Established in 1983, Sunshine Minting, Inc. may seem like a new and unproven American mint compared to most of the other stately participants in the industry, such as the 104-year old Royal Canadian Mint, but don’t let age fool you. Sunshine has more than proved its mettle during its short history, and is already accepted as a manufacturer of quality products for dealers and investors interested in physical gold.
Silver, gold and platinum rounds, blanks and bullion minted by Sunshine can be found around the world, as well as within the walls of the US Mint, based in Philadelphia.
Background
Located in scenic Coeur d’Alene in the American West, Sunshine Minting is one of the largest suppliers of silver blanks to the United States Mint. It also supplies mint products to banks, marketing companies and other mints around the world.
In addition to producing high-grade silver and gold bullion bars, Sunshine, an Idaho-based mint, deals in a variety of precious and semi-precious metals. Sunshine specializes in a range of primary and subsidiary products and services in the precious metals industry, such as bi-metal coins, silver plating, and the application of antique patina finishes and colors.
Much like its classier overseas competition, Sunshine offers full display packaging for its gold and silver items, complete with acrylic capsules, leather boxes and Lucite-stand materials, as well as attractive and elegant embedding options.
Products
Sunshine’s portfolio of products contains something for every investor or collector. Among its comprehensive line-up of gold bars and rounds, you will find: 6mm, 9.75mm, 25mm and 30mm gold rounds, and 1g, 5g, 10g, 1oz, and 10oz bars.
The 1oz bar is comes equipped with a state-of-the-art security feature never before seen in the industry. Known as MintMark SI™, this proprietary technology is being included in every new bullion product from Sunshine. The MintMark SI™ feature can be found on the back of the bar.
A 1 oz Sunshine Gold Bar in Plastic Card
The 1oz bar depicts the familiar Sunshine eagle, with a backdrop of sunrays. Weight and purity are vouched for by a seal on the obverse, which also includes a unique number that identified the bar to the exclusion of all others. The serial number is also printed on the tamperproof packaging the bar comes in. Similar sizes and designs are also available in silver.
Premiums on Sunshine Ingots
In the gold and precious metals industry, ‘premium’ refers to a component of the price of an ingot that is above the value of the actual gold in the ingot. The premium is set by the manufacturer, although there are other factors that determine it as well.
For instance, if you are purchasing gold from a dealer or reseller, the premium may also consist of an add-on price set by the reseller. Sunshine rounds and ingots generally carry very little premium, so be wary about buying if you find a Sunshine product with a high markup. Shopping around could save you some money, as Sunshine products can typically be found for $20-$30 per ounce over spot price of gold.