About Johnson Matthey Gold

Johnson Matthey is a major British chemical company and conglomerate, with its headquarters in central London. Johnson Matthey, an iconic name in the history of the London gold market, manufactured gold bars in the United Kingdom for more than 150 years. 

Johnson Matthey PLC, incorporated as Johnson Matthey & Co in 1861, traces its origins to 1817 when Percival Norton Johnson established his own assaying business at the age of 25 in London’s Hatton Garden district.  In 1851, he was joined by a young protégé, George Matthey, then only 25. As early as 1852, the company had achieved conspicuous recognition upon its appointment as Official Assayers, Melters and Refiners to the Bank of England.

Johnson Matthey has the distinction of having been closely associated with the daily London Gold Fixing meetings, when they were first held in the offices of N M Rothschild & Sons Limited in 1919, as an assayer and refiner.  It subsequently became one of the five fixing members, acting in this capacity until 1984, in later years under the name of a subsidiary company, Johnson Matthey Bankers Limited.

Gold refining and bar manufacture took place at the company’s headquarters in Hatton Garden for more than 100 years, until a large new bullion refinery and bar manufacturing plant was established in Royston in 1957.

In 1922, another refinery had also been established in Brimsdown, on the outskirts of London.  Expanded and refurbished in 1947 and 1979, it oncentrated on the recycling of precious metal-bearing materials.

Johnson Matthey is one of the founding members of the London Gold Fixing, and a leading bullion refiner and assayer. Johnson Matthey gold bars are still in demand, and their older bars are likely to become collector's items.

Johnson Matthey gold bullion bars were produced at the company’s refinery in the Hatton Garden district of London from at least 1852 until 1957, and at its refinery in Royston (Hertfordshire), about 70 km north of London, from 1957 until September 2004. 

As its gold refineries in the United Kingdom produced so many bars for the international gold market, its historical bars are still widely held and traded around the world.  The Industry Collection acquired the company’s range of small gold bars manufactured at the Royston refinery in 1993, as well as an older bar (998.63 g, fineness 998.0) that had been manufactured at the London refinery prior to 1957.

The Johnson Matthey Group remains a major gold bullion bar manufacturer for the international market through LBMA-accredited refineries at its companies in other countries:  Johnson Matthey Inc (USA) and  Johnson Matthey Limited (Canada), and its joint-venture company AGR Matthey (Australia).

Johnson Matthey Gold Bars

Johnson Matthey gold bullion bars universally accepted around the world and have reputation that is second to none for quality and trustworthiness. Their quality, purity, and liquidity are never questioned. Each gold bar is stamped with the exact weight and an individual serial number, which is exclusive to you. Johnson Matthey gold bars are available in 1 ounce, 5 ounce, 10 ounce, 100 ounce, 1000 ounce or1/2 or 1-kilo bars.

Johnson Matthey Plc reported, in 1990 and 1997, that it manufactured 9 cast gold bars at the Royston refinery. Cast:  400 oz, 100 oz, 10 oz, 1000 g, 500 g, 100 g, 10 tola, 10 tael, 5 tael. Customized cast gold bars were also manufactured for external entities.

Investing in Johnson Matthey Gold Bars

Johnson Matthey gold bars have a lot of investment advantages:

Johnson Matthey Gold Bars Specifications

400 oz gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 995+/999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 255 x 80 x 37, 230 x 57 (base)
First issued: 1900
Serial Numbers: 2 letters plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

100 oz gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 192 x 64 x 14 , 185 x 56 (base)
First issued: 1970s
Serial Numbers: 2 letters plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

10 oz gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 68 x 34 x 8.5
First issued: 1970s
Serial Numbers: none

1000 g gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 995/999/999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 118.5 x 53 x 8
First issued: 1940s
Serial Numbers: 2 letters plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

500 g gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 90 x 45 x 6
First issued: 1950s
Serial Numbers: 2 letters plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

100 g gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 44 x 26 x 5
First issued: 1950s
Serial Numbers: none

10 tola gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999/999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 44 x 27 x 5
First issued: 1950s
Serial Numbers: none

10 tael gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 90 x 40 x 5
First issued: 1970s
Serial Numbers: Letter plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

5 tael gold bars

Type: Cast
Fineness: 999.9
Shape: Rectangular
Dimensions: 69 x 29 x 5
First issued: 1970s
Serial Numbers: Letter plus 5 numbers (introduced in 1950s)

Johnson Matthey Gold Bullion Bars Serial Numbering Systems

For all gold bars

First letter, chosen at the start of each year, represented the year in which the gold bullion bar was made.  The same letter was not necessarily chosen for each gold bar.  In addition, when more than 100,000 bars of a particular weight was made in one year, the next letter in the alphabet was used. 5 numbers recorded the sequential bar serial number.

For 400 oz. gold bars

Second letter recorded the purity, "T" standing for 995 bars, "N" for 999.9 gold bars.  For example, "ST0367" means a 400 oz gold bar with 995 purity issued in a year known to the company through the letter "S".  NB: Year dates were not normally stamped on the gold bullion bars, apart from known short period in the late 1940s and in 2004.

For 100 oz, 1000 g, 500 g. gold bars

Second letter indicates the bar weight, "K" standing for 1000 g and 500 g gold bars, "G" for 100 oz gold bars.  For example, "YK09765" means either a 1000 g or 500 g gold bar issued in a year known to the company as "Y".

For Sundry gold bars.

Second letter "G" appears on "make weight" gold bars regardless of their weights or purities.

History of Johnson Matthey Gold Bars manufacture

While gold cast bar manufacture is known to date back to at least 1852 when the company was appointed Official Assayers, Refiners and Melters to the Bank of England, little information is available on historical gold bar weights.

400 oz Johnson Matthey gold bars are believed to have been cast in the same dimensions since before 1900, 1000 g, 500 g and 100 g bars since the 1940s. 

Tola and tael gold bars are believed to have been first issued in the 1950s, their dimensions changing in the 1970s.