Credit Suisse Silver Bars
Among the other banks and private mints that produce silver ingots and silver rounds for the steadily increasing precious metals demand around the world, Credit Suisse is one of the foremost names, although today, the Swiss bank limits itself mostly to production of gold, platinum, and palladium bars, and leaves the production of silver bars to Pamp Suisse or the American private minting companies.
More Information About Credit Suisse Silver Bars
Although there is no overall catalog of Credit Suisse silver bars which have been produced during the bank’s history – other than perhaps in a document located somewhere in the institution’s vaults – these precious metal ingots have doubtlessly been formed in many different weights to accommodate investors of all scales.
The most common Credit Suisse ingots in circulation today are the 1 ounce Credit Suisse silver bars equivalent to a standard one troy ounce silver bullion coin. These highly portable bars are quite thin, and their rectangular face is 1 5/8” high and 15/16” wide. They bear a simple Credit Suisse logo, the fineness of the silver (given rather eccentrically, as 999.0, in contrast to the usual .999 marking used for the millesimal fineness scale), and a unique serial number for identification purposes. The reverse usually shows a stylized woman whose hair extends into a cornucopia.
The value of Credit Suisse silver bars is equal to the current spot price of silver. Although they have no numismatic value (that is, they command no premium above spot), these silver bars are very liquid due to their wide recognition around the planet. It will generally be easy to liquidate Credit Suisse silver bars anywhere that precious metal buyers or banks can be found.
You will also occasionally find 1 kilo Credit Suisse Silver Bars (32.15 oz) on the secondary market though these silver bars are less common than the 1oz bars.
Some Background on Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse is the new name of this institution, which was only adopted in 1996. Prior to this date, its name was the considerably less glamorous Schweizerische Volksbank, which translates as “The People’s Bank of Switzerland”. The bank was founded in the mid-nineteenth century by one Alfred Escher, a distinguished-looking, bearded Swiss railway tycoon and politician, to whom a statue now stands in Zurich.
Credit Suisse’s takeoff was meteoric, with 218 million francs of investment pouring in during the first three days it was open – no doubt aided by its founders strong political connections. The bank expanded steadily, acquiring its first foothold in the United States in 1942, and today is one of the world’s top investment banks despite the numerous schemes that it has been found guilty of, including investment swindles and instructing the Iranian government how to use fake identities on the Internet to drain out international accounts despite freezes on money transfers to the former Persia.
Intriguingly, some historians have claimed – with considerable though relatively circumstantial evidence – that Credit Suisse’s gold may come from Japanese war loot that was part of the vast stock of treasure known as “Yamashita’s gold”. Certainly, large quantities of precious metals are on record as being deposited with Credit Suisse, and the bank has denounced as fraudulent the claims of heirs to the original depositors, while never denying the existence of the gold.
It is possible that the precious metal bars purchased by today’s collectors has a long and dramatic history – stored against days of trouble by Chinese businessmen, lords, and Triad gang leaders, extracted under torture or other duress by the Japanese troops in the Second World War, seized and “sanctified” (purified of mineral “fingerprints” which might link it back to China) by the United States to use in fighting communism during the Cold War, and finally claimed by the banks where it was deposited.
Whatever its origins, there is is no doubting the purity and quality of the silver (as well as the other precious metals) offered by Credit Suisse. Regardless of the secrets that lie hidden beneath the gleaming surface of the metal, it is no mystery that these bars are an excellent investment for those who wish to obtain silver as a hedge against inflation.
