Hi, what is everyone's opinion on these? see for example, http://bullionmoney.com.au/products/50-gram-Valcambi-Combi-Bar.html Since all these little 1g bars are not sealed (once separated for resale later down the track), I am a bit hesitant to get into these, but storage wise a whole 50g container will definitely take way less space than 50 individually packaged 1g bars. What do you think resale demand will be. Will they be easy to counterfit? Currently I have only been sticking to gold within capsules i.e. the 1/10 ounce or 1/4 ounces. But would not mind getting one of these. If someone has one, could you tell me the dimensions of the outside box. Thanks, Heike.
auroraetluna posted a thread about these bars last year, there were some good comments in there. I was reading it just a few hours ago. I think there would be some hesitation about resale of the broken bars, but then why buy at a premium if your intention is not to break them up. I think i'll stick to the low (/zero) premium gold blobs...
I've seen broken up strips of these circulating in Melbourne. The 1g bar is tiny, but I think they're a really neat idea.
The premium is about 11% over your basic 1oz blob of gold. If you break it down then your sell price is always going to be less than a pamp packaged 1 gram card. Once you get past the novelty, I dont really see how or why this is the best way to buy gold. You can get 1/10oz coins for a similar premium and I think these fare much better in terms of resale, and holding their premium. Anyway, I'm just trying to talk myself out of buying one...
I got one (a whole 50g block) a few weeks back and while I'm not a SHTF prepper, I do like the idea of being able to snap bits off and sell them if I need to. I think I'm probably more likely to end up using the 1g bars in swaps and trades, or maybe as gifts (rather than giving gift cards from a particular store). If I were selling pieces to a dealer, I'd expect to negotiate a price subject to the bars passing an authenticity test. They're thin enough that they can't just be plated gold so they'd go through an XRF machine okay and a raw bar is likely to be acid tested as well so there are edges and space on the back to do that without completely ruining the whole thing. They're basically a nicer version of the generic blob in a smaller denomination - cheap and easy to get rid of. Buying 50 x 1g PAMP bars would cost about $500 more than a Combibar.
I tend to get excited over gimmicks, these are gimmiky, and I am excited. Whether these are a better way to buy or sell silver I don't know, probably not, all I know is I want a full bar, and a part bar so I can break one off without damaging my special bar. I am also a SHTF skeptic. But to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail, as those who aren't skeptics are fond of saying.
I want one of these but then again I'm not skeptical about SHTF. I really wish bullion money would get the silver ones in. They'd make a nice pair.
Like em, want one, LOVING the idea of the Silver as well - I want 52 of them, Deck of Silver cards'd be nice . . .
Are you gonna get some 100x1g Ag CombiBar too? http://www.combibar.com/products/100g-combibar-silver/
I wouldn't mind picking up one of each. I am sold! When is the big group buy? Can you even get volume breaks on these?
Gifting small amounts...interesting benefit mentioned on their website. "In April 2011 Valcambi issued an innovative 50g gold investment bar, which comprises 50 detachable 1g bars. The minted bar is known as a CombiBar and is designed to facilitate the gifting or transfer of small amounts of gold, either as a 50g bar, or as a small group of 1g bars, or as 50 separate 1g bars. The CombiBar offers clients the unique option to buy 1g gold bars close to spot prices."
