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If you've been reading Gold Why for a while, you know I'm a huge fan of silver art bars. They're just so much fun! Of course, I also own a ton of silver coins including silver eagles, silver onzas, a silver panda, a PCGS Morgan Dollar, and a silver peace dollar - just a few of my favorites. That said, there are times when you just want a silver bar instead of a coin! Why? The shape of silver bullion bars creates a large surface where you can really see some amazing artwork! That's why I've collected a large stockpile of silver art bars. (You can check out my personal silver art bar collection here). I'm thrilled about today's question because it's all about a very special silver bar, a 3 ounce Engelhard Silver Bar.

Question: I enjoyed your video on your silver art bars and rounds. I recently purchased a 3 oz. .999 Engelhard Silver bar. What is different about it is that is supposed to be hand-poured. It has a serial number of course, and rounded edges. And does look old. Have you seen any of these and what is your opinion on how collectible they are? Thank you very much.

Answer: The questions here at Gold Why keep getting better and better. This is another amazing question and I'm really glad the question was asked because it involves a topic I'm passionate about. Engelhard is a very old company and has been refining gold, silver, and platinum bullion for over 100 years! If you're going to invest in silver bullion bars, there are really two bars you must own. The first, you guessed it, is Engelhard. The other major player is Johnson Matthey. (Check out my personal Johnson Matthey silver bar.) Because Engelhard is such an old name, their bars are so beautiful and distinct, their bars have changed in style over the years, and many bars have distinct serial numbers, the 3 ounce bar you have definitely sounds like a keeper. From my experience, such bars are in fact considered art bars and are sold at a premium to their silver bullion content. Put another way: I don't recommend selling your 3 ounce Engelhard silver bar unless you get a good price for it (at least 20 percent or more above the spot price of silver bullion).

Engelhard Silver Bars Are Considered Art Bars

If you go to a major art bar dealer like River City Coins, you will sometimes be lucky enough to find an Engelhard or Johnson Matthey silver bullion bar in their silver art bar store. When I do see them, I always have to consider picking them up because I know the demand for these bars - it's huge! Now, when I typically see Engelhard bars, I'll find a one ounce bar, ten ounce bar, or hundred ounce bar (way out of my price range). However, three ounces is more of a strange and exciting variety. On top of that your bar is the loaf style, hand-poured bar with rounded edges (the older and more attractive style). I've been around long enough to know that this particular bar is in very high demand for its silver bullion and art bar value. Great work picking up this special silver bullion bar!

Your Silver Bullion Bars May Be Worth More Than You Think

As a closing thought, I want to challenge everyone reading to ask themselves the same question discussed in today's article. If you have silver bullion bars from the 70s or 80s, you should definitely consider their raw silver bullion value and also their silver art bar value. Old silver bullion bars are rare and have a lot more character than the newer ones. There's an exciting market for these bars and you probably have more value in your bar than the raw silver value. Thanks for reading and please keep the great gold and silver questions coming!

Buy Engelhard Silver Bars on eBay

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