Engelhard Corporation, once a prominent player in the platinum and precious metals market, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1902. The company was initially established by Charles W. Engelhard Sr. as the Charles W. Engelhard Company in Newark, New Jersey, USA. Over the years, it grew to become a major global force in the precious metals and specialty chemicals industries. One of the primary objectives of Engelhard was the production of bullion bars in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium for investors. Despite its exit from the industry, Engelhard bars remain a respected item in the market.
The company began as a smelting and refining business, primarily focused on platinum and other precious metals. It quickly gained a reputation for its expertise in these metals. During World War II, Engelhard played a crucial role by providing platinum and other metals for military and industrial applications, contributing to the war effort.
In the post-war years, Engelhard expanded its operations and diversified into various sectors, including catalytic converters, pigments, and chemicals, in addition to its precious metals business. In the 1970s, Engelhard made significant strides in the development of catalytic converters for automobiles. These devices helped reduce harmful emissions from vehicles and became a major product line for the company.
Starting in the 1970s, Engelhard became a major force in the precious metals industry. Its gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars became fixtures in the market as investors learned to trust Engelhard as a quality producer of bars in the form of minted ingots and cast bars. The vast majority of Engelhard bars struck over the years figured one of a handful of iterations of the Engelhard logo, with the identifying hallmarks included.
Today, many of the Engelhard bars available to investors, from gold and silver to platinum and palladium, are available as Secondary Market items. This term refers to bars that are received from a source other than the original manufacturer. However, this does not mean that the bars have sustained wear and tear from handling or circulation. Most remain in good overall condition, though signs of the age of the bar are common. Perhaps most importantly, the bars do not have flaws that would detract from the overall value of the platinum in the bar.
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