9. 1 kg gold ingot, 996.5 purity, numbered 408938, marked Compagnie de Metaux Precieux, 1962, accompanied by analysis report

The Precious Metals Company (CMP) was founded in 1935. Located in the suburbs of Paris, it produced gold and silver ingots until the late 1980s. In September 1935, the company S. Silberfeld & Cie, in partnership with the Société de Banque Suisse (SBS), established CMP in Paris. Even before this date, there was a collaboration between SBS, Silberfeld, and the London house Mocatta & Goldsmid. The initiative to create CMP belonged to Silberfeld, who wanted to structure this cooperation. SBS held between 40% and 50% of CMP's capital, allowing it to extend its activities on the French market. From the beginning, CMP was equipped with an electrolytic refining system, which allowed it to compete with already established companies, such as Degussa. At that time, historical actors such as Caplain Saint-André did not have modern infrastructure or export capabilities, while other houses, such as Comptoir Lyon-Alemand or Marret, Bonnin, Lebel et Guieu, were faced with serious management and financial problems. In this context, CMP established itself as the only smelter and refiner with a solid financial base during that period of crisis. The Kodak company was supplied by CMP with silver nitrate. In 1984, CMP was taken over by the American company Engelhard, specializing in platinum and gold refining, founded in 1902 by Charles Engelhard, a metal merchant of German origin, who immigrated to the United States in 1891. From that moment, the pure gold ingots produced by CMP were accompanied by an analysis or test certificate, bearing both names: CMP – Engelhard. On December 5, 1989, CMP definitively ceased its production of gold ingots. These ingots, now rare, have become pieces sought by collectors.

Description

gold

Research information

The lot is accompanied by an updated expertise, made by the numismatist expert Frédéric Deloute.

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