Metalor's history stretches back further than any other refiner on this site: founded in 1852 in Le Locle, Switzerland, as Martin de Pury & Cie, a small operation smelting and rolling gold for watch cases with just five employees. Banque du Locle bought the company in 1864, and in 1934 it became the first Swiss refinery ever included on the London Good Delivery List — the precursor to the modern LBMA accreditation system. The group took the Metalor Technologies name in 2001, was sold to French private equity firm Astorg Partners in 2009, and has been part of Japan's Tanaka Kikinzoku precious metals group since 2016, now operating four LBMA-accredited refineries across Switzerland, the USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Like Argor-Heraeus, Metalor holds the rare distinction of being one of the LBMA's five Good Delivery Referees — refiners entrusted with monitoring quality standards across the entire accredited refiner network, not just producing bars themselves. Its 1934 status as the first Swiss refinery on the London Good Delivery List gives it arguably the deepest, most continuously documented trading history of any refiner covered on this site, a pedigree that matters to buyers who weight institutional longevity heavily when choosing a brand.
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Start tracking freeIts roots go back to 1852, making it one of the oldest precious metals refiners still operating — older than any other refiner profiled on this site.
Yes — Metalor is one of only five refiners worldwide with that status, responsible for monitoring quality standards across the entire LBMA-accredited refiner network.
It runs four LBMA-accredited refineries across Switzerland, the USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and has been part of Japan's Tanaka Kikinzoku precious metals group since 2016.