Hello fellow collectors of everything money-related that isn't coins or banknotes (Exonumia).
I personally have a specific interest in Privately Minted Gold and Silver Bullion Bars and Rounds which is an extremely large field of study, this is why I'd like to pose the question:
Should bullion Have its own section?
On the topic of Australian Privately Minted Bullion alone, I have volumes of research, information, and images. I have no doubt there would be equally as much, if not more from most other countries. The information I have on U.S. Makers which is patchy and very incomplete is just the tip of that iceberg and makes for compelling research.
I'm certain there are ample people who are also sufficiently interested in this topic to support and grow a section dedicated to the topic, especially with the exponential growth small private investment in Precious Metals has seen since the 2008 GFC & even more so after silver hit its all-time high of $49.45oz in 2011. With gold hitting its all-time high of $2020oz in April of this year and unprecedented demand for physical silver bullion being reported by retailers everywhere I am certain interest in this area will increase.
Just to wet people's appetite, I'm including some rare bullion pics and info:
Below are three 10 Lang Ingots from Anam (Vietnam).
They date to the reign of Emperor Ming Meng of Anam around 1820-1830
10-Lang bars were cast by bankers and sometimes presented to government officials (rarely seen with government stamps)who stamped them with “verification stamps.” These characters include the reign title, a sexagenary date, and the province where they were stamped. Silver bars like the 10-Lang were used for the trade of opium with the neighboring tribesmen, who made a living off the harvesting of the opium cash crop.
