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Tael Bars

Taels
The tael is an ancient Chinese unit of weight. Unfortunately, like many old weight systems, the weight of the tael was not absolutely standard, but varied slightly from one place to another, but it can be generally reckoned as about 37.5 grams, 1.2 troy ounces, or 1.3333 avoirdupois ounces.

Gold Tael Bars
Gold tael bars are known to have been made in denominations of 1/2, 1, 2, 5, and 10 taels, but many other multiples and fractions were almost certain to have been made.
We have seen at least two examples of the half tael bar pictured, made by the British Royal Mint for the Hang Seng Bank. These bars give the equivalent weight as 18.7145 grams, which would make 1 tael = 37.429 grams.

Gold Tael Bars For Sale
We may very occasionally have various sizes of gold tael bars in stock, as follows:-

Gold Bars for Collectors
Mostly the gold bars we sell are intended purely as an investment in gold, and we do not guarantee to supply any specific make of bar, however we get many requests for specific makes or styles of bar for gifts or collectors, and so we try to provide these as an extra service. Naturally we charge extra for supplying specific designs and makes of gold bar. If you wish to buy gold bars at the lowest bullion prices, please see our main Gold Bars For Sale page.

Gold Bar Prices & Availability
These are sample prices based on gold at £800 per ounce.
Please check price and availability before placing your order.
GramsDescriptionAvailabilityPrice £Price $
18.7145Hang Seng / Royal Mint Half TaelSold£578$925
37.429One TaelYes£1,445$2,312
37.427Hong Kong BankSee PageSee PageSee Page

Other Information Sources
According to yourencycodaedia.net:
The tael (?) was part of the Chinese system of weights and currency. There were many different weights of tael depending on the region or type of trade. In general the silver tael weighed around 40 g. The most common government measure was the Kuping (treasury) tael, weighing 1.2 Troy ounces. A common commercial weight, the Tsaoping tael weighed 1.18 Troy ounces of marginally less pure silver.
Silver currency as ingots were called sycee, but they were not denominated or made by a central mint and their value was determined by their weight in taels. They were made by individual silversmiths for local exchange, and as such the shape and amount of extra detail on each ingot were highly variable; square and oval shapes were common but 'boat', flower, tortoise and others are known. The local tael also took precedence over any central measure, so the Canton tael weighed 1.21 ounces, the Convention or Shanghai tael was 1.09 ounces, and the Customs or Haikwan tael 1.22 ounces. The conversion rates between various common taels were well known.
Sycee were first used as a medium for exchange as early as the Qin Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, a standard bi-metallic system of silver and copper coinage was codified with 10 silver coins equal to 1,000 copper cash coins. Paper money and bonds were introduced in the 9th century. However, the tael was still the basis of the silver currency and sycee remained in use until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Common weights were 50 taels, 10 taels and 5 down to 1. The word is still in use. In Mainland China and Taiwan it equivalent to 10 ch'ien (?) at 37.5 g. In Hong Kong it is 37.8 g. In Shanghai silver is still traded in taels.

According to dictionary.com, a tael is:
Any of various units of weight used in eastern Asia, roughly equivalent to 38 grams (1 1/3 ounces).
A monetary unit formerly used in China, equivalent in value to this weight of standard silver.

Shapes
Gold tael bars are traditionally made in three different shapes.
The most common shape is the biscuit shaped (a thin cast or stamped ingot).
We also show a boat shaped bar, which looks rather like an oversized gold tooth. This particular one appears to be of Taiwanese origin, from our interpretation of the Chinese Kanji characters.
The other shape of tael bars is doughnut shaped, the central hole making them easy to stack onto wooden pegs, or thread onto string, so as to be easily worn or carried.
For further information about gold bars, look at our Gold Bars Information page.

Gold Bars For Sale
Although we do not always carry tael bars in stock, the range of gold bars we have for sale is listed on our Gold Bars For Sale page, and this page includes price indications for tael bars when we have them available.

Certificates for Gold Bullion Bars
Certificates are unnecessary, or should be unnecessary, for gold bullion bars.
These usually state their weight and fineness, being stamped on them, and are generally difficult to fake.

Obverse of Hong Kong Bank One Tael Gold Bar

Obverse of Hong Kong Bank One Tael Gold Bar

We Sell Gold Bars

Reverse of Hong Kong Bank One Tael Gold Bar

Reverse of Hong Kong Bank One Tael Gold Bar

Gold Boat Shaped Tael Bar
Boat Shaped Gold One Tael Bar

Reverse of Boat Shaped Gold One Tael Bar
Reverse of Boat Shaped Gold One Tael Bar

 


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