Johnson Matthey Silver Bars

Johnson Matthey Silver Bullion Bars

Johnson Matthey is perhaps one of the most prestigious names in the precious metal industry. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the company was founded in 1817 by Percival Norton Johnson. Today, the company is recognized throughout the world for their dedication to quality and their fine product.

From Small Start-up to Global Business

When Percival Norton Johnson started his business, he had dreams of being a gold assayer. However, he probably had no idea just how large his business would become. In 1847, the company won the exclusive rights to mint silver coins in Britain. They had a tremendous amount of business as they produced coins of every denomination for the country.

In 1851, George Matthey, who was once an apprentice to Johnson, joined the business, and the name was officially changed to Johnson Matthey. Then, in 1852, the company became the Official Assayer and Refiner for the Bank of England. In the years since, the company has continued to expand and grow. Now, not only do they deal with precious metals, they also work in medical, automotive, chemical, and environmental industries around the world.

Years of Silver Bar Production

Johnson Matthey started out dealing with precious metals, and continued to do so until about the 1980s. In the 1970s and 1980s, the demand for silver bullion as an investment was very high. During this time, Johnson Matthey produced the largest quantities of metal. However, this is also the time when the company started to shift focus away from pouring and striking precious metals, and more towards producing catalysts for the automotive industry.

While the company has not produced struck silver bars since the 1980s, they do still pour their 100 oz silver bars. They have also recently re-released their 10 oz, kilogram and 1 oz silver bars to the market.

Types of Silver Bars Produced

Johnson Matthey isn’t one of the top names in precious metal for just any reason. They use pure .999 silver in their bars and hold their bars to the highest standard of quality. In addition to the 100 oz bars being poured today, investors can also find 1 oz and 10 oz silver bars from Johnson Matthey on the market. Investors and collectors have complete confidence that any product from Johnson Matthey is of the highest quality. Therefore, bullion bars from this company are not only considered excellent for their long-term security, they’re also very easy to sell.

Johnson Matthey stamps each of their bars with the company logo, which consists of the letters JM with two mining tools, the exact weight of the bar, and a purity stamp. Only the 100 oz bars sold to commodity exchanges come stamped with individual serial numbers.

Since the company didn’t keep a record of their serial numbers, it’s almost impossible to know how many are actually out there. However, because most of their silver bars were typically minted more as a retail product and not an exchange product, only a few hundred of the silver bars actually have a serial number on them. As a result, collectors and investors know that any bars with serial numbers are ones minted many years ago and are quite rare.

Condition and Availability of Silver Bars

Since the company is still minting 100 oz and smaller sized bars, it’s possible to find brand new silver bars on the market. However, because the bars the company produces are so popular, they don’t stay on the market for very long. The older, poured silver bars are even harder to find, since they haven’t been produced in around 30 years.

Usually, the only time older silver bars will enter the market is when existing investors or collectors are looking to sell. Additionally, since the company decided to increase their cost effectiveness by no longer producing the smaller weights in silver bars, the 1 oz and 10 oz bars on the marketplace today tend to show some tarnishing and signs of wear from being handled unless buying them brand new. Even so, these bars are still highly desired commodities.

Even though Johnson Matthey has been in business for almost 200 years, their silver bars are still a highly sought after product. Since they’re one of the best names in the precious metal industry, their popularity makes it easy for investors to sell their bars. If you’re looking to invest in silver bars and expand your portfolio by adding Johnson Matthey silver bars, Silver.com can help you find exactly what you want.