Valcambi Silver Bars

Valcambi Silver Bars

Valcambi Suisse is one of the leading bullion brands in the world today. The Swiss refinery is far from being the oldest institution in a nation whose profile in the precious metals industry far outweighs its general profile on the international stage. However, Valcambi is just like its fellow Swiss refiners in that it produces some of the finest and most sought-after silver bars in the world.

Valcambi Silver Bars

There are a variety of silver bars produced by Valcambi Suisse on a yearly basis. While its most popular bars are its innovative CombiBars, the refinery is also a popular destination for investors looking for cast and minted ingot bars, as well. Valcambi Silver Bars come in a wide variety of weights depending upon the type of bar you’re interested in purchasing. The popular CombiBar series only comes in one weight, but features two options for dividing that weight. Minted ingots, on the other hand, offer a great deal of variety in terms of weight.

Defining Cast Bars

Silver Cast bars are extremely popular with investors interested in purchasing silver precious metal products at the lowest possible premium over the spot price of silver. Cast bars are produced by pouring the melted silver from a crucible into a casting mold. The exact process varies by manufacturer, but most position the mold on a balance and when the proper amount of silver has been achieved in the mold, it tilts to drop the bar into a tank of water for immediate cooling. Some mints will use a natural cooling process that slowly sets a cast bar by exposing it to the air.

Once a cast bar is complete, it is cleaned with a soft cloth to remove any stains, weighed, and then (once approved) it is marked with a refiner’s stamp, serial number, precise purity and weight measurements, and an assayer’s mark.

Defining Minted Ingots

The process for creating minted silver bars is different than that for cast bars, in part because greater precision is needed to generate bars of various weights with strict adherence to purity and weight levels. Most refineries produced minted bars by cutting the product from a section of rolled silver. The cutting and engraving process provides a better finish and appearance to the finished product. Once a minted bar has been produced, it is stamped with various designs on a minting press.

Generally speaking, the differences between cast and minted silver bars focuses on design and final appearance. Most cast bars have matte finishes, simple engravings to identify the refiner, weight, and purity of the product. Minted bars often feature complex designs, corporate logos, and clear background fields, with sharp edges and incredible attention to detail. Also, cast bars are often produced only in greater weights and intended for use as Good Delivery Bars with the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) or COMEX.

Valcambi Silver Bars with CombiBar Technology

The CombiBar name is a proprietary brand of Valcambi Suisse. Used on all precious metal bars produced by Valcambi, from gold and silver to platinum and palladium, CombiBar is a unique technology that manufactures each bar with accurately constructed, predetermined breaking points. This allows an investor to purchase larger quantities of silver, while offering the flexibility to breakdown the bar into more manageable parts. Larger bars can be broken down into smaller weights, making it easier to store more silver in a small safe or deposit box, and even resell just a portion of their investment in the future.

The true beauty of CombiBar technology is the accuracy of the predetermined break lines. When bars are broken down into their smaller parts, there is no loss of silver content or purity in the process.

Available Valcambi Silver Bars

As mentioned earlier, the most diverse offering of silver bars from Valcambi come from the minted ingots. Valcambi minted silver bars are available in 1 oz, 50 gram, 100 gram, 500 gram, and 1 kilogram weights. Each bar features .999 pure silver, and has a refined appearance that includes the Valcambi corporate logo, the so-called rotating square, an assayer’s mark; the weight, metal content, and purity of the bar, and an individual serial number to authenticate your purchase.

The opposite side of all minted silver bars from Valcambi bears a series of expanding squares that starts with the corporate logo in the center. An engraving on the reverse of “Valcambi Suisse” is situated vertically along the bar. All Valcambi minted silver bars are individually packaged in sealed plastic before leaving the refinery.

Valcambi cast silver bars are only available in weights according to LBMA Good Delivery specifications for silver bars. As such, the minimum silver content available is 750 troy ounces, with a maximum silver content of 1,100 troy ounces. In accordance with other LBMA rules, cast Valcambi Silver Bars can only feature engravings of a serial number, assayer’s mark, fineness of the metal, and a year of manufacture. As such, engravings are typically found on just one side of cast bars.

Last but not least, the Valcambi Silver CombiBars. While the CombiBar products are available in more weights in gold, the silver product is limited to different breakdowns of 100 grams. Valcambi offers a 100 Gram CombiBar product that features 100 individual 1 Gram Silver Bars, and a 100 Gram CombiBar that features 10 individual 10 Gram Silver Bars.

In the case of both products, the individual bars in the CombiBar are engraved with the Valcambi logo and corporate name, separate weight, metal content, and purity markings, individual serial numbers, and an assayer’s mark.

About Valcambi Suisse

The Valcambi Suisse refinery first opened its doors in 1961 as the Valori & Cambi refinery in Balerna, Switzerland. Since that time, the company has undergone two critical transition periods. After eight years on its own, Credit Suisse came onboard as the primary owner in 1968 and helped lead the company to status as LBMA and COMEX Good Delivery producers. In 2001, Credit Suisse began a slow withdrawal from the bullion business, and by 2003 had sold Valcambi to European Gold Refineries.

Today, Valcambi has again been sold to Global Gold Refineries Ltd., a company that is jointly owned by private enterprises in India (5%) and Singapore (95%). Valcambi currently operates a 3.3 hectare facility that is capable of producing roughly 5.4 tons of precious metals each day, with a product output of roughly 3.8 tons of gold bars and coins daily, and 1.8 tons of silver bars each day.

Purchasing Valcambi Silver Bars on Silver.com

Silver.com is happy to accept a variety of payment methods for your purchase of Valcambi Silver Bars. Visa and MasterCard credit/debit cards are accepted, with an average processing time of one business day. PayPal and bank wire fund transfers offer immediate processing, freeing up your products for fulfillment in our shipping queue. Paper check purchases take an average of four to six business days to process. Those purchasing precious metals with a bank wire or paper check enjoy a 4% discount on the purchase price.

Once your payment has processed, your products are packaged into discreet boxes for shipment through the United States Postal Service or UPS. Silver.com offers an affordable, tiered shipping scale that is based upon the total cost of your products. All purchases over $3,000 are eligible for not only free shipping, but also insurance. In the event your packages are lost or damaged, we’ll work with the carrier to locate your package, or file an insurance claim on your behalf to help recover your funds.

If you have any questions about Valcambi Silver Bars, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a Silver.com associate. You can speak directly with an associate at 888-989-7223, connect with us online through our live web chat, or send us an email with your questions.