Good Delivery is a wholesale market standard
The London Bullion Market Association owns and manages the Good Delivery Lists and rules for gold and silver. The framework governs refiners and the specification, assay, weight, markings and handling of bars acceptable for settlement in the Loco London market.
That recognition helps global wholesale markets standardize what can move through their settlement system. It is not a general government licence for every gold business and it is not a guarantee attached automatically to every object bearing a familiar name.
A listed refiner and a Good Delivery bar are not identical claims
A refiner may produce many formats. LBMA explains that kilobars, 100-ounce bars and smaller retail bars are not London Good Delivery bars because they fall outside the specified wholesale format, even when made by a listed refiner.
Retail products can still be legitimate, liquid and well made. The accurate claim is that a product was made by a particular refiner, with its own weight, purity and packaging—not that every retail format is itself a London Good Delivery bar.
Recognition does not replace authentication
Brand, serial number, assay card and packaging are evidence that should be checked together. Counterfeit packaging and copied markings exist, while damaged seals or incomplete custody can increase the work needed to establish authenticity.
A dealer should verify the specific product using methods appropriate to its value and construction. Refiner recognition can improve marketability; it cannot prove the identity of the bar sitting on the counter.
How Meridian will describe refiners
Meridian will distinguish current list status, former list status, exchange recognition and manufacturer claims. List status can change, so any catalogue reference must link to a dated primary source and be reviewed before a transaction.
Meridian is not an LBMA member or Good Delivery refiner. References to the programme explain industry standards; they do not imply accreditation or endorsement of Meridian.
Sources & further reading.
Meridian guides are educational. They are not legal, tax or investment advice, and they do not create an offer to buy or sell gold or silver.