UK gold premium report: October 2026
In October 2026, The Royal Mint charged the most for UK bullion coins. Its 1oz Britannia cost 6.83% over spot on 12 October, against 2.77% at Chards: a £128.32 gap on one coin. Mixed-year Sovereigns at Hatton Garden Metals were cheapest at 2.79%. Selling straight back cost about 6%.
This is the first monthly UK edition of the GoldVetted premium tracker. Every figure is a price our script read from a dealer's own product page on 10, 11 or 12 October 2026, shown with its time and the spot price used.
- Sellers priced: Chards, Hatton Garden Metals, Atkinsons Bullion, The Royal Mint, BullionVault
- Prices recorded: 58 buy prices and 20 buyback and scrap prices
- Check dates: 10 to 12 October 2026
- Spot range: £3,159.69 to £3,171.45 per oz
- Next report: November 2026
Where was gold cheapest in the UK in October 2026?
A premium is what you pay above the spot price, the wholesale value of the gold itself. This table picks out the cheapest and dearest seller of each product, using the most recent single-item read we hold.
| Product | Cheapest | Dearest | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1oz coin (Britannia) | Chards, £3,247.09, 2.77% | The Royal Mint, £3,375.41, 6.83% (both 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC, spot £3,159.69) | £128.32 |
| Small coin: Sovereign (0.23542 oz) | Hatton Garden Metals, mixed years, £764.60, 2.79% | The Royal Mint, £802.43, 7.87% (both 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC, spot £3,159.69) | £37.83 |
| Small coin: Half Sovereign (0.11771 oz) | Hatton Garden Metals, mixed years, £396.76, 6.54% | Atkinsons Bullion, £406.91, 9.27% (both 12 Oct, 06:31 UTC, spot £3,163.74) | £10.15 |
| 1oz bar | Chards, Metalor minted (new), £3,261.54, 2.85% | Chards, PAMP Lady Fortuna (new, out of stock), £3,343.95, 5.45% (both 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC, spot £3,171.03) | £82.41 |
| 1 kg bar | The Royal Mint, cast, £103,656.38, 1.92% | Hatton Garden Metals (out of stock), £103,865.57, 2.13% (both 12 Oct, spot £3,163.24) | £209.19 |
| Card vs bank transfer gap | Not measured. Our UK reads recorded one price per product (the cheapest payment method shown), so we cannot publish a card gap this month. | ||
| Buyback (Hatton Garden Metals) | Britannia £3,067.15 (3.29% under spot), Sovereign £720.90 (3.45% under), 1oz bar £3,035.53 (4.29% under), 1 kg bar £97,605.58 (4.27% under). 11 Oct, 10:56 UTC, spot £3,171.45 | ||
| Round trip (Britannia) | Buy at Chards, sell to Hatton Garden Metals: lose £192.80 (5.91%) | Buy and sell at Hatton Garden Metals: lose £214.04 (6.52%) | 10 Oct buy, 11 Oct sell |
GoldVetted automated price checks. Among in-stock 1oz bars, the dearest was Chards' new Perth Mint cast bar at 5.05%. Britannias and Sovereigns are UK legal tender, so gains on them are free of Capital Gains Tax for UK residents, and investment gold is exempt from VAT (HMRC). More in UK gold tax.
What does the UK data show this month?
Is The Royal Mint the cheapest place to buy a Britannia?
No. In our daily automated reads it was the dearest of the four sellers for the 1oz Britannia (7.13% on 10 October, 6.83% on 12 October) and for the full Sovereign (8.14%, then 7.87%). For the Half Sovereign it was second dearest at 9.20%, just below Atkinsons Bullion's 9.27%. Chards and Hatton Garden Metals stayed between 2.77% and 3.47% for the 1oz coin. The Royal Mint vs Chards comparison covers delivery, storage and other costs beyond the premium, and both are reviewed in full: Chards review, Royal Mint review.
One read stands out. A separate check of The Royal Mint's Britannia page at 07:00 UTC on 12 October recorded £3,317.15 (4.87% over spot of £3,163.24), £58.26 less than the daily read 51 minutes later. Our data does not show why the two differed. We publish both and will watch for it in November.
See Chards' Britannia price Compare at Hatton Garden Metals
Where did The Royal Mint come out cheapest?
On the 1 kg cast bar. At £103,656.38 (1.92% over spot) it undercut Hatton Garden Metals' kilo bar by £209.19, and that bar was out of stock anyway. Large bars carry small premiums because the making cost is spread over 32.15 troy ounces. Our 1 kilo gold bar guide explains the trade-offs, such as being harder to sell in part.
How much more do small bars cost?
| Size | Hatton Garden Metals | The Royal Mint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 g | £126.86, 24.78% (out of stock) | £146.65, 44.25% |
| 10 g | £1,075.89, 5.76% (out of stock) | £1,105.69, 8.68% |
| 100 g | £10,450.94, 2.76% | £10,706.92, 5.28% (Best Value) |
| 1 kg | £103,865.57, 2.13% (out of stock) | £103,656.38, 1.92% |
A 1 g bar from The Royal Mint cost 44.25% over the value of its gold. The same money in a 100 g bar from Hatton Garden Metals carried a 2.76% premium. See the 1 gram gold bar guide for when small bars still make sense, such as gifts.
What does a round trip cost in the UK?
Hatton Garden Metals is the one UK dealer in our data that posts buyback prices (what it pays you to sell). Pairing those with buy prices gives the cost of buying and selling straight away:
| Item | Buy price | Buyback | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1oz Britannia (buy 10 Oct) | £3,281.19 | £3,067.15 | £214.04 (6.52%) |
| Sovereign (buy 10 Oct) | £767.48 | £720.90 | £46.58 (6.07%) |
| Half Sovereign (buy 12 Oct) | £396.76 | £356.73 | £40.03 (10.09%) |
| 100 g bar (buy 12 Oct) | £10,450.94 | £9,760.56 | £690.38 (6.61%) |
| 1 g bar (buy 12 Oct) | £126.86 | £97.61 | £29.25 (23.06%) |
The bar and Half Sovereign buyback prices were listed unchanged on 12 October. Spot was about £8 lower on the 12 October buy reads, which flatters those losses slightly. Selling tips are in our UK guide to selling gold and the Hatton Garden Metals review.
What about vault gold?
BullionVault, which sells gold held in a professional vault rather than delivered, showed a buy price of £101,790 per kg at 22:32 UTC on 11 October. That was in line with spot of £3,166.01 before its 0.50% commission. It is a different product from a coin in your hand, so we keep it out of the summary; see the BullionVault review.
What changed between 10, 11 and 12 October?
Spot eased 0.36%, from £3,171.03 on the evening of 10 October to £3,159.69 on the morning of 12 October. The market was shut for the weekend, so the 10 October and 11 October reads are identical. By Monday morning every dealer had trimmed its price in pounds, and The Royal Mint also trimmed its premium.
| Seller and coin | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chards, Britannia | £3,259.95 (2.80%) | £3,259.95 (2.80%) | £3,247.09 (2.77%) |
| Hatton Garden Metals, Britannia | £3,281.19 (3.47%) | £3,281.19 (3.47%) | £3,267.51 (3.41%) |
| Atkinsons Bullion, Britannia | £3,285.02 (3.59%) | £3,285.02 (3.59%) | £3,273.00 (3.59%) |
| The Royal Mint, Britannia | £3,397.16 (7.13%) | £3,397.16 (7.13%) | £3,375.41 (6.83%) |
| Hatton Garden Metals, Sovereign | £767.48 (2.81%) | £767.48 (2.81%) | £764.60 (2.79%) |
| Chards, Sovereign | £777.47 (4.14%) | £777.47 (4.14%) | £774.39 (4.10%) |
| Atkinsons Bullion, Sovereign | £792.65 (6.18%) | £792.65 (6.18%) | £789.88 (6.19%) |
| The Royal Mint, Sovereign | £807.30 (8.14%) | £807.30 (8.14%) | £802.43 (7.87%) |
| Spot | £3,171.03 | £3,171.03 | £3,159.69 |
The order of sellers did not change on any coin. More on each coin is in our Britannia guide, Sovereign guide and Half Sovereign guide.
Full UK data table
Every UK buy price stored for October 2026, oldest first. "Daily automated read" rows come from our scheduled once-a-day check. Rows marked "'from' price, bulk tier" are lowest-quantity-tier prices; they are listed for completeness but left out of the summary because they are not single-item prices.
| Dealer | Product | Price | Premium | Spot | Timestamp | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinsons Bullion | 2027 UK Full Sovereign gold coin | £792.65 | 6.18% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | CGT-free UK 1oz gold coin, best value | £3,285.02 | 3.59% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (Minty) | £3,259.95 | 2.80% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | 2027 Full Gold Sovereign bullion coin | £777.47 | 4.14% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (post-2012 mixed years) | £3,281.19 | 3.47% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Gold Sovereign, mixed years (out of stock at check) | £767.48 | 2.81% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 2027 1oz gold bullion coin | £3,397.16 | 7.13% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | The Sovereign 2027 gold bullion coin | £807.30 | 8.14% | £3,171.03 | 10 Oct, 20:13 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | CGT-free UK 1oz gold coin, best value (daily automated read) | £3,285.02 | 3.59% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | Full Sovereign (current year) (daily automated read) | £792.65 | 6.18% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| BullionVault | London vault gold, buy price per kg (before 0.5% commission) | £101,790.00 | 0.00% | £3,166.01 | 11 Oct, 22:32 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (Minty) (daily automated read) | £3,259.95 | 2.80% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Credit Suisse 1oz minted bar, pre-owned | £3,272.63 | 3.20% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Full Gold Sovereign (current year) (daily automated read) | £777.47 | 4.14% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Metalor 1oz minted bar, new | £3,261.54 | 2.85% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | PAMP 1oz loose bar, pre-owned | £3,285.31 | 3.60% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | PAMP 1oz minted bar, new (out of stock) | £3,285.31 | 3.60% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | PAMP Lady Fortuna 1oz, new (out of stock) | £3,343.95 | 5.45% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | PAMP Lady Fortuna 1oz, pre-owned (out of stock) | £3,312.25 | 4.45% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Perth Mint 1oz cast bar, new | £3,331.27 | 5.05% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Perth Mint Kangaroo 1oz minted bar, new (out of stock) | £3,328.10 | 4.95% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Perth Mint Kangaroo 1oz minted bar, pre-owned | £3,296.40 | 3.95% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Perth Mint green certicard 1oz minted bar (out of stock) | £3,296.40 | 3.95% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 06:04 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (daily automated read) | £3,281.19 | 3.47% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Gold Sovereign, mixed years (daily automated read) | £767.48 | 2.81% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Metalor 1 oz certified bar | £3,328.74 | 4.96% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Best value 100g bar ('from' price, bulk tier) | £10,630.41 | 4.26% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Best value 1oz bar ('from' price, bulk tier) | £3,328.77 | 4.96% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 100g minted bar ('from' price, bulk tier) | £10,640.63 | 4.36% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 1g minted bar ('from' price, bulk tier) | £146.12 | 43.30% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 1oz gold bullion coin (current year) (daily automated read) | £3,397.16 | 7.13% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 1oz minted bar ('from' price, bulk tier) | £3,341.49 | 5.36% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 20g minted bar (single bar) | £2,199.71 | 7.87% | £3,171.45 | 11 Oct, 12:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | The Sovereign gold bullion coin (current year) (daily automated read) | £807.30 | 8.14% | £3,171.03 | 11 Oct, 05:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | 2027 Half Sovereign | £406.91 | 9.27% | £3,163.74 | 12 Oct, 06:31 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | CGT-free UK 1oz gold coin, best value (daily automated read) | £3,273.00 | 3.59% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Atkinsons Bullion | Full Sovereign (current year) (daily automated read) | £789.88 | 6.19% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (Minty) (daily automated read) | £3,247.09 | 2.77% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | 2027 Half Sovereign | £400.44 | 7.53% | £3,163.74 | 12 Oct, 06:31 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Chards | Full Gold Sovereign (current year) (daily automated read) | £774.39 | 4.10% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 1 kg bar (out of stock at check) | £103,865.57 | 2.13% | £3,163.24 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (daily automated read) | £3,267.51 | 3.41% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Best Value 1 g bar (out of stock at check) | £126.86 | 24.78% | £3,162.16 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Best Value 10 g bar (out of stock at check) | £1,075.89 | 5.76% | £3,164.27 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Best Value 100 g bar | £10,450.94 | 2.76% | £3,163.29 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Gold Half Sovereign, best value (mixed years) | £396.76 | 6.54% | £3,163.74 | 12 Oct, 06:31 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Gold Sovereign, mixed years (daily automated read) | £764.60 | 2.79% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | 1 kg cast bar | £103,656.38 | 1.92% | £3,163.24 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | 2026 Britannia UK 1oz Gold Proof (31.21 g, 999.9) | £4,905.00 | 54.55% | £3,163.24 | 12 Oct, 07:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Best Value 100 g minted bar | £10,706.92 | 5.28% | £3,163.29 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 1 g minted bar | £146.65 | 44.25% | £3,162.16 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 10 g minted bar | £1,105.69 | 8.68% | £3,164.27 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 100 g minted bar | £10,717.08 | 5.38% | £3,163.29 | 12 Oct, 06:39 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 1oz gold bullion coin (current year) (daily automated read) | £3,375.41 | 6.83% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Britannia 2027 1oz gold bullion coin | £3,317.15 | 4.87% | £3,163.24 | 12 Oct, 07:00 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | Kaaba 1 g minted bar | £165.00 | Not stated (gift design) | £3,162.16 | 12 Oct (time not recorded) | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | The Half Sovereign 2027 gold bullion coin | £406.67 | 9.20% | £3,163.74 | 12 Oct, 06:31 UTC | Cheapest shown |
| The Royal Mint | The Sovereign gold bullion coin (current year) (daily automated read) | £802.43 | 7.87% | £3,159.69 | 12 Oct, 07:51 UTC | Cheapest shown |
GoldVetted automated price checks, 10 to 12 October 2026. On 12 October, reads ran between 06:31 and 07:00 UTC apart from the 07:51 daily read; where only the date was recorded, the spot shown is the one used on that read. The proof coin and gift bar are collector or design pieces, priced well above their gold value.
Which UK dealers are not priced, and why?
| Dealer | Reason |
|---|---|
| BullionByPost | Its site does not allow automated price checks (product pages blocked our check on 10 October), so we do not publish a premium for it. Its category pages showed only "from" prices, which we do not use. |
Being left out is not a judgement on price. If its product pages allow automated checks in a later month, it will be added. For other ways to find a low price, see the cheapest way to buy gold in the UK, and the Atkinsons Bullion review for the remaining dealer in this report.
How were these premiums worked out?
Single-item price
Our script read the price for one coin or bar (quantity 1) on the seller's own product page, taking the cheapest payment method shown.
Spot at the same time
Spot came from gold-api.com (XAU/GBP) at the time of each read.
One formula
Premium = price / (fine oz x spot) - 1. A 1oz Britannia or bar holds 1 troy oz of pure gold; a Sovereign 0.23542 oz (7.3224 g); a Half Sovereign 0.11771 oz; a 1 kg bar 32.15075 oz.
The full method and the US, Canada and Australia figures are on the premium tracker. Check any quote with the premium calculator.
How should you cite this report?
Please quote the date, time and spot price with any figure, because premiums change every day. Suggested citation:
GoldVetted UK Gold Premium Report, October 2026: single-item prices captured automatically from dealer product pages on 10 to 12 October 2026, premium over gold-api.com spot. https://goldvetted.com/uk/premium-report/2026-10/
For a single figure: "A 1oz Gold Britannia cost 2.77% over spot at Chards on 12 October 2026 (spot £3,159.69), according to the GoldVetted UK Gold Premium Report."
When is the next report?
Next report: November 2026. It will repeat these coins, bars and buyback prices, and we aim to add card prices where dealers show them. Meanwhile, live spot is ... per ounce (Loading); add the premiums above to estimate a dealer price. For the full picture, see where to buy gold in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the cheapest 1oz Britannia in October 2026?
Chards, in every read. Its best value (Minty) Britannia cost £3,247.09 on 12 October 2026 at 07:51 UTC, 2.77% over spot of £3,159.69. Hatton Garden Metals was 3.41%, Atkinsons Bullion 3.59% and The Royal Mint 6.83% at the same moment.
Is it cheaper to buy gold direct from The Royal Mint?
Not for coins in our October 2026 checks. The Royal Mint was the dearest seller of the 1oz Britannia and the full Sovereign, and second dearest for the Half Sovereign. It was, however, the cheapest seller of a 1 kg bar, at 1.92% over spot against 2.13% at Hatton Garden Metals.
How much do you lose buying and selling a Britannia straight away?
Buying a Britannia from Chards for £3,259.95 on 10 October and selling it to Hatton Garden Metals for £3,067.15 on 11 October would have lost £192.80, or 5.91%. Buying and selling both at Hatton Garden Metals would have lost £214.04 (6.52%). Gold has to rise by this much to break even.
Why are small gold bars so expensive?
Making, packing and handling a 1 g bar costs nearly as much as a larger one, so the premium is spread over very little gold. On 12 October The Royal Mint's 1 g Britannia bar cost 44.25% over spot, while its 1 kg cast bar cost 1.92%. See our 1 gram gold bar guide.
Why is BullionByPost not in the UK report?
BullionByPost's site does not allow automated price checks, so we do not publish a premium for it. Its category pages showed only 'from' prices, which we do not use because they are not single-item prices. This says nothing about whether its prices are high or low. See our BullionByPost review.
When is the next UK premium report?
November 2026. It will repeat the Britannia, Sovereign, Half Sovereign, bar and buyback reads so you can compare one month with the next. The four-country data set is on the premium tracker.
Sources
We checked these primary and official sources when writing and fact-checking this page.
- gold-api.com: XAU/GBP spot feed used for every premium in this report
- Chards: 1oz Gold Britannia, best value (Minty) (priced 10 to 12 October 2026)
- The Royal Mint: Britannia 2027 1oz gold bullion coin (priced 10 to 12 October 2026)
- The Royal Mint: 1kg cast gold bar (priced 12 October 2026)
- Hatton Garden Metals: Gold Sovereign, mixed years (priced 10 to 12 October 2026)
- Hatton Garden Metals: sell gold coins, posted buyback prices (read 11 October 2026)
- HMRC VAT Notice 701/21: Gold acquisitions, imports, investments and VAT
- HMRC Capital Gains Manual CG78305: sterling coins and Krugerrands
- LBMA: precious metal prices and the LBMA Gold Price benchmark
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.