Skip to content
Gold: 99.5% minimum (often 99.99% for newer bullion)Silver: 99.9% minimum purityPlatinum: 99.95% minimum purityPalladium: 99.95% minimum purityRhodium: 99.9% minimum purity
Stefan Gleason, President and CEO, with a background in publishing and public policyClint Siegner, Director, who contributes to outlets like HuffPost and Gold EagleMike Gleason, Managing Partner, focused on market analysis and investor education
Allow
What is Bullion? A Straight Answer From Money Metals Exchange
At Money Metals Exchange ( ), the nation's fastest-growing precious metals dealer and a recent Investopedia “Best Overall” pick, new investors ask the same thing all the time: what counts as bullion?
, Director at Money Metals Exchange, says it’s worth getting the definition clear before you buy. Bullion isn’t about collecting pretty metal objects. It’s about buying precious metals that meet known purity and verification standards.
Bullion, in plain terms
Bullion is . It isn’t priced like jewelry, and it isn’t valued like a rare collectible coin.
To qualify as bullion, products generally have to hit high purity levels. A common benchmark is at least 99.5% for gold and 99.9% for silver. Because the metal content is what matters most, bullion is typically priced off its melt value, not its design or backstory.
The main forms of bullion: bars, coins, and rounds
Money Metals Exchange points to three common ways investors buy physical bullion:
Bars Bars are the most direct way to own bullion. They’re priced by weight and purity and come in sizes from 1 gram up to 100 ounces. Each bar is stamped with its metal type, weight, and purity. Money Metals Exchange says it sources bars only from London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) approved refiners.
Coins Bullion coins are government-issued legal tender, like American Gold Eagles or Canadian Maple Leafs. They have a face value, but their market price is tied to the precious metal inside them, not the number printed on the coin. Money Metals says it works with government mints around the world.
Rounds Rounds look like coins, but they’re made by private mints and aren’t legal tender. Examples include products from Sunshine Minting and Elemetal. Rounds often sell with lower premiums than government coins while still meeting the same purity expectations.
Purity standards: the line between bullion and “just metal”
Money Metals Exchange says it focuses on products that meet widely used purity minimums, including:
The LBMA sets widely followed rules around quality and accepted refiners for the global bullion market. Money Metals Exchange says it sources from LBMA-approved refiners so products meet international investment standards.
Not just gold and silver
Gold and silver get most of the attention, but Money Metals Exchange also talks with investors about other :
Platinum Used heavily in automotive catalytic converters and medical applications, with both industrial demand and investor interest.
Palladium Used in manufacturing, including electronics and hydrogen technologies, with much of the supply coming from Russia and South Africa.
Rhodium Extremely scarce, mostly used in the auto industry, and known for big price swings.
Copper A base metal that’s also sold as bullion, often as a lower-cost way to start stacking physical metal.
Who Money Metals Exchange is
Money Metals Exchange was founded in 2010. The company says it holds an A+ Better Business Bureau rating and has served more than 750,000 customers. The team includes:
Money Metals Exchange also publishes educational content meant to help buyers check authenticity, understand pricing, and build a mix of metals that fits their goals.
Buying bullion without getting burned
The bullion market has plenty of solid dealers, and plenty of sellers that rely on confusion. Money Metals Exchange suggests watching for a few common issues:
Be cautious with: products pitched as “rare” bullion with steep markups, sellers you can’t verify, and items without clear purity markings.
Look for: products from accepted refiners, pricing that tracks spot markets, and dealers with a long track record. Money Metals notes its Investopedia “Best Overall” recognition in that context.
Load content from docs.google.com?
Loading external content may reveal information to 3rd parties. Learn more
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.