Buying & Selling Gold

Selling Gold

Selling old and unwanted or broken gold jewellery can be a quick and convenient way to make some extra cash.

We buy scrap gold, silver and platinum and check prices daily to make sure you get an accurate rate.

Find out how much your gold items are worth before deciding who to sell them to. Looking at the hallmarks and weighing your jewellery will help you to assess how much your items might be worth, based on current gold prices.

You can also get a valuation from us and we will give you a firm idea of what your gold is worth. Don’t forget to consider the value of the whole item, including gemstones, rather than just the gold.

The rules of supply and demand dictate that if more people want to invest in a commodity, its price will increase, and gold tends to be in more demand when the economy is looking rocky.

So, it’s worth considering the state of the economy as a whole when selling gold. If you think there are harder times on the horizon, it might be worth holding out for gold prices to rise.

Buying Gold

Buying gold coins are a great way to preserve value against inflation, and, as British legal tender, are Capital Gains Tax exempt for UK investors.

We are able to source the following coins for you, should you so wish to have them as part of your collection or as a collector of gold.

Sovereign

The sovereign is a gold coin of the United Kingdom, with a nominal value of one pound sterling. Struck from 1817 until the present time, it was originally a circulating coin accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world; it is now a bullion coin and is sometimes mounted in jewellery. Now The Royal Mint’s flagship coin, minted in 916.7 gold (9.8g of gold for a full Sovereign, 3.66g of gold for a Half Sovereign) - the Sovereign is the most tightly specified coin in the world.

With the start of the First World War in 1914, the sovereign vanished from circulation in Britain, replaced by paper money, and it did not return after the war, though issues at colonial mints continued until 1932. The coin was still used in the Middle East, and demand rose in the 1950s, which the Royal Mint eventually responded to by striking new sovereigns in 1957. It has been struck since then both as a bullion coin and, beginning in 1979, for collectors. Though the sovereign is no longer in circulation, it is still legal tender in the United Kingdom.

As well as being used as a circulating coin, the sovereign has entered fashion, with some men in the 19th century placing one on their pocket watch chains; wearing one in that fashion came to be seen as a sign of integrity. Others carried their sovereigns in a small purse linked to the watch chain. These customs vanished with the popularisation of the wrist watch. Women also have worn sovereigns, as bangles or ear rings.

Britannia

Britannia, the female representation of Britain and the modern face of Bullion since 1987. Britannia has a long history with Britain and its coinage, she is the embodiment of the nation she has represented for almost 2,000 years, ever since the Romans invaded the isles and claimed them as the province of Britannia. She first appeared on the Roman coins of Emperor Hadrian circa AD 119 and was revived for the coinage of Charles II in 1672.

When Britannia coins were added to The Royal Mint’s Bullion portfolio in 1987, in response to a growing global Bullion market, Philip Nathan created an interpretation of Britannia that was perfect for the new coins. He presented the icon with a strong maritime influence, standing windswept in a classical gown, waves at her feet; trident, shield and olive branch in hand – instantly recognisable in an international market, the modern face of British Bullion and a symbol of strength and tradition.

From 2013 the gold coins have a millesimal fineness of .9999 (or 24 carat gold). Until 2012 the gold coins have a millesimal fineness of .917 (91.7% or 22 carat gold) with the non-gold component being copper until 1989 and silver from 1990.

Since 2013 the silver coins have been produced with a millesimal fineness of .999 (99.9% silver). Mass 31.21 g and Diameter 38.61 mm.

From 1997 to 2012 the silver coins had a millesimal fineness of 958 (95.8% or Britannia silver). Total mass 32.45g, Diameter 40.00mm.

South African Krugerrand

The South African Krugerrand was first introduced in 1967 to allow private ownership of gold, and to market it to the world. Minted by the Rand Refinery, the South African Krugerrand is a symbol of enduring value, more than 50 million ounces of gold Krugerrands have been sold. The face depicts four-time president of the South African Republic and Boer leader Paul Kruger with a springbok antelope, one of South Africa’s symbolic animals, on the reverse which was the same image which was previously used on South Africa’s 5 shilling coin. The word ‘Krugerrand’ itself is a registered trademark of Rand Refinery Limited.

The Krugerrand is 91.67% pure gold, with a relatively high proportion of copper in the alloy. This results in more durability and more notably, a red colour similar to rose gold. The gold content of the Krugerrand is still a full troy ounce, the same as America’s Eagle and our own Britannia. The addition of the copper makes the Krugerrand slightly heavier and larger than the more pure coins.

The Krugerrand is 32.77 mm in diameter and 2.84 mm thick. Its actual weight is 1.0909 troy ounces (33.93 g). It is minted from gold alloy that is 91.67% pure (22 karats), so the coin contains one troy ounce (31.1035 g) of gold. The remaining 8.33% of the coin's weight (2.826 g) is copper (an alloy known historically as crown gold which has long been used for British gold sovereigns), which gives the Krugerrand a more orange appearance than silver-alloyed gold coins.