A kinebar is a
gold bar
A gold bar, also called gold bullion or gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping. Larger gold bars that are produced ...
which contains a hologram to protect its authenticity. Kinebars use a hologram called a "Kinegram", a
diffractive optically variable image device (DOVID) which is
embossed into the gold substrate. "Kinegram" is a trademark of OVD Kinegram AG (Switzerland). The hologram is intended both as a high-security feature and for visual appeal.
Union Bank of Switzerland
Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become ...
, through Argor-
Heraeus
Heraeus is a German technology group with a focus on precious and special metals, medical technology, quartz glass, sensors and specialty light sources. Founded in Hanau in 1851, the company is one of the largest family-owned companies in German ...
SA (subsidiary of Commerzbank), has been applying the kinegram as a security device to the reverse of its minted bars since December 1993. The kinebar, now produced by
UBS AG
UBS Group AG is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres as the largest Swis ...
, is a registered trade mark of UBS.
"New gold kinebar unveiled in the United States; Advanced high-tech security feature marks breakthrough in gold minting"
, press release, Dec 6, 1995
File:Kinebar3.jpg, Kinebar one troy ounce
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and th ...
File:Kinebar.jpg, Kinebar certificate
File:Kinebar2.gif, Kinegram
See also
* Gold as an investment
Of all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment. Investors generally buy gold as a way of diversifying risk, especially through the use of futures contracts and derivatives. The gold market is subject to speculation and ...
* Security hologram
References
External links
Argor-Heraeus - The kinebarThe first Austrian kinebarOVD Kinegram, Switzerland
Gold
Holography
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