250 Gram Gold Bar
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250 Gram Gold Bar (a quarter kilo or just over 8 troy ounces.)
The 250 gram gold bar is one of the common metric sizes of gold bullion bar and is available from most (but not all) major bullion manufacturers - including Valcambi, Umicore, Argor Heraeus, Baird & Co., Swiss Bank Corporation and others.
Many of the 250 gram gold bars are cast (poured), however some manufacturers such as Valcambi create minted (pressed) bars at 250g. 250 grams is considered a small size for cast bars and one of the larger sizes of minted bar.
As can be seen from the photo of the Umicore 250 gram cast gold bar, these bars fit snugly in the palm of the hand. The Umicore 250 g cast bar is 10 mm deep and measures 55 x 25 mm at the top and 50 x 22 mm at the base (the bars are slightly tapered). [1] In other words, it's around the same size as an average "thumb drive" USB drive. (For comparison, the 250 gram credit Suisse minted bar measures 59.4 x 34.4 x 7 mm. ) [2] "Feingold" is a German word which simply means "fine gold." The "999.9" denoted the purity of the bar, while the string of numbers at the bottom of the bar is a serial number, which will of course be unique to each bar.
250 grams is the same as 8.037686642156995 troy ounces (a troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams), so to calculate the current value of a 250 gram gold bar, multiply the current spot price (quoted at 1 troy ounce) by 8.037687 - this will be plenty accurate enough. The 250 gram gold bar is worth over $14,000 in February 2011.
Cast bars are made at specific weights by placing the mould on a balance so that when the weight of gold poured into the cast reaches the desired amount, the pouring is stopped. A small amount of the gold is sometimes taken just before pouring for the purpose of assaying - the testing of purity of the gold. [3]
Most 250 gram gold bullion bars form the major manufacturers are made at 999.9 purity.
Buying 250 gram gold bars
250 gram gold bars are widely available and can be easily seen for sale online in several places. Prices will vary and of course don't forget that the bullion dealer will typically add a small percentage to the spot price when giving you a price quote. Although the "gold price" is quoted at the spot price, you will invariably pay a little more than this price no matter where you buy. It's also worth remembering that the larger the bullion bars you are purchasing, the smaller (in relative terms) the overhead that is usually charged.
250 Gram Gold bar - References:
[1] http://www.goldbarsworldwide.com/PDF/RB_9_Umicore.pdf
[2] http://www.goldbarsworldwide.com/PDF/BG_6_mintedbars.pdf
[3] http://www.goldbarsworldwide.com/PDF/RT_1_HowCast.pdf
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