Golden giants: how much does the bar from the Guinness Book of Records weigh?
Gold is one of the rarest metals on our planet. Just imagine: every hour more steel is cast in the world than the amount of gold that humanity has been able to extract for its entire history. It is not surprising that the precious metal is in great demand. The jewelry industry consumes the biggest amount of gold. But in second place is the sphere of finance.
Gold coins and, in particular, bars are considered one of the most reliable instruments for preserving capital. Moreover, both among ordinary people and among states. Gold is an expensive asset, so the weight of bars intended for individuals is measured in grams. Usually only entire countries can afford to purchase the precious metal in kilograms.
The mass of standard gold bars for states ranges from 11 to 13 kilograms. They are usually made in a trapezoidal shape. However, manufacturers can change both the shape and weight.
For example, in 1995, a bar weighing 120 kilograms was cast at the Naoshima Refinery in Japan. And a few years later, on the occasion of the new millennium, a 200-kilogram gold bar was produced, which at that time was considered the largest in the world.
In the photo: a gold bar weighing 200 kilograms, made on the occasion of the new millennium.
In October 2004, an even larger bar was exhibited at the gold mining theme park in Taiwan on the site of the former Ruifang mine. Its weight is 220.3 kilograms.
Every year, the gold bar attracts the attention of about hundreds of thousands of people. It is protected by a transparent cap, which has holes for those who want to touch the precious metal. Since there is no security around, many museum visitors try, if not to take the bar, then at least to take away a piece of gold. Therefore, when approaching the exhibit, you can notice scratches.
According to museum experts, 1.5 million people touched the gold bar over three years. As a result, its weight decreased by approximately 150-200 grams.
In the photo: the second largest gold bar in the world weighing 220.3 kilograms.
In 2005, the Japanese company Mitsubishi Materials broke all previous records by presenting to the world the largest gold bar weighing 250 kilograms. At the time of it making, its value was estimated at $3.7 million. Now the bar costs $19 million. It is noted in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world.
In the photo: the largest gold bar weighing 250 kilograms.
Today, the 250-kilogram gold bar is housed in the Toi Gold Mine Company Museum in the Japanese city of Izu. Every year more than 150 thousand people come to the thematic exhibition just to see the exhibit made of the precious metal.
By the way, large gold bars are often displayed in theme parks and museums, attracting the attention of tourists. There are even challenges related to the precious metal. For example, the Gold Bar Challenge, which you can read about in the article:
Gold Bar Challenge: get the gold if you can!
