Five-tael biscuit bars

Among the bars that use the tael unit of weight, the biscuit shape is especially popular. It is manufactured in weights ranging from one to ten taels, with the five-tael bars (shown here) – the equivalent of around 187.15 grams – the most common. The manufacturers, most of which are based in Hong Kong, belong to the Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society, founded in 1910 (though one bar shown here is marked Johnson Matthey, London, presumably produced by its former refinery in Hong Kong). The members of the Exchange Society have agreed on a purity of at least 99 percent for their bars. However, most bars are much purer and have stamps indicating 99.90 or even 99.99 percent purity. The Rothschild Collection of gold bars held by the Goldkammer in Frankfurt contains 26 tael biscuit bars from thirteen Hong Kong-based manufacturers.

total weight: 3,369 grams

Text © Goldkammer