Umicore 5g Gold Bar in Assay Card

New five gram Umicore gold bars available at low premiums from The Britannia Coin Company of Royal Wootton Bassett.

Umicore (Union Minière)

Umicore can trace its earliest roots back to the early 19th century when Emperor Napoleon granted Jean-Jacques Dony control of the Vieille-Montagne zinc mine, which is close to the modern-day Belgian-German border. However, the main root of the current Umicore company established itself as the Union Minière du Haut Katanga (UMHK, Mining Union of Upper Katanga) in 1906, working primarily as a copper mine in the Congo. It was heavily supported by the colonial government and soon became a world leader in the supply of metals such as copper, uranium and cobalt. Precious metals such as gold and silver were also mined and refined, but the UMHK mainly focussed on base metals and heavy metals during this time. 

After the company's nationalisation at the hands of President Mobutu Sese Seko, the UMHK rebranded itself as Union Minière in 1968, reflecting its forced departure from in the Katanga Province in the Congo. Having suddenly lost the vast majority of its business, it was formally taken over by Société Général de Belgique and realigned itself to more European interests.

Later on in 1989, the company started to take its present-day form when the merger of its subsidiary companies (Metallurgie Hoboken-Overpelt, Vieille-Montagne and Mechim) transformed Union Minière into a multinational, integrated materials technology company. To reflect this change, the company rebranded again in 2001, taking up its current name Umicore.

Buy Umicore 5g Gold Bars

Umicore gold 5 gram bars are an excellent choice to add to a gold stack or to give as a gift to someone close to you. Each bar contains 0.1608 troy ounces of pure gold and has a fineness of 24 carat (0.9999). 

Being in new condition, these Umicore gold bars are issued sealed in a protective assay card. This plastic packaging doubles up as the bar's official certificate and includes the fineness, weight, serial number and a copy of the assayer's signature. Storing these Umicore bars is fairly straightforward, fitting neatly inside home safes, under the floorboards on in safe deposit boxes.

Small Gold Bars

A question we occasionally get asked at The Britannia Coin Company is if small gold bars are a worthwhile investment option. Depending on your circumstances, they can be a smart investment choice.

'There are advantages to investing in smaller gold bars. If you buy several of these 5g gold Umicore bars, you have the option to sell on part of your portfolio at a later date. This isn't possible if you buy just the one larger-sized coin or bar.'

But keep in mind that gold 5 gram bars tend to be bought as novelty items or gift options, with most investors drawn to larger bars and coins. This is because small gold bars, usually sized under 20 grams, have more expensive premiums on them because of the costs associated with their production.