Bache 1 oz

Found this at a local antique store. Apparently there's a lot of history with this bar, as it was minted for Bache around the time that they partnered with the Hunt Brothers and extended them an insane line of credit, with which they tried to corner the silver market, driving prices really high.

Then COMEX stepped in, introducing regulation to try to curb this activity, which made silver prices fall. Eventually prices fell low enough, that Bache called in the loan. Hunt Bros. couldn't pay it, because their silver was worth a lot less than they expected and had to liquidate a bunch, which led to the great crash of 1980.

The bar itself is fairly unremarkable, but it's a pretty neat piece of silver history to own. They bring a bit of a premium on the market, but they're fairly common. I think the thing that drives up the prices at all is the story behind the company. You don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle.