Is slabbing of bullion bars on the horizon?

Weiss

Came across an eBay auction just now for a 50 oz bar with a cert of authenticity (GSX). It doesn't appear to address the problems that any other certificate of authenticity does, but it got me thinking:

A small photo cert to be sold with the bar that resembles the old photoslabs: Picture of the bar, weight, and for larger bars, acid test for purity, displacement, maybe sonogram/xray/MRI to test for drill & fill. Maybe if appropriate, a band around the bar (like the GSA packages), or a tamper-proof baggy like currency, cards, and comics have. Results available online via specific serial number.

Good idea? Bad idea? Is someone already doing it? People slab coins worth less than $10, why not slab a $15 ounce of silver, let alone a $15,000 bar of gold?

gecko109

Would you bodybag it if it was cleaned? I think its actually a decent idea, especially with the economy pushing even more people into metals. The only problem I see is possibly very high costs for assays. I know that if I owned such a company, and had any sort of guarantee, im not going to slab a $15,000 chunk of gold without assaying it first!

BBQnBLUES

I've a friend who Refuses to buy a gold bar that isn't sealed in it's original pkg..



Guess the next step will be slabbing the entire pkg.

MoneyLA

Gosh, would you want to go through the trouble of investing in bars that NEEDED authentication? Frnakly, I would rather invest in govt-issued rounds that wouldnt need the extra time, trouble or expense of third part authentication. isn't that what AGEs and Maple Leafs and Krands are all about, anyway?

jmski52

Gosh, would you want to go through the trouble of investing in bars that NEEDED authentication? Frnakly, I would rather invest in govt-issued rounds that wouldnt need the extra time, trouble or expense of third part authentication.

That's how I felt when TPGs started slabbing coins.