Royal Mint coins, legal tender
Sovereigns and Britannias come from the country’s own mint, with their own legal-tender status. That status is what unlocks the tax treatment, and it is what makes them recognised by any reputable dealer in the world.
Real coins, in your name, in a London vault.
Royal Mint Sovereigns and Britannias. Legal tender, which is what makes them tax-friendly. We buy them, vault them, insure them, or deliver them to your door.
Sovereigns and Britannias come from the country’s own mint, with their own legal-tender status. That status is what unlocks the tax treatment, and it is what makes them recognised by any reputable dealer in the world.
Stored in a London vault that meets the standards set by the LBMA. The same standard that the major bullion banks and central banks use. Allocated in your name. Insured while they are there.
Specific coins, in a specific bag, allocated to your name on the vault register. Yours to take delivery of any time you want.
Two things make UK gold coins different from other ways to own gold. One: investment-grade gold is exempt from VAT under HMRC’s rules. Two: Sovereigns and Britannias are legal tender from The Royal Mint, which means any gain when you sell them is exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Just a long-standing exemption that applies to coins minted by the country’s mint.
Tax rules can change and how they apply depends on your personal circumstances. We are happy to walk through this with you.
Two main coin families, both from The Royal Mint, both available new (a small premium over spot) or as second-hand coins of guaranteed purity (smaller premium). You can mix and match. Most customers start with Sovereigns because the unit size is friendlier.
Cash quietly halves every thirty years. Gold doesn’t. That’s the job, and it’s a different job from cash and shares.
That is not a complaint about cash. It is just how cash works under inflation. A pound saved in 1995 buys roughly half today what it bought then. Gold does not have that problem in the same way: it tends to hold its purchasing power across generations.
Shares are productive assets. They go up and down with the economy and pay you a dividend along the way. Gold sits there. It does not pay interest, does not pay a dividend, does not grow. It tends to do well when sterling is having a difficult year, which is when shares often are too.
The Bank of England keeps about 310 tonnes of it in its own vaults. The LBMA reports a daily price for it that has been published continuously since 1968. None of that is a promise of what gold will do next. It is just why people, sensibly, keep some.
Thirty-six pages, no jargon. We send the PDF by email, no follow-up call unless you ask for one.
Tell us how much you would like to put in. We show today's prices, you pick the coins, we confirm the order in writing. Pay by bank transfer, the way you would pay for anything else.
Coins go straight into the LBMA-approved vault, allocated and insured in your name. Or we send them to your door by insured signed-for courier. Your call. You can swap between either at any time.
We buy back at the live LBMA spot price, less a small dealer spread. Money in your account in a few working days. Sell five Sovereigns or sell the lot, whatever works for you.
Most customers leave their coins in the vault. It is an LBMA-approved facility, the same standard the major bullion banks and central banks use. Allocated means your specific coins are kept separately, in a labelled bag with your name on it, not pooled with anyone else's. Storage and insurance are on us for the first twelve months. After that, a flat annual fee shown up front before you commit. If you would rather take delivery, we send them by insured signed-for courier. They are yours either way.
When you decide to sell, you have two routes. Whichever you choose, we handle the paperwork and the logistics.
We buy back at the live LBMA spot price, minus a small dealer spread. Money usually arrives within three to five working days. The simplest route, and most customers take it.
Sovereigns and Britannias are recognised globally. Any reputable dealer will quote you. We can ship them to a third party on your instruction, or release them to you so you can handle the sale yourself.
Held between three and eleven years. The full table’s below: what was bought, how long it sat, what the customer walked away with. Every gold sale on the books, in order.
Returns shown are after fees, before any tax (Royal Mint coins are CGT-exempt as legal tender). Customer names withheld for privacy. Past results are not a guide to future ones.
Every customer below has bought actual coins, in their actual name, in an actual vault (or in an actual safe at home). Names changed for privacy, the rest of it is theirs.
“I had been thinking about gold for ten years and never knew where to start. They explained Sovereigns versus Britannias in two minutes flat, and I bought my first three the same week.”
“Took delivery of my first hundred Sovereigns last year. Came in a sealed Royal Mint tube. Quietly satisfying. Would recommend it for anyone who wants something tangible.”
“I have a chunk in the vault and a chunk at home. Vault is free for the first year, then a flat fee. No nasty surprises. The vault statements are easy to read.”
“Sold half my position back at spot last spring. Money in the account in five days. Painless. Kept the other half because I might never sell it.”
Bars do not have legal tender status, so they do not get the Capital Gains Tax exemption. Coins from The Royal Mint do. Coins are also easier to part with: sell five Sovereigns, hold the rest, no need to liquidate the lot at once.
Yes, some SIPPs let you hold physical gold. We’ll help you and your pension provider sort the paperwork. (We’re not financial advisers, so for the “should I?” question, an IFA is the right port of call.)
No. You can take delivery any time. Your coins, your call. We send them by insured signed-for courier with tracking the whole way. Most customers split: some at home, some in the vault.
It can. Gold is the slow-and-steady part of a portfolio, not the rocket. Most customers hold a sensible slice alongside cash and shares; if you’re unsure how much, an independent financial adviser is the right call.
Both available. Brand-new Royal Mint coins (small premium over spot) or second-hand coins of guaranteed purity (smaller premium). We will be clear about which you are getting before you commit, and the choice is yours.
A flat annual fee, shown up front before you commit. Typical range £30 to £60 a year for a vault holding, depending on size, including insurance. One number, one line item, the same every year.
If you would rather skip the guide and ask a real person, book a quick call. We answer the questions, you decide what to do next.
Sovereigns and Britannias, allocated to you, in an LBMA London vault or delivered to your door. See today’s spot, see today’s coin prices, buy when you’re ready. We’re here if you’d rather talk it through.