So lets see what Good Delivery is

1. Good Delivery - The Definition
A detailed definition of the good "good delivery" predicted by the LBMA to Gold bar and silver
bar producers with outstanding quality.
Good Delivery is an attribute that is given by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) as an
outstanding quality feature. There is a separate list of requirements, the Good Delivery Rules. Once
gold or silver bars can meet these demanding criteria in terms of fineness, weight, size, appearance
and production methods this attribute can be awarded.
Manufacturers whose products have received the award, are considered particularly trustworthy and
are acknowledged worldwide without further reviews.
The Good Delivery strictly refers only to 400 oz troy of standard gold bars or 1,000 oz troy of Silver
bars, which are used in international precious metal wholesale. However, it must generally be as-
sumed that manufacturers are also beyond this Standard bars to the specifications of the LMBA.
Their good reputation is at stake. This is the Only guarantee that they can do business on the tightly
linked gold market.
Background for good delivery rules
The London Bullion Market Association is the world 's largest trading venue for physical gold and gold
Silver. Here, millions of ounces of gold and silver daily change. The historical problem for larger
deliveries: Gold is not equal to gold. Is the gold really real? Does it have the right purity? Certainly,
only those who carried out complex and expensive laboratory analyzes.
In order to simplify and accelerate trade, the LMBA has created a set of rules. All precious metal pro-
ducers meeting the criteria contained therein were approved by the LMBA, officially accredited as
"Good Delivery".
Those who lead this predicate could now sell their bars without the need for additional tests by a
laboratory. Instead, the LMBA is a guarantor of the quality standard.
Keep in mind, this is recognized exclusively for their FOB sales. Those who would like to get awarded
"Good Delivery" for their products, must send an application to LMBA. This then carries out an audit,
which must confirm the specifications in the official rules catalog of the LBMA "Good Delivery Rules
for Gold and Silver Bars".
Here are the most important points:
• The applicant has refined precious metals for more than 5 years, and has adhered to the Good De-
livery rules for at least 3 years
• The applicant refinishes at least 10 tonnes of gold or 30 tonnes of silver per year
• The applicant has a net asset value of more than 10 million pounds
Gold-Bar Serial Numbers and what you need to know about
1. Bar serial numbers serve three primary purposes:
a. Refined bars are identical when they come off the production line. Serial numbers
allow a buyer to identify and differentiate the interchangeable GLD bars, which, in
turn, facilitates the process of ownership and title transfer.

2. b. Registered serial numbers act as a deterrent against theft and counterfeiting. Stolen
or irregular product can be readily identified through record checks with the LBMA.
c. Serial numbers, sequentially applied, are valuable for maintaining quality control
during the refining process. Should a defect be found in the production of a particu-
lar batch of product, the serial number will identify the particular bars affected.
2. Under the LBMA's "Good Delivery Rules", bar serial numbers may comprise up to eleven -11 -
numbers or letters of the alphabet. Moreover, since 2008, the four-digit "year of manufac-
ture" must be incorporated as the first four digits in the serial number.
3. Each LBMA-accredited refiner applies its own unique "serial numbering system" to its pro-
duction stock. The serial numbers are struck on the top surface of the bar - which is the larg-
er of the two main surfaces (technically, the cast surface at the top of the mould) - using
conventional "pressure" stamping or dot matrix "pneumatic" punching.
4. Serial numbers allow a buyer to identify the name/location of the LBMA refinery that manu-
factured the bars and the date of production. Serial numbers, though, do NOT identify the
bar owner or provide information about the chain of title. The serial numbering system, af-
ter all, is not a title registry. To determine ownership you need to examine the Certificate
Ownership, which is the formal Deed of Title. The Certificate of Ownership identifies the legal
owner of record and specifies the precise bars titled to the bullion owner, referencing the bar
serial numbers involved.
5. Keep in mind that non-LBMA-accredited refiners are free to stamp serial numbers on their
freshly minted gold bars. The difference, though, is that LBMA-accredited refiners are RE-
QUIRED to stamp sequential serial numbers on every bar that comes off their production
run. And, more importantly, only serial numbers struck by LBMA-accredited refiners are
registrable with, and verifiable by, the LBMA.
6. Non-LBMA-accredited refineries may sometimes stamp their bars with internationally recog-
nized hallmarks under licensing arrangements with the GLD refiner or hallmark owner. How-
ever, notwithstanding the use of established hallmarks, non-accredited refiners may not
stamp their bars with serial numbers registrable with the LBMA.
A good example is Thai gold which typically appears on the market with UBS, Perth Mint, JP
Morgan and Citibank hallmarks. These hallmarks are added under license; look carefully at
the stock and you will not find any serial numbers struck on the bars. Prudent Buyers would
be well advised, therefore, to inquire not only about the hallmarks, which are easily to be
forged, but more about the presence of registered serial numbers.
While knowing a bar's date of manufacture is important, gold - unlike other base metals like copper
or aluminum - doesn't rust or wear out; it doesn't tarnish, rot, evaporate or decay. There is, there-
fore, no practical difference between newly produced bars and bullion stock manufactured several
decades ago.
An indication “International Hallmarks less than 5 years” is more or less already a signal you are deal-
ing with scammers. Far more important is the Final Assay Report, especially when considering the
sale/purchase of bars maintained outside the GLD system. We advise to purchase such bars exclu-
sively according to a new Last Assay report of an LBMA recognized refinery.
Ask for the Bars-List providing you with each bar’s serial number and ask the LBMA to check. If it is
400 oz troy bars ask for each bar’s specific weight and fineness too.
So you will learn easily if the offer is genuine. Those who cannot provide you with such information
do not have the bars so not such list.