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Tuesday May 19, 10:12 PM
German firm plans gold ATMs to meet growing demand
By Peter Starck FRANKFURT, May 19 (Reuters) - Private investors should hold up to 15 percent of their wealth in physical gold, according to a German asset management company which plans to set up 500 'Gold-To-Go' ATMs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria this year.

A gold-dispensing automatic teller machine (ATM) was on display at Frankfurt's main railway station for a one-day marketing test on Tuesday.

A one-gram (0.0353 ounce) piece of gold, the size of a child's little fingernail and about as thin, cost 31 euros ($42.25) -- a 30 percent premium to the spot market price .

The flat rectangular piece, bearing the imprint of Belgian metals and speciality materials firm Umicore (Brussels: UMI.BR - news) , came out of the cash-only ATM in a tin box, including a certificate of authenticity.

'This is more than a marketing gimmick,' said Thomas Geissler, chief executive of TG-Gold-Super-Markt.de, the company planning to set up the 500 gold ATMs at a cost of 20,000 euros apiece.

'It is an appetizer for a strategic investment in precious metals. Gold is an asset everyone should have, between 5 and 15 percent of your liquid assets in physical gold,' he told Reuters in an interview.


DEMAND

Private investor demand for gold is on the rise in Germany and elsewhere as a result of the financial markets crisis, which has made many investors wary of holding traditional assets such as equities, bonds or mutual funds investing in such securities.

'In absolute numbers, the demand for physical gold is still tiny in Germany,' Geissler said. 'But in relative terms, the growth is explosive, inquiries have been doubling every six weeks,' Geissler said of the trend in recent months.

TG-Gold-Super-Mark.de's main precious metals business idea is based on online commerce.

The gold ATMs to be set up at central locations such as airports, railway stations and shopping malls are intended to gradually accustom people to the idea of investing in physical gold, Geissler said.

The ATMs will dispense 1-gram, 5-gram and 10-gram pieces of gold as well as Krugerrand gold coins. Each ATM can hold up to 1,500 pieces, he said.

The company's internet website (www.gold-super-mark.de), through which investors can purchase units between 1 gram and 1,000 grams, is updating precious metals prices every 10 minuntes.

The ATMs will be equipped with technology ensuring that the prices charged by the ATMs keep pace with those on the website.

TG-Gold-Super-Markt.de is a subsidiary of German online investment fund company INFOS GmbH founded in 1994. INFOS now manages 170 million euros worth of assets on behalf of about 5,000 customers. ($1=.7337 Euro)


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Comments

  • rgCoinGuyrgCoinGuy Posts: 7,478
    30 percent premium makes current ATM fees look like child's play! Cool idea though.
    imageQuid pro quo. Yes or no?
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,941 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Cool idea, if a little silly/strange. The premium seems a little steep, but then again what's the premium typically on a 1 gram bar?

    Several carded PAMPs sold on eBay recently for as much as $45. These new ATM bars even come in a "tin box" (I'm sure that's a rough translation for fancy container). If the current price of a gram is about $32, then that $45 range is within the 30% premium they're asking:

    image

    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
  • carscars Posts: 1,904
    I collect these Gram sized bars and have 30 or so different 1 gram bars for which I've paid $20-$65 each within the last 2 months, $40-$45 seems to be average for the ones that are readily available such as Pamp, Credit, Sunshine. JM & Engelhard of course bring a premium as do many swiss bars. I think the price is right on and I would be a buyer of at least 1 bar :-) I imagine if they were placed in the right areas they could do good just for the novelty factor.
    Its all relative
  • mkman123mkman123 Posts: 6,849 ✭✭✭✭
    they are just asking for more people to rob and steal the ATMs......
    Successful Buying and Selling transactions with:

    Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
  • CladiatorCladiator Posts: 18,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'd be worried about security both approaching and leaving one of those machines.
  • BarndogBarndog Posts: 20,490 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I'd be worried about security both approaching and leaving one of those machines. >>




    I thought all of Europe was made incredibly safe by restrictive laws governing firearm ownership? Isn't it crime free now that bad guys there can't legally own firearms?
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,941 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The average withdrawal from an ATM has to be more than $40, wouldn't you think? What's easier to buy dope with, a gram of gold in a fancy box or 100 euro?
    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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