N.M Rothschild 5 Tola Gold Bar (Nathanel Mayer?)
Matthey Johnson 5 Tola Gold Bar
The tola is an old Indian unit of weight. It was the equivalent of the silver rupee issued by the British East India Company, at 180 grains, which equate to 11.6638038 grams, so:-
1 tola = 180 grains
1 tola = 11.66 grams
1 tola = 0.375 troy ounces
5 tolas = 1.875 troy ounces = 58.3 grams
10 tolas = 3.75 troy ounces = 116.6 grams
Gold Tola Bars
The commonest and most popular size of tola bar is the ten tola bar, but bars of five tolas, and one tola also exist. These tend to be more popular in India than elsewhere, and there has been a move in India in recent years, to move towards metric units or troy ounces rather than the tola denominations. Tola bars are also popular in Pakistan and Singapore, and other parts of the middle east.
Often when Indians talk about "tola" bars, they are referring to 10 tola bars, which are the commonest tola size made, and are sometimes called "TT" (T.T.) bars.
Rounded Edges for Smugglers
Almost all tola bars are the cast type with rounded edges. This type of bar was always popular with Indians smuggling the bars into India, often concealed inside the body. Please don't ask us for details about which body cavities, we will leave this to your imagination. Please note that if you buy tola bars from us, we will send them in a plain cover!
The coined or stamped tola bars are often used in Pakistan incorporated into jewellery, particularly bridal pieces.
999, 9999 or 996 Fine
As you can see from our photographs, the 5 tola Rothschild bar is stamped 996 fine, denoting 996 parts parts per thousand (99.60%) purity of gold. We can only assume that this is quite an old bar, as most modern bars are .999 gold, (99.90%) or even .9999 (99.99%).
Some "experts" state that tola bars are made of .999 or .9999 gold. This is not correct, as you can see.
Specifications
Make Description Weight Alloy AGW Grams AGW Ounces
Rothschild 5 Tolas 996 58.3 grams .996 57.717 1.8556
Johnson Matthey 5 Tolas 996 58.3 grams .996 57.717 1.8556
Approximate Value = £ Price $
Rothschild 5 Tolas 996 Yes £1,689 $2,535
Johnson Matthey 5 Tolas 996 Yes £1,689 $2,535
