10. Gold ingot 1 kg, purity 996.7, numbered 680980, marked Compagnie de Metaux Precieux, 1967, accompanied by analysis report

Compagnie de Metaux Precieux (CMP) was founded in 1935. Located in the suburbs of Paris, it produced gold and silver ingots until the end of the 1980s. In September 1935, the firm S. Silberfeld & Cie, in partnership with 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 owned between 40% and 50% of CMP's capital, which allowed it to expand its activities on the French market. From the outset, CMP was equipped with an electrolytic refining system, which allowed it to compete with well-established firms, such as Degussa. At that time, historical players 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 facing serious problems in management and finance. 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 sourced its silver nitrate from CMP. In 1984, CMP was taken over by the American company Engelhard, specialized in platinum and gold refining, founded in 1902 by Charles Engelhard, a metal merchant of German origin, who emigrated to the United States in 1891. From that time, 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, rare today, have become sought-after pieces for collectors.

Description

gold

Research information

The lot comes with an updated expertise, made by the numismatist expert Frédéric Deloute.

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