watch industry but applies equally to investment silver. Switzerland is to silver what France is to wine, a statement supported by hard facts which show that most of the world’s silver is refined in this prosperous alpine country. Information from the London Good Delivery List shows that six refineries hold 90% of the silver market and four of those, including PAMP, are based in Switzerland. On average, Switzerland refines between 65-75% of the world’s annual supply of silver, making it the number one country in the world when it comes to refining silver and manufacturing bullion bars. The reason why Switzerland commands this position is because of the country’shigh level of security, efficient logistics, a strong financial system that accommodates some of the world’s leading international banks, and, most importantly, stringent laws that set high standards regarding the quality and purity of finished bullion products. For example, every PAMP silver bar contains an assayer’s stamp, seen on the reverse as “ESSAYEUR FONDEUR”, which guarantees the purity of the bar. To be able to put this marking on its bars, PAMP needs to comply with strict Swiss federal laws (Precious Metals Control Act) and employ an affirmed assayer who has acquired the needed federal assayer’s licences. Affirmed assayers must keep proper account of the determination of fineness that they perform and at any given time must make their books available to the authorities for inspection. In other words, every PAMP silverbar has its purity accredited by government and industry bodies, its quality complieswith the highest industry standards and is perfected by the best Swiss engineers, resulting in a product with silvered integrity that surpasses all standards of excellence. After all, it is Swiss made.

PAMP was founded in 1977 in Switzerland, and has since then grown to become the world’s most significant manufacturer of bullion bars, ranging in weights from 1 to 100 grams. PAMP’s main facility is located in the picturesque Swiss village of Castel San Pietro where it operates an advanced refinery and fabrication plant that applies the highest Swiss engineering skills and latest cutting-edge technologies in the refinement and production processes of its famed bullion bars. Hailed as a market leader in innovation and in the fabrication of retail precious metal bars, the company was the first precious metals manufacturer to grace the reverse side of its gold bars with different aesthetic motifs. One of them, the beautiful motif of Lady Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune, became a world hit and is today the hallmark of PAMP’s excellence as a fabricator. It is no wonder then that the acronym of the brand PAMP (Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux) means artistic precious metal products. PAMP’s high purity and quality bullion bars are accredited by the Swiss National Bank and the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association), making them the preferred choice of leading financial institutions, central banks, investors and collectors worldwide.

PAMP a member of the London Bullion Market Association

The LBMA, or London Bullion Market Association, was established as an independent oversight body by Britain’s Central Bank in 1987. The roots of the LBMA can be traced back several centuries to the 1700s when London started to emerge as the world’s leading trading hub for precious metals. Referred to as the “London Gold Market”, it was self-regulated by the London’s foremost bullion traders and fabricators who oversaw the market by accrediting precious metal refiners to the London Good Delivery List. Only those refiners that met the quality and purity criteria set down by the “LGD” list were allowed to enter the London bullion market. Today, more than 135 companies, which include some of the largest precious metal refiners, storage providers, manufacturers and bullion traders, are members of the London Bullion Market Association. They all form part of the LBMA, the world’s most respected and trusted international authority that monitors the production and refining process of gold and silver bullion. LBMA’s primary role is to manage the Good Delivery List which is today the international standard for the quality and assaying of gold and silver bars. PAMP has been an LBMA member since 1987.