Where to buy and sell gold in London

London is the centre of the world's wholesale gold market, yet most Londoners buying a coin never go near it. The trade that matters to a private buyer happens a few streets north of the City, in Hatton Garden, and increasingly online. This guide explains which London showrooms we could verify from the dealers' own websites, how the London Bullion Market differs from a shop, where to rent a safe deposit box, and where you get the best price when you sell. Everything was checked on 12 October 2026; confirm opening times with each firm before you travel.

Why is Hatton Garden London's gold quarter?

The name goes back to 1576, when Elizabeth I granted her courtier Christopher Hatton part of the Ely Palace estate, the former London residence of the Bishops of Ely. Its gardens became "Hatton's Garden", and the street was laid out in the 17th century, according to the London Museum. The jewellery trade came later. Trade directories show 11 jewellery, watch and clock businesses there in 1807 and 264 by 1907, including 78 diamond firms.

Gold refining is part of the story too. The LBMA's own history notes that Percival Johnson founded a business in Hatton Garden in 1817 that became Johnson Matthey, later named assayers to the Bank of England. After the southern African diamond and gold discoveries of the 1870s, the area became a centre for the rough diamond trade, and De Beers later built its main commercial complex on nearby Charterhouse Street. Today the quarter is still lined with jewellers, workshops and a few specialist bullion dealers, which is why it is the obvious place to compare prices face to face. The nearest stations are Farringdon and Chancery Lane.

Which bullion dealers have a London showroom?

We list a dealer only if its own website gives a London showroom or office. Several well-known UK dealers have London registered offices but no public counter, and one of the biggest is not in London at all.

Premiums are single-item prices over spot from the GoldVetted price check, 10 October 2026 (spot £3,171.03/oz). The Hatton Garden Metals Sovereign was out of stock that night. "Not checked" means we did not capture a price, so we publish none.

Hatton Garden Metals

Hatton Garden Metals Limited has been a company since 2007 and is registered at its shop in Hatton Place. It lists its buy price next to its sell price on each product page, offers free insured delivery, and caps cash payments at £8,000 per household in any 12 months. It had the cheapest Sovereign of the dealers we checked. Read our Hatton Garden Metals review.

Chards

Chards is a Blackpool firm trading since 1964 that opened a London office in Hatton Garden in 2024. Both showrooms work by appointment, and cash is accepted only in Blackpool. It had the lowest single-coin 1oz Britannia premium in our check. See our Chards review.

Baird & Co

Baird & Co, founded in London in 1967, says it refines and makes bars at high-security premises in East London and invites customers to its Hatton Garden showroom. It sells to private and trade clients online. We did not capture its prices; see our Baird & Co review.

Not London showrooms

Atkinsons Bullion has its registered office in London, but its website gives only a Sutton Coldfield postal address and does not publish a London showroom, so check before planning a visit (Atkinsons review). BullionByPost is a Birmingham business (BullionByPost review). The Royal Mint is based in Llantrisant, South Wales, and sells online.

Prefer to order from home? Check Hatton Garden Metals prices or compare Chards' price tiers.

What is the London Bullion Market, and why can't you buy from it?

When people say "London gold", they usually mean the wholesale market, not a place you can walk into. It is the world's largest and oldest precious metals market, and trading is principal to principal: banks, refiners, miners and trading houses deal directly with each other, mostly in large bars held in London vaults. The LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) is the trade body behind it. It is not a shop. It sets the standards for the market, including the Good Delivery List of refiners whose bars are accepted, and a code of conduct for members.

The LBMA matters to you in two ways. First, the LBMA Gold Price, set in auctions at 10:30 and 15:00 London time and run by ICE Benchmark Administration, is the benchmark many dealers and The Royal Mint use for buyback offers. Second, some retail dealers belong to it: Chards is a full member, and Hatton Garden Metals and Atkinsons say they are affiliate members. Membership is a useful sign of standing, but it does not mean the LBMA backs a retail sale.

The nearest a private buyer gets to wholesale bars is a vault service such as BullionVault, where you buy a share of large bars stored in a professional vault. That is a different product from a coin in your hand; our BullionVault review explains how it works.

Where can you rent a safe deposit box in London?

Most high street banks have stopped renting boxes. In London the verified options are Metro Bank and the independent firm Metropolitan.

Metropolitan's price page does not say whether prices include VAT. It sells extra cover on top of the included £10,000: for example £247.50 a year for another £75,000. Metro Bank boxes run from £255 to £801 a year; it listed 76 UK stores on its reservation form, so check that your nearest London store offers boxes.

A smallest box (45 mm high) easily holds a tube of Sovereigns. Remember that a 1oz coin is worth over £3,000 at current prices (... an ounce at Loading), so the included £10,000 of cover is used up quickly. Our UK gold storage guide compares boxes with dealer vaults, The Royal Mint's vault and home safes.

Where can you sell gold in London?

Hatton Garden is the easiest place in the UK to compare offers in person, but published prices are rare. Two dealers with London premises publish theirs.

Hatton Garden Metals list captured 11 October 2026 at 10:56 UTC (spot £3,171.45). Chards selling page read 12 October 2026 at 08:32 UTC (spot £3,156.59). Spot from gold-api.com.

The two are not like for like. Hatton Garden Metals' figures are what it pays at its Hatton Place shop, where it buys coins without an appointment. Chards' "up to" figures come from its Blackpool-based buying operation and apply to coins in good resaleable condition; it may pay less for marked coins and may not fix a price in volatile markets. You can sell to Chards at its Hatton Garden office by appointment, but ask for a firm quote first. Jewellers and cash-for-gold shops usually price by weight at scrap rates, so never sell a bullion coin that way. Our guide on where to sell gold in the UK compares The Royal Mint's 96% buyback and other routes.

What tax applies to gold in London?

The rules are UK-wide. Investment gold carries no VAT under HMRC Notice 701/21. Sovereigns and Britannias are sterling legal tender, so HMRC's Capital Gains Manual (CG78305) treats them as exempt from Capital Gains Tax when you sell. Bars and foreign coins such as Krugerrands are chargeable, with 18% or 24% tax on gains above the £3,000 annual exempt amount. That is why CGT-free coins dominate London dealers' windows. Our UK gold tax guide has worked examples. This is general information, not tax advice.

How do you buy gold safely in London?

1. Use a named, checkable dealer

   Look the company up on Companies House and check its address matches its website. Be wary of street approaches or online sellers offering coins below spot.

2. Know the premium before you go

   Check today's spot and the dealer's online price, so you can tell whether a counter price is fair.

3. Expect ID checks

   Dealers follow the Money Laundering Regulations, so bring photo ID and proof of address, especially for cash.

4. Plan the trip home

   Ask about collection by appointment, or use free insured delivery instead of carrying gold across London.

Outside the capital, see our guides to gold dealers in Birmingham, Sheffield and Glasgow, or compare every dealer on our best places to buy gold in the UK page.

Not financial advice. GoldVetted provides general information to help you compare options. It is not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Gold prices go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay. Check tax rules with the official source or a qualified adviser before you act.