Quick blog post today on a refiner who we previously had not been able to dig up any historical information on. Thanks to Leon J., who shared this information recently on a collector forum. M2 poured bars are known to have originated in the early 80’s by 2 brothers, Pat and Mike Mahoney out of Gold Bar, WA. I have a few examples shared by fellow collector Brian R.

Hope you enjoyed this one. Short and sweet, but another refiner that has some history attached. Have a great week everyone.

MMM Colorado are sought after pieces, however, very little information about this old refiner has been uncovered. The first gens only come with an MMM Stamp and typically are sub 5 oz. Later varieties, assuming they are related and the same refiner, have the MMM with the Colorado stamp. These range from sub 3 oz up to 10 oz from what I’ve seen. Looking for more information on these.

Pictured here is the MMM with Colorado stamp.

I received a new MMM first gen image today from Jon M. Thanks for sharing this sub 2 oz example

These have been a mystery for me. They are unique and based on style and patina, clearly quite old. My guess is these were 70s era based on experience of looking at so many pieces from that era over the years. There are very few comps available on these. I have come across two 5 oz class previously, but the pictured ingots below are the only ones I’ve come across to date. Any help on these would be appreciated.

Montana Gold and Silver are another well known refiner that operated out of Helena, Montana from 1959 until 1978 based on public records. The premiums have grown dramatically on ingots from this refiner. Like the W.H. Foster Eagle hallmark, the Montana Eagle as it’s sometimes called, is also HOT! These pieces came in 1 to 25 oz variety. The larger pours have eluded me over the years and now out of my budget :). I’m luck to have put together a handful of the 1 oz pieces, however. They came in two types as you can see below.

For more information on Montana Gold and Silver, visit silveringotinfo.com that has some great images of other varieties rarely seen. Here is the link:

http://silveringotinfo.com/doku.php?id=m:mgsc

Most of you that follow my collection know that I have a soft spot for Omega pieces. Again, if you missed the first blog post, you can find it in the archives or by doing a keyword search. This was an old refiner out of Las Vegas in early to mid 70s. These ingots were once very accessible in the market, but today seem to be found mainly in 10 oz second generation, although a small hoard of 3 oz second gen pieces was recently found. Even so, premiums are high on these smalls, particularly gen 1 and pieces with oddities like double stamps or small fonts, etc. Enjoy these pics.

Here are a few more 1 oz examples shared by Jon M., who is becoming a regular contributor now. Thanks again.

And some two oz pieces for your viewing below:

A nice mix of various 3 oz varieties below:

Midas Metals bars trace back to Nevada, and they’re believed to be presentation or promotional ingots rather than commercial production — the Midas name comes from a Northern Nevada silver mine dating to the early 1900s. The known 1 oz example is a cast horizontal rectangle. Not rare, but a neat piece of Nevada mining-adjacent history.

These have become harder to come by and prices continue to rise on them when they come up for auction.

We will close out the “M” box with some very nice examples, all highly collectible vintage pieces. Enjoy.

A favorite of mine and I wish I had more examples, is Mastiff Metals. Iconic hallmark of a Bullmastiff. These are so hard to find and considered tier one bars among collectors. Found in 5 and 10 oz class, albeit hardly ever, you’d be lucky to come across one in the wild.

Here is an absolute stunning example of a 5 oz class shared from Brian R’s collection. This is as good as it gets

Next up is an MSR ingot, a nice old pour with picture frame on both the 5 and 10 oz. Not an easy bar to find, particularly in 5 oz.

MEE is another neat vintage piece that typically is found in 5 oz class. I like the look at style of these.

Morris and Watson is an Australian refiner that’s been around for years and still in business today. This is a nice 250 gram example.

Next is a Mehlos Refinery ingot. Classic old pour style.

Next is another very cool old pour from MCR Division of Greb.

Last is MSC, that can be found in 5 and 10 oz class. Note this mold is same mold as Doyle’s Mint, RCG, Regold, and a few others.

Love this mold.

Arizona is another state with a very rich history of silver refining and many highly coveted hallmarks come out of this state, including Yellow Daisy, Arizona Assay Office, and Gila Development Company, just to name a few. For a number of years until recently, collectors were discovering these beautiful ingots with a “Cactus” hallmark, but nobody knew the maker. We finally have provenance. I believe one of the few who has paperwork that goes with the ingots pictured below.

Mid South Refinery and Smelters was a Southern refiner operating out of Mississippi. Their poured bars are classic crude 1970s hand pours — recorded examples come in at odd weights like 9.5, 10.2, and 10.8 oz rather than exact tens. They also made a 10 oz “kit kat” style bar carrying a Mid South Silver Ltd. logo, and at least one big ~23.9 oz poured ingot is known. Survivors are rare on the market.

Something about ingots from Nevada. The state has a rich mining history and many collectible ingots have come from this area of the country. I’ve always been a big fan of Metalrex ingots, out of Reno, NV. They came in sizes ranging from 1+0z (very scarce) to 25+ oz. They are not common by any means and have become very sought after by serious collectors. Below are a few from my collection.

Her’s a nice 10 oz example from Brian R’s collection. This is a type 2 10 oz. Note the differences from my 9 oz odd weight above. Thanks for sharing.