In 700 BC the daughter of the King of Thebes, the great high priestess Shepenupet, was buried in a magnificent sarcophagus decorated with goldⁱ and platinum hieroglyphics, but widespread knowledge of platinum did not occur until many centuries later.

Platinum has made sporadic appearances throughout history, mysteriously disappearing for centuries at a time. We know the Incas, used platinum and gold to create nose rings and other items of ceremonial jewelry, but then Platinum is lost for two millennia, forgotten for thousands of years, only to briefly re-appear when European explorers discover the new world.  Not until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the Spanish conquered the New World, did news reach Europe of the new metal. The Spanish first considered platinum a nuisance because it interfered with their gold mining. Spanish conquistadores gave it the derogatory name 'platina', meaning 'little silver'. The Spanish mistakenly dismissed platinum as an inferior metal and threw it back into the rivers of Ecuador to 'ripen'.  Platinum’s extraordinary properties did however, interest European scientists. They noted that it would not “melt by fire or by any of the Spanish arts.”

Heavier than gold and virtually impossible to corrode with gases or chemicals, in 1751, platinum was finally recognized as a newly discovered element.  It was used to make durable laboratory instruments in Berlin in 1784. In France, crucibles for glass production used it, a significant use still today. Platinum also began to impress jewelers and goldsmiths. Leading metalworkers, such as Marc Janety, Royal Goldsmith to Louis XVI, and Pierre Chabaneu, of Spain, were using platinum to make expensive cutlery, watch-chains and coat buttons.

Increased platinum use was limited by its supply. In 1820, Columbia, still the only major producer of platinum in the world, ceased exporting platinum. In 1822, Russian alluvial platinum was proven to be in the gold fields of the Ural Mountains. The Russian government made platinum into roubles and over the next 18 years, minted almost 500,000 ounces of platinum. Thus started the worldwide notion that platinum was like gold, a store of value.

Platinum jewelry remained rare until high-temperature jewelers’ torches were developed.  Louis Cartier became the first person to successfully create platinum jewelry, and diamond settings. King Edward VII of England hailed Cartier as the "jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers".

The sources of platinum production remained limited until 1924 when German geologist Hans Merensky discovered the world's largest platinum deposit near Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1975, platinum bars small enough for individual investors were introduced in Japan. With platinum’s huge price changes during the late 1970s and early 1980s interest in platinum bullionⁱ spread to Europe and the United States. Two platinum fabricators, Johnson Matthey & Co. Ltd., and Engelhard Corporation began to produce one and ten ounce platinum bars.

In November of 1983, The Isle of Man, issued a one-ounce Noble platinum bullion coinⁱ. The highly successful Noble enticed other mints to issue their own platinum coins. During the second half of 1988, Australia (the Koala) and Canada (the Maple Leaf) introduced platinum legal tenderⁱ bullion coins within three months of each other. Both were hugely successful, raising the level of demand to new highs.  For nearly ten years, Australia’s Koala and Canada’s Maple Leaf were among the leading platinum coins in annual sales. The platinum American Eagle was released in 1997.