Johnson Matthey and Engelhard: The “gold standard” of silver bullion

Seasoned precious metals investors or silver bullion in particular may be familiar with the names Johnson Matthey and Engelhard. These two are the first organizations to establish a quality standard for silver bullion and other private investment grade precious metals. While their legacy as a source of pure precious metals lingers on, the companies’ focus has changed away from making goods that have proven significant to bullion investors throughout the world.

Why are these firms significant in the precious metals market? Among other things, they started creating high-quality bullion when most governments stopped releasing gold and silver coins.

Johnson Matthey

Johnson Matthey, which marked its 200th anniversary last year, was founded in 1817 in London as a laboratory that assessed the quality of precious metals. The company flourished quickly, and he was appointed auditor and liquidator of the Bank of England in 1852. In 1874, the business was commissioned to establish the kilogram’s reference standard, and its success continued. Johnson Matthey was refining silver bullion around the turn of the century. These bars, however, are extremely popular in North America and other parts of the world. To help meet the demand for silver in the American market, refineries were established in the United States. In 2015, both companies were sold to a Japanese company. Johnson Matthey no longer manufactures silver, instead, it is currently concentrating on other industrial metals, chemicals, and other enterprises. This signifies that silver bars bearing the name Johnson Matthey are hard to come by. These bars have become somewhat of a collector’s item. You can make a lot of money if you have one of them and wish to sell silver bullion bearing a Johnson Matthey mark.

Engelhard

The Engelhard Company was founded in New Jersey in 1902 by German immigrant Charles Engelhard. Initially, it specialized in platinum, mostly for industrial applications and dentistry. This eventually led to the development of the first catalytic converter, a device that aids in the reduction of automobile pollution. In the 1970s, this was sold to Ford Motor Company. Engelhard also entered into areas such as pigment and chemical manufacturing in the twentieth century.

Engelhard rose to prominence as a manufacturer of high-quality bullion items such as gold and silver bars. During its peak, the firm was also known as the world’s most costly smelter. However, in 2006, the German business BASF acquired Engelhard and is now focusing on industrial machines, eliminating the production of their famous ingots. Do you have these bars? There is some nice cash to be made by selling

Johnson Matthey and Engelhard are corporations with a lengthy history of refining that has been characterized by the respect that has earned them fame. Because these bars are no longer manufactured, they have become extremely scarce in the bullion market. Even though these were discontinued, they still manage to pop up when investors liquidate their precious metals holdings.  

Johnson Matthey and Engelhard silver bullion are highly regarded by bullion merchants. Because of their scarcity and strong demand, these silver bar brands command good prices. You should go through the box of items you inherited from your grandfather.