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Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:01 pm
by Z00
The silver CombiBar was supposed to be released last year. I have not seen it surface yet.
I have a question for the gram size producers.
I know you folks are pouring your little bars. The CombiBar is apparently stamped and the die must be very precise to get a divisible 50 gram bar.
Is there any way you folks could devise something similar to this making a 25, 50 or 100 gram divisible bar that can be snapped apart by hand with 1 gram accuracy?

Here is a link to the details of the 50g gold bar.
https://www.valcambigold.com/store/combibars.aspx?i3

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Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:32 pm
by barrytrot
A very cool bar. I'm going to get one :)

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:53 pm
by Z00
Let us know what shipping costs.
Must be a killer. I wish someone in the US would produce a silver one.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:08 pm
by barrytrot
$60 shipping. They only allow payment via bank wire though, so I will have to wait until I have time for that.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:31 pm
by Z00
Does that 60.00 include all the other stuff listed in the cart?
Handling fee, Insurance fee

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:35 pm
by barrytrot
I don't know. That was the only listed thing I noticed.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:36 pm
by IdahoCopper
I would buy a bar like that from Market Harmony ... or some other minter on RealCent.

When will one of you guys have them ready?

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:42 pm
by Z00
I really think a US producer would have a winner on his hands with a 50 gram snap apart silver bar. Especially in the shaky financial scenarios around now.

Maybe MH should spend his 944.00 on a die to stamp them out.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:36 pm
by jesse1111
Cool and useful at the same time.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:40 pm
by twentybux
Very cool, indeed.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:41 pm
by woodyh
nice :)
i want 2 if someone here makes them in silver ;)

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:45 pm
by Z00
woodyh wrote:nice :)
i want 2 if someone here makes them in silver ;)

Take 10 they're small :lol:

I think the US version s/b called SnapiBars

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:05 pm
by IdahoCopper
In silver, I'd rather have 5 or 10 gram bits to snap off.

How about making them look like a large Hershey's chocolate bar?

Heck, make it easy on Market Harmony, just use a big chocolate bar as a pattern for the mold to pour in the silver, and then see how much the bits weigh... lol

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:14 pm
by Z00
IdahoCopper wrote:In silver, I'd rather have 5 or 10 gram bits to snap off.

How about making them look like a large Hershey's chocolate bar?

Heck, make it easy on Market Harmony, just use a big chocolate bar as a pattern for the mold to pour in the silver, and then see how much the bits weigh... lol

Your not thinking down the road far enough to when it will take 1 gram of silver to BUY a chocolate bar.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:40 pm
by Z00
highroller4321 wrote:Sub-Total: $2,876.61 (USD)
Tax (VAT): $0.00 (USD)
Shipping: $60.00 (USD)
Insurance Fee: $11.51 (USD)
Handling Fee: $30.00 (USD)
Total: $2,978.12 (USD

So it costs just under 60 a gram. Think it is worth it?

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:44 pm
by Delawhere Jack
Z00 wrote:
IdahoCopper wrote:In silver, I'd rather have 5 or 10 gram bits to snap off.

How about making them look like a large Hershey's chocolate bar?

Heck, make it easy on Market Harmony, just use a big chocolate bar as a pattern for the mold to pour in the silver, and then see how much the bits weigh... lol

Your not thinking down the road far enough to when it will take 1 gram of silver to BUY a chocolate bar.


Last time I saw the price of a full size Snickers bar it was $1.29. Silver is currently less than that at $1.06/g.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:50 pm
by Z00
Delawhere Jack wrote:
Z00 wrote:
IdahoCopper wrote:In silver, I'd rather have 5 or 10 gram bits to snap off.

How about making them look like a large Hershey's chocolate bar?

Heck, make it easy on Market Harmony, just use a big chocolate bar as a pattern for the mold to pour in the silver, and then see how much the bits weigh... lol

Your not thinking down the road far enough to when it will take 1 gram of silver to BUY a chocolate bar.


Last time I saw the price of a full size Snickers bar it was $1.29. Silver is currently less than that at $1.06/g.

Good point. But I would want 1 gram bars plus a little copper rather than expecting change from a 5 gram bar :D

As the cashier says: That'll be 1 snapi and 11 coppers sir.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:15 pm
by merchoarder
Check out Kurr's new stuff in the auction forum. Similar, he does nice work.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:23 pm
by Z00
merchoarder wrote:Check out Kurr's new stuff in the auction forum. Similar, he does nice work.

Yes, nice work, but the idea is to lower production cost by not having to hand pour and hand stamp every 1 gram.
With a die press you get a 50 gram bar that snaps apart into 1 gram units with 1 strike.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:48 pm
by natsb88
Z00 wrote:
merchoarder wrote:Check out Kurr's new stuff in the auction forum. Similar, he does nice work.

Yes, nice work, but the idea is to lower production cost by not having to hand pour and hand stamp every 1 gram.
With a die press you get a 50 gram bar that snaps apart into 1 gram units with 1 strike.

No 1 gram bars are poured, at least not directly. Rough poured bars are rolled into smooth sheets of a precise thickness, then the bars are stamped out of those sheets.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:09 pm
by Z00
natsb88 wrote:No 1 gram bars are poured, at least not directly. Rough poured bars are rolled into smooth sheets of a precise thickness, then the bars are stamped out of those sheets.

I stand corrected. Are the hand "punched" out of those sheets?

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:24 pm
by Engineer
Z00 wrote:
natsb88 wrote:No 1 gram bars are poured, at least not directly. Rough poured bars are rolled into smooth sheets of a precise thickness, then the bars are stamped out of those sheets.

I stand corrected. Are the hand "punched" out of those sheets?


Most likely they're stamped out of the sheet stock in a mechanical press. Hand punching wouldn't work for something that big.

One problem I see with this design is the ease with which you could shave the edges of the grams. To prevent that, you'd need to make a pattern along the break lines (like the fluted edges on US coins)

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:44 pm
by Z00
Engineer wrote:Most likely they're stamped out of the sheet stock in a mechanical press. Hand punching wouldn't work for something that big.

One problem I see with this design is the ease with which you could shave the edges of the grams. To prevent that, you'd need to make a pattern along the break lines (like the fluted edges on US coins)

Not having seen one we can only guess that they have addressed that possibility.
Go ahead and order one so we can analyse it will ya? :mrgreen: :o

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:03 pm
by Engineer
natsb88 wrote:
Z00 wrote:No 1 gram bars are poured, at least not directly. Rough poured bars are rolled into smooth sheets of a precise thickness, then the bars are stamped out of those sheets.


It wouldn't be very hard to incorporate the breaks into the rolling process. You could probably do the logos too.

Re: Valcambi CombiBars

PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:49 pm
by Z00
These guys must be rolling these out and punching out the discs after rolling.

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