A standard PAMP Suisse gold bar almost always costs more than a random-brand gold bar of the same weight. In Bullion Trading LLC's price records since 27 October 2024, the 1 oz Lady Fortuna was cheaper than the random-brand 1 oz bar on 29 of 509 trading days and the 10 oz Lady Fortuna on 1 of 509, and at 1 g, 5 g, 5 oz and 1 kilo the PAMP bar was never cheaper. Today the 10 oz PAMP costs $1,340 more than a random-brand 10 oz bar (3.3% of its gold value), matching its widest gap in the records; at 1 oz the gap is $48.
The gold inside is no different. PAMP bars are 999.9 fine, from MKS PAMP SA, a Swiss refiner on the LBMA’s gold Good Delivery List since 10 June 1987. The extra buys the name, a minted design and a sealed, serial-numbered CertiPAMP card, and part of it comes back when you sell: PAMP bars resell for more than generic refinery bars of the same weight. Because the gap is set in dollars and changes in steps, one day’s prices can mislead, so this guide uses two years of them.
| Key finding | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 oz PAMP cheaper than the random-brand 1 oz | 29 of 509 trading days (Lady Fortuna); 17 of 509 ("Suisse" new design) |
| 10 oz PAMP cheaper than the random-brand 10 oz | 1 of 509 trading days |
| Never cheaper, or even level | 1 g, 5 g, 5 oz and 1 kilo |
| The exception: 1/2 oz | Same price on 165 of 488 days; cheaper on 137 |
| Gap today, large bars | 5 oz $837 (4.1%); 10 oz $1,340 (3.3%); 1 kilo $1,126 (0.9%) |
| Collectible 1 oz designs in stock today | 3.8% to 9.0% over the Ask; standard designs 3.4% to 4.4%; random-brand 2.9% |
| Resale | PAMP bars resell for more than generic bars; part of the premium comes back |
Is PAMP gold good?
Yes. A PAMP bar holds the gold its card states, comes from an LBMA-accredited refiner and is recognized by dealers at a glance. PAMP, short for Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux, was established in 1977 in Ticino, Switzerland, joined the MKS group in 1981 and merged with it in 2021 to form MKS PAMP SA. Its Indian joint venture, MMTC-PAMP, joined the LBMA list on 16 May 2014.
What you pay extra for is recognition. A sealed Lady Fortuna can be checked in minutes, which is why PAMP bars resell for more than generic bars. The metal is no purer than a random-brand 999.9 bar; it is easier to sell.
How much more does a PAMP bar cost than a generic bar?
Usually 1 to 2 percentage points of the gold value from 1 oz up, more in gram sizes, and the gap is rarely zero. Across 11 sizes, PAMP was cheaper on 277 of 4,983 size-days (5.6%), about half of them at 1/2 oz; without that size, on 3.1%.
Two patterns stand out. The two 1/2 oz bars were priced the same on 165 of 488 days and the PAMP was cheaper on 137 more, as the two often carried the same premium. And at the large sizes the gap moves in big steps: at 10 oz it was about $600 per bar from November 2024 to May 2025 and about $400 from November 2025 to April 2026. Today it is $1,340.
Standard PAMP Suisse gold bars
The large price is the check/wire price; the card/PayPal price is listed under it. Prices follow the live spot price.
Why is PAMP gold more expensive?
Because each PAMP bar carries a larger premium over its gold, and that premium pays for more than metal. Lady Fortuna bars from 1 g to 10 oz are minted, struck from rolled and cut gold rather than poured, then sealed in a serial-numbered CertiPAMP card, many with Veriscan. A random-brand bar is whichever recognized 999.9 bar the dealer has, chosen for price.
The premium is set in dollars, not percent: Bullion Trading’s bar prices follow spot plus a fixed dollar amount per product, changed from time to time. So the gap moves in steps, and in percent it drifts with the gold price. From January 2025 to May 2026 the 5 oz gap stayed near $331. On 14 January 2025, with gold at $2,667, that was 2.5% of the bar’s gold value; on 29 January 2026, with gold at $5,405, the same dollars were 1.2%. The first chart’s dollar view shows the steps.
Which PAMP bars carry a design premium?
The limited and themed ones, which belong in a separate comparison. Among the 1 oz PAMP bars in stock today, standard designs cost 3.4% to 4.4% over the Ask and collectible ones 3.8% to 9.0%, against 2.9% for the random-brand 1 oz; at 5 g, the collectible bars cost 22.8% to 26.8% against 17.5% for the standard designs.
Standard designs stay in production: Lady Fortuna, PAMP’s signature since 1979 (the goddess of fortune with her horn of plenty), the Rosa, the plain 999.9 bar and the “Suisse” new design. Collectible bars are issued for a year or an occasion: the Lunar series, one zodiac animal a year (the 2024 Azure Dragon, the Rabbit, Tiger, Goat and 2013 Snake; 2026 is the Horse), Buddha, Diwali Lakshmi, Ka Bah Mecca and Romanesque Cross bars, and the 45th-anniversary Lady Fortuna, limited to 4,500. Their premiums follow collector demand, which can fade.
Do PAMP bars resell for more?
Yes, and that is the case for paying the gap. When Bullion Trading buys bars back, PAMP bars are paid more than generic refinery bars of the same weight, so part of the PAMP premium comes back, though not all of it and not a fixed amount.
Take the 10 oz bar today: the PAMP costs $1,340 more, so it would have to resell for $1,340 more just to come out even, and only part of the premium comes back. At 1 oz, where the typical gap has been $30 to $57 per bar, far less has to come back. The case against is the data: PAMP was cheaper on only 5.6% of size-days, and the extra is paid the day you buy, while the resale advantage arrives only when you sell.
How do you verify a PAMP bar?
A genuine CertiPAMP card states a certificate number, the fineness (Au 999.9), the weight and an assayer’s signature, and the certificate number must match the serial on the bar. Bars with the VERISCAN logo add a check: PAMP’s free app scans the bar through the sealed card and compares its microscopic surface with the record made at production.
- The CertiPAMP card is sealed, flat and undamaged.
- The certificate number matches the serial on the bar.
- Weight, fineness (999.9) and refiner on the card match the bar.
- For a Veriscan bar, the app confirms it is registered.
- The seller is an established dealer, not a stranger below spot.
Fakes are why the card and Veriscan exist. In a June 2018 survey of U.S. dealers in the Industry Council for Tangible Assets, 57.8% said customers had tried to sell them counterfeit PAMP gold bars, more than for any other bar brand named (Perth Mint was next at 36.1%), the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation reported. Swiss brands are targeted for their global reach, industry executives told Reuters in 2019. The guides to gold bar serial numbers and spotting fake gold cover the tests dealers use.
Are PAMP gold bars a good investment?
They are a sound way to own gold; whether they are the best way depends on the size. At 1/2 oz and 1 oz the name has cost little: a median of $0 per bar at 1/2 oz and $30 to $57 at 1 oz. At 1 g the median gap is 12.0 points of a small bar's value, and from 5 oz to 1 kilo it is $837 to $1,340 per bar today, where a random-brand bar keeps more of your money in gold. For PAMP against Valcambi, Rand Refinery and others, see the gold bar brands comparison.
How we did the research
We took the check/wire price Bullion Trading LLC recorded for each bar, about four times a day since 27 October 2024, used each day’s median, and divided it by the value of the bar’s fine gold at that day’s spot close (the LBMA Gold Price PM; after 28 September 2026, the 5 pm New York close). For each size we paired the standard PAMP bar (Lady Fortuna; at 1 oz also the “Suisse” new design; at 1 kilo PAMP’s kilo bar) with the store’s new random-brand bar of the same weight, on days both had prices. The gap is PAMP minus random-brand; charts smooth it with a 10-trading-day median. “Cheaper” means by at least 50 cents.
Limits: records start when a bar was listed, so the 2.5 g, 20 g and 5 oz comparisons are shorter, and prices are recorded even while a bar is out of stock; there is no new random-brand 100 g bar, so the 100 g Lady Fortuna (a median premium of 4.8% over the Ask since 27 October 2024, 2.6% today) is left out. These are one dealer’s prices (card and PayPal are 5% higher), and resale statements come from our buy desk. Monthly medians by size: CSV download.
The bottom line on PAMP gold bars
PAMP gold is as good as any LBMA-accredited gold and easier to resell, but rarely the cheapest bar of its size: in two years of daily prices it was cheaper than the random-brand bar of the same weight on 5.6% of size-days. At 1/2 oz and 1 oz the name has cost little; from 5 oz up, weigh today’s dollar gap against what you expect back when you sell. The random-brand bars in the comparison:
Random-brand gold bars
The large price is the check/wire price; the card/PayPal price is listed under it. Prices follow the live spot price.
Frequently asked questions
Is PAMP gold real?
Genuine PAMP bars are 999.9 fine gold from MKS PAMP SA, an LBMA Good Delivery refiner since 1987. Fakes exist, so buy from an established dealer and check the card, serial and Veriscan.
Why is PAMP gold more expensive?
Minting, the sealed card, Veriscan and the design cost more than a plain bar. The gap has been small at 1 oz, a median of $30 to $57 per bar, and large from 5 oz up: $1,340 at 10 oz today.
Do PAMP bars sell for more?
Yes. Bullion Trading pays more for PAMP bars than for generic bars of the same weight, though not the full premium paid.
Sources
- LBMA, Good Delivery Current List: Gold: MKS PAMP SA and MMTC-PAMP listing dates (checked 18 October 2026).
- PAMP, About us (archived 2013): founding in 1977.
- Gold Bars Worldwide, PAMP gold bars: MKS subsidiary from 1981.
- PAMP, 45th-anniversary Lady Fortuna card (archived): “since 1979”, card details.
- PAMP, Lady Fortuna minted bars (archived 2019): dimensions, design.
- PAMP SA, VERISCAN app: how a bar is checked through its card.
- Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, Can you spot the counterfeit coins?: 2018 dealer survey.
- Reuters via Al Jazeera, Dirty gold infiltrating world markets with faked brands (2019).
- Bullion Trading LLC price records and current prices: every gap and premium here.