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After a months-long hiatus: The Return of Friday MËTÄL PÖRN !

WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited November 17, 2023 9:29AM in Precious Metals

I started Metal Porn Fridays years ago as a way to show off the things you acquired during the week, the things you encountered during the week, the things you saw that may your heart start pumping during the week.

Been working on projects since about March. But with them under control I wanted to share a few recent small pickups ;)

Back in late April I stopped by a local shop. They had just gotten in three old pour 10 ounce silver bars. I'd had one before (Star Metals), I'd seen another once or twice (Hoffman & Hoffman). The other I didn't know and it seemed a little more crude. So I snagged the first two and walked out of the store without the third.

But once I got to my car, something about it triggered my hoarding brain. So I went back and bought it.

Glad I did: that third bar, by Western States Refining, was the most valuable. But there was more to come...

Because by buying these first three bars, I was set on a path whose multiple steps...

would eventually allow me to acquire one of the largest vintage bar hoards I've ever seen: The Lydian Hoard
The Lydian Hoard was assembled by a pioneering stacker/collector who zeroed in on just a handful of small refiners while he was on business trips to the southwest and California in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Per the heirs who inherited the hoard, it hadn't seen the light of day for nearly 30 years.

In its entirety, the hoard numbers over 40 5- and 10- ounce class bars from Star, Hoffman & Hoffman, JJSR S/C, American Credit / Baltrhop, JKL, and over a dozen bars by International Vaults Refining--including previously unknown varieties of bars that are now listed on allengelhard.com

We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame

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    WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Meltdown said:
    I was gonna post a couple but now I've got shrinkage. :D

    Hey that's a super special group of bars. Let's see what you got! :)

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
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    rte592rte592 Posts: 1,462 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My local place and the three pawn shops haven't had anything in months.
    I Have snagged a few deals on Bimetallic items.

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    WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
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    dcarrdcarr Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Weiss said:
    I started Metal Porn Fridays years ago as a way to show off the things you acquired during the week, the things you encountered during the week, the things you saw that may your heart start pumping during the week.

    Been working on projects since about March. But with them under control I wanted to share a few recent small pickups ;)

    Back in late April I stopped by a local shop. They had just gotten in three old pour 10 ounce silver bars. I'd had one before (Star Metals), I'd seen another once or twice (Hoffman & Hoffman). The other I didn't know and it seemed a little more crude. So I snagged the first two and walked out of the store without the third.

    But once I got to my car, something about it triggered my hoarding brain. So I went back and bought it.

    Glad I did: that third bar, by Western States Refining, was the most valuable. But there was more to come...

    Because by buying these first three bars, I was set on a path whose multiple steps...

    would eventually allow me to acquire one of the largest vintage bar hoards I've ever seen: The Lydian Hoard
    The Lydian Hoard was assembled by a pioneering stacker/collector who zeroed in on just a handful of small refiners while he was on business trips to the southwest and California in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Per the heirs who inherited the hoard, it hadn't seen the light of day for nearly 30 years.

    In its entirety, the hoard numbers over 40 5- and 10- ounce class bars from Star, Hoffman & Hoffman, JJSR S/C, American Credit / Baltrhop, JKL, and over a dozen bars by International Vaults Refining--including previously unknown varieties of bars that are now listed on allengelhard.com

    .

    Wow, that is quite a find. It looks like a couple of the "International Vaults Refining" ingots have the weight on the top and the logo stamped on the side instead of the top ? Do they have the weight on the side also ?

    I always look for things like that at local shops and shows, but rarely find any. The last find for me was about three years ago when I acquired these six bars at a local coin shop (and I had to pay a premium above melt). Coincidentally, this group includes two brands that were in your hoard:

    .

    I still haven't figured who made the "LSMI" bar. The other five I know.

    .

    Moonlight Mint
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    WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hey @dcarr !
    Yes, those weights on the 5 ounce International Vaults are just on the top rather than the side.
    After consulting with allengelhard.com this summer, they determined these were a previously unknown variety. So these discovery bars were added to their listing for International Vaults, and they estimate the population is 10 or fewer!

    If anyone is interested, there is a 4-video playlist on my youtube channel where I talk about this discovery from the first three bars through the major purchase, the subsequent additional purchases, and the discovery of this new variety.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
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    TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 43,858 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Guess I should pony up for one of them Hoffman & Hoffman bars. I typically work around “spot” in the shop, for bullion. My wife’s maiden name, like Englehard, ain’t cheap, like me :open_mouth:… I guess.
    Thanks for sharing. I feel bad, now because she’s better than gold, and i’m cheaper than chips.

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    ApplejacksApplejacks Posts: 384 ✭✭✭

    Great stuff Weiss !

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    JayDubyaJayDubya Posts: 8 ✭

    The LSMI bar is from Lake Shore Mint Inc. which is a private mint located in Michigan, USA

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    ashelandasheland Posts: 22,695 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good to see you posting again!
    None of this is recent, but I got a few similar to what you have posted: I think most of these I picked up this year…
    pretty much the last 6 to 8 months






    My YouTube Channel

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    LukeMarshallLukeMarshall Posts: 1,914 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Welcome back Weiss and congratulations on your acquiring the Lydian Hord Silver Bars!

    I like your assortment of Peace dollars there too, the top not quite a black beauty, more of a Dirty Girl.
    I particularly like when the Rim starts to fade away as in your second example.

    @rte592 said:
    My local place and the three pawn shops haven't had anything in months.
    I Have snagged a few deals on Bimetallic items.

    Bimetallic with Red core Plastic! Way to go!!

    @Meltdown said:
    I was gonna post a couple but now I've got shrinkage. :D

    Its kinda been a years long hiatus, so maybe I shouldn't even bring up my home poured aluminum bars... precious to me but rumor has the most abundant metal on earth.. Those shrink up quite a bit as they cool after the pour, and no swirlies, pond ripples, or tree rings.

    It's all about what the people want...

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    LukeMarshallLukeMarshall Posts: 1,914 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was hoping to be able to post a Coin that recently went to auction. It was a big honkin' Gold Coin in almost perfect grade but alas, I didnt realize I was locked out of my Heritage Account untill the Day of the Auction (a saturday).

    Turns out (correct me if Im wrong) Heritage has literally no support on the weekend to even unlock accounts. I tried the unlock it yourself / forgot password promts, but I was REALLY locked up, Probably needs a human touch.

    Either way it was quite frustrating, and made me wonder how a company auctioning off Millions of dollars of inventpry has no weekend support... If there is I will admit I am a dumbass, but again I tried everything and couldnt find it. I even tried a second account but it errored out saying it couldnt verify my identity (perhaps blocked by my first account)

    Sucks as Ive had this particular one of my wish list for a few years now, but its a POP 4 at NGC with also a number of PCGS examples floating around so the hunt continues.

    Thanks for listening rant over

    It's all about what the people want...

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    LukeMarshallLukeMarshall Posts: 1,914 ✭✭✭✭✭

    But cause its Metal Pron, here is a small chest of mentionables

    Cheer All

    It's all about what the people want...

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    KliaoKliao Posts: 5,474 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Deviation from the vintage silver. Picked up a little platinum recently.

    Young Numismatist/collector
    75 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 45 members and counting!
    instagram.com/klnumismatics

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    dcarrdcarr Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JayDubya said:
    The LSMI bar is from Lake Shore Mint Inc. which is a private mint located in Michigan, USA

    Thanks for that info, I've made a note of it.

    Now if I could only figure out who made this other one. Nobody seems to know for sure, but some call it a "Comstock Mold" style or "MTE Bell" (which is purely guesswork).

    One shown in this picture has "1970" inside the circle:

    Moonlight Mint
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    WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dunno. But it's a beautiful bar.
    But that 1970 date seems almost too perfect.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
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    JayDubyaJayDubya Posts: 8 ✭

    From what little I know, MTE bell is the correct designation.

    The hallmark library lists it as such.
    Interestingly enough, the example they show includes the 1970 date as well.
    Unfortunately, not much info is available regarding this particular mint.

    Here are links to the site:

    https://vintagesilver.com/hallmark-library/page/3/?sort=a-z

    https://vintagesilver.com/hallmark-library/mte-bell/

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    dcarrdcarr Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JayDubya said:
    From what little I know, MTE bell is the correct designation.

    The hallmark library lists it as such.
    Interestingly enough, the example they show includes the 1970 date as well.
    Unfortunately, not much info is available regarding this particular mint.

    Here are links to the site:

    https://vintagesilver.com/hallmark-library/page/3/?sort=a-z

    https://vintagesilver.com/hallmark-library/mte-bell/

    Thanks, I've seen those listings before.
    "MTE Bell" is plausible, but there is absolutely no information out there about any such company that actually existed.
    So "MTE Bell" it is purely speculation, based only on the logo itself.

    Moonlight Mint
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    JayDubyaJayDubya Posts: 8 ✭

    I sure can't find any information regarding them. Good luck in your quest.

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