Degussa

The name DEGUSSA is an acronym for Deutsche Gold- undSilberscheideanstaltand is probably one of the best-known gold refineries in the German-speaking world and was one of the most important manufacturers of gold, silver and platinum bars for a long time.

The historic Degussa emerged as "Deutsche Gold- und Silber-Scheide-Anstalt vorm. Roessler" in 1873 from the Frankfurt refinery Friedrich Roessler Söhne.

In addition to refining precious metals, the company concentrated on the production of industrial chemicals in the late 19th century.

Degussa in the Third Reich

Under the National Socialists, the company was heavily involved in the crimes of the regime. Not only did the company profit from the Nazis' Aryanization programmes and employ forced labourers on a massive scale, Degussa or a subsidiary also supplied the Zyklon B for the gas chambers in the Auschwitz extermination camp. The dental gold of murdered Jews also ended up in Degussa's smelting furnaces.

In the 1990s, Degussa initiated a historical review of the company's history.

Split in the FRG

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the now multinational Degussa Group was once again one of the most important companies in the country, was one of the largest German chemical companies and the Degussa AG share was part of the DAX. In the 1990s, Degussa was finally split up in the course of takeovers, mergers and amalgamations.
While the chemicals division was absorbed into today's Evonik Group, a distinction must be made between the business and the brand of the precious metals division:

The precious metals division of Degussa

AGOSI (Allgemeine Gold-und Silberscheideanstalt) in Pforzheim took over Degussa's precious metals business back in 1993. Degussa 's former precious metal refinery branch was then spun off from Evonik Degussa GmbH into PMG ("Precious Metal Group") in 2000 and taken over by the Belgian Umicore Group in 2003.

Since Agosi was also taken over by Umicore in 2003, the entire precious metals business of the former Degussa now basically belongs entirely to the Belgian group. Incidentally, the Austrian company Ögussa also belongs to Agosi, and thus to Umicore.

The Degussa brand

The Degussa brand was sold by AGOSI in 2010 for two million euros to the billionaire and "Mövenpick" owner Finckh, who founded a new precious metals dealer under the brand name "Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel GmbH". The well-known sun/moon logo, the typical two-part diamond with the sun on the left (symbolizing gold) and the moon on the right (symbolizing silver), was also adopted.

However, Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel GmbH is not a refinery, but merely a precious metal dealer. The company, which was founded in 2010, has since been banned from advertising with the claim "Degussa - Gold and Silver since 1843". Nevertheless, Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel GmbH is a reputable dealer today and is one of the largest precious metal dealers in Europe. Incidentally, Degussa has the largest collection of historical gold bars in its vaults.

Degussa gold bars

Today's "Degussa Goldbars" are produced on behalf of Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel GmbH by the Swiss refineries Valcambi and Argor-Heraeus and are therefore also produced by LBMA-certified "Good Delivery" manufacturers.

In addition to gold bars, Degussa Sonne/Mond Goldhandel also issues bars made of silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium. All Degussa bars bear the historic sun/moon logo as an embossing stamp. The manufacturer's stamp "Melter Assayer" or "Essayeur Fondeur" indicates which refinery produced the bar on behalf of the customer.

Otherwise, the classic Degussa gold, silver and platinum bars are also traded close to the price of gold. Unlike new bars, the old Degussa bars do not bear an assay stamp and usually do not have a serial number.

Buy & Sell Degussa Gold

We do not currently sell Degussa bars, but only bars from the Austrian Mint, Argor-Heraeus, C. Hafner and other LBMA-certified refineries.

Degussa gold bars, both those of the historic Degussa AG and those of Sonne/Mond Goldhandel, come from LBMA-certified production and are therefore eligible for bank trading. You can therefore also sell your Degussa gold bars at Gold&Co.