[World's largest collection of gold bars to come to London] GOLD, GOLD, GOLD!
Glittering display at Bank
of England Museum
LONDON: - One of the largest
exhibitions of gold and its uses to be seen in
Britain will arrive in London next month and will
be displayed at the Bank of England Museum
until May. It will include the largest collection of
gold bars from around the world in addition to
samples of modern high caratage gold
jewellery and examples of gold's uses in
industrial applications.
This will be the first time that the International
Gold Bars collection has been brought to
London. It is owned by N M Rothschild & Sons
and its display at the Bank of England
Museum is being sponsored by the World
Gold Council and NM Rothschild, as part of an
exhibition to mark the role and importance of
London and the Bank of England to the
international gold market.
Gold has for centuries been a glittering sign of
wealth and it has been the means of
preserving that wealth, especially during times
of economic adversity and political uncertainty
or in periods of war and natural disasters. In
many parts of the world gold is still held in high
esteem as a continuing store of value and has
as relevant a role today as it did a thousand
years ago.
The International Gold Bars collection is the
largest and the most comprehensive in the
world, and consists of more than 500 gold
bars in a wide variety of shapes and sizes
which tell the story of gold and its role over the
centuries. This unique collection, which is
worth over a million dollars, will be the central
feature of a special exhibition illustrating the
continuing relevance of gold in the modern
world.
A gold bar is defined as any gold item,
regardless of shape, which records the name
of the manufacturer, the precise weight and
the precise purity. It is usually sold at a low
premium above the gold market price.
The exhibition traces the evolution of the
technology of gold bars manufacturing from
the small 'tezabi' bars of Pakistan, which have
been manufactured in the same way for
thousands of years, to the world's first
'hologram' bars pioneered by bar makers in
Switzerland. Others like the Vietnamese 'gold
leaf' bars helped the boat people to carry
some of their wealth with them as they fled the
ravages of war in more recent times.
Visitors will see the remarkable diversity of the
gold bars made by more than 90 different
companies in 28 countries. They range from
the 400 oz (12.5 kg) London Good Delivery
bar to the smallest minted bars weighing just
0.3 of a gramme, with others in tolas, taels,
ounces, grammes and bahts.
Visitors to the exhibition, will also
have the opportunity of taking away samples
of gold-bearing ore from the world's deepest
gold mine (3.7 kms), the Western Deep
Levels mine in South Africa.
- Ends -
Notes to editors
The World Gold Council is an international
organisation formed and funded by leading
gold mining companies from around the world
to increase the demand for gold.
The owner and custodian of the International
Gold Bars Exhibition is N M Rothschild &
Sons Limited, which was established in
London in 1804 and since 1919 its
representative has chaired the daily London
Gold Fixings. The Gold Bars collection is
administered by N M Rothschild & Sons
(Australia) Limited and the curator of the
collection is Grendon International Research
Pty. Ltd., of Australia, who are the world's
leading authority on gold bars and publish the
standard industry reference book, 'The
Industry Catalogue of Gold Bars Worldwide'.
The International Gold Bars exhibition in the
City of London is also being supported by the
London Bullion Market Association and more
than 100 gold industry entities worldwide,
which include Brinks (high security gold
transport), Johnson Matthey (gold refiners)
and Anglogold (leading gold miners).
Pictures of various types of bars are
available from Bankside Consultants.
Contacts and related links:
John Keyworth, Curator, Bank of England
Museum
Tel. + 44 (0) 171 601 4387
museum@bankofengland.co.uk
Deborah Fowler, Bank of England
Tel. + 44 (0) 171 601 4411
Keith Irons, Bankside Consultants
London
Tel. + 44 (0) 171 220 7477
E-mail: keith.bankside@dial.pipex.com
Nigel Desebrock, Grendon International Pty.
Limited
Australia
+61 8 9319 2171
The Bank of England
bankofengland.co.uk
bankofengland.co.uk |
