1 Kilo Asahi Silver Bar (New, SLC, Serials #1-1000)

Asahi Refining is making a splash in the precious metals industry, but it took time for the mint to get its facilities up and running after its purchase of Johnson Matthey operations. Silver bars are in high demand right now amid low prices and intense strains on the supply chain. Today, the 1 Kilo Asahi Silver Bar from the Salt Lake City facility is available for purchase from JM Bullion.

Bar Highlights:

• This product listing guarantees a serial number between 1 and 1,000 from the Salt Lake City refinery! Please note we cannot take requests for serial numbers.
  
• Contains 1 Kilo (32.15 oz) of .999 pure silver.
• Bears the Asahi Refining logo, struck at the Salt Lake City refinery.
• Customers please note – in addition to the Salt Lake facility bars featured here, Asahi will also produce bars featuring serials #1-1,000 at a backup Canadian facility with a different mint-mark.

Asahi Refining has a long history of producing precious metal products, but its brand is not well known outside of Asia. The company was formed in the 1950s in Tokyo, but has not expanded outside of that region. Asahi operations prior to its purchase of Johnson Matthey consisted largely of recycling precious metals and refining those products into new bars.

Each of the Asahi Refining bars available in this product listing from JM Bullion was produced at the Salt Lake City refinery in the United States. Asahi took control of two refining locations, one in Salt Lake and a second in Brampton, Ontario with its purchase of Johnson Matthey.

These bars are part of the first 1,000 bars produced in late 2015 at the Asahi facility in Salt Lake. Asahi struggled to get off the ground with its bar production in 2015 because the demand for silver made it difficult to secure enough of the precious metal to ramp up to full production capacity.

On the obverse side of these bars you’ll find the only engravings used by Asahi. The refinery’s logo is featured at the top of the bar, with markings including the weight, purity, and metal content along the bottom of the design field.

Asahi Refining took control of a total of three facilities from Johnson Matthey, which had been in the precious metals industry since the 1850s. It is now looking to establish itself as one of the major players in the bullion industry.

Please feel free to reach out to JM Bullion with your questions. You can connect with us on the phone at 800-276-6508, reach out to us online through our live web chat, or send us an email.