Miniature gold bullion and a box of metal specimens, c.1860, including a 10-Tola bar, 100-gram bar, 1 fine ounce coin, and a nugget. Beginning in 1809 and spanning almost 200 years, the trading, refining and mining of gold were important business activities for the London and Paris Rothschild banking houses.
In 1815, the Rothschilds supplied gold to the British government to pay the troops after the Battle of Waterloo. In late 1825, the Rothschilds averted a financial crisis by supplying a large volume of gold to the Bank of England.
During the gold rushes of the mid-nineteenth century, Rothschild agents were sent to the major gold producing regions to oversee the family’s business interests. The Rothschilds were directly involved with financing gold mining; as tangible assets, metal and gold mines were an attractive investment opportunity, offering higher returns than government bonds.
In 1827, James de Rothschild began operating his own gold refinery in Paris. In 1852, the English Rothschilds acquired the lease of the Royal Mint Refinery (RMR) in London, a lease they retained for well over a century. Today, gold bars refined by Rothschild and stamped with the ‘Rothschild’ name remain very popular among collectors.
From 1919, for over 80 years, New Court in London provided the setting for the twice daily ritual of the Gold Fixing.
