Photo Credit: Gold-Coins
Vintage 10.03 Troy Ounce Hoffman & Hoffman Silver Bar
Buy It Now Price: $299.99 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Here is a fine example of a vintage, hand poured Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar. Silver bars were a favorite way for small investors to invest in precious metals during the turbulent 1970s, a time when commodities experienced a decade-long bull market.
-Boldly stamped with the ingot’s weight, fineness and the Hoffman & Hoffman refiner’s logo, this old silver bar is very attractive.
-While it is difficult to find much historical information on the Hoffman & Hoffman refining company, they were certainly active in the silver market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is probable that this Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar originates from that time, or possibly slightly earlier.
-Weighing in at 10.03 troy ounces, this is an odd weight silver bar. Odd weight bullion bars are almost always vintage items. Refiners generally discontinued striking them after the silver mania ended in the very early 1980s.
-Struck in 0.999+ fine silver, this collectible bullion bar has a current bullion value of about $171 with silver spot at $17.05 a troy ounce.
-Hoffman & Hoffman is a classic name in vintage silver bullion bars. As a result, there is always strong demand for their ingots in the collector’s market. Therefore, the asking price of $299.99 is fair.
Cons:
-With an asking price of $300 and a bullion value of $171, the premium for this silver bullion bar is 75%. While that isn’t a high premium by any means, vintage silver bars can sometimes be picked up for just a few dollars over spot at a bullion or coin dealer. Unfortunately, bargain pricing is becoming rarer and rarer as the positive attributes of these beautiful investment pieces become better known.
-There is almost no information available about the history of the Hoffman & Hoffman refining company. If more was known about the firm, this Hoffman & Hoffman silver bar would be more desirable and, hence, more valuable.
-While a 10 troy ounce silver bar is a good sized ingot, a slightly larger bar between 20 and 30 troy ounces would be even more desirable.
