Chards review: is it a good place to buy gold?

Most UK buyers find Chards through price comparisons rather than advertising, and the numbers explain why. In our automated checks it has been the cheapest place to buy a single 1oz gold coin, and it prints the premium percentage next to every price tier on its product pages. This review sets out what we verified from its own policy pages, Companies House, the LBMA and Trustpilot, including the parts that are less convenient: no credit cards, paid delivery and appointment-only showrooms.

Check today's Chards prices

Who owns Chards, and how long has it been trading?

Chards began in 1964 as a coin dealer in Blackpool, founded by Lawrence Chard, who is still named on the company's site as chief executive. The site describes it as a family-owned business, and its Wikipedia entry says it started out trading coins from his grandmother's amusement arcade before moving into bullion. The LBMA's own profile of the firm adds that in 1971 it was the first UK retail dealer to quote both buying and selling prices on gold coins.

The company behind the name is Chard (1964) Limited. Companies House lists it as an active private company, incorporated on 12 July 1978, registered in Blackpool and classed as a specialist retailer. It traded as Oppenheimer (Jewellers) Limited until September 1993. Its latest accounts run to 30 March 2025, with the next set due by 30 December 2026.

In 2014 Chards moved into a rebuilt art deco building on Harrowside in Blackpool's South Shore, and the LBMA profile notes it dug an underground strongroom there. In 2024, its 60th year, it opened an office in London's Hatton Garden and became a full member of the London Bullion Market Association, the body that sets standards for the wholesale gold market. Full membership is not a guarantee of low prices, but it does mean the firm has been vetted by the market's main trade association.

How Chards scores on our checks

We test every dealer against the same published criteria. This is not a star rating and it does not use testimonials. It reflects what we could confirm. Read how we review gold dealers for the method.

How much does Chards charge?

Every dealer charges the spot price, the live wholesale price of gold, plus a premium to cover minting, handling and profit. Our guide to gold premiums explained covers why a Sovereign costs more per gram than a 1oz coin. Chards keeps its 1oz premium low partly through its "Minty" best value Britannias: mixed-year coins in mint condition, which cost less than the current year's design.

Prices captured 21:13 to 21:15 BST on Saturday 10 October 2026, when the gold market was closed. Quantity one, cheapest payment method. Spot from gold-api.com. Premium = price ÷ value of the fine gold at spot − 1; a Sovereign holds 7.3224 g (0.23542 oz) of gold. Full results on our premium tracker.

Our repeat check on Monday 12 October at 07:51 UTC (spot £3,159.69) gave almost the same picture: £3,247.09 for the Minty Britannia (2.77%) and £774.39 for a 2027 Sovereign (4.10%). Hatton Garden Metals undercut Chards on Sovereigns in both checks, with mixed-year coins at about 2.8%, so Chards is not automatically cheapest for every coin. On a single 2027 Half Sovereign on 12 October, Chards charged £400.44 (7.53%).

On bars, our 11 October check found a new Metalor 1oz minted bar at £3,261.54 (2.85%) and a pre-owned Credit Suisse 1oz bar at £3,272.63 (3.20%), both against spot of £3,171.03. Remember that gold bars, unlike Britannias and Sovereigns, are not free of Capital Gains Tax.

What would picking Chards over The Royal Mint save? On one 1oz Britannia on 10 October, £137.21. On ten coins the gap is larger still, because Chards' tiered prices fall further with quantity. Our premium calculator turns any quote into a percentage over spot.

What does Chards sell?

The range is wider than most online-only dealers, reflecting its roots as a coin shop. Alongside current-year Britannias, Sovereigns, Double Sovereigns and Lunar coins from The Royal Mint, it lists Perth Mint Kangaroos, bars from PAMP, Metalor, Perth Mint and The Royal Mint, pre-owned bars, proof coins and silver and platinum. Wikipedia reports it holds more than 5,000 dated and graded British Sovereigns, which matters if you want a particular year rather than bullion at the lowest price. It also sells some products stored overseas, for example in Zurich, which are investment-only and cannot be delivered.

How can you pay Chards?

This is the main inconvenience. Chards' payment page says it decided against accepting credit cards. The options are:

• UK personal debit card: up to £10,000 per order, no fee. Business and overseas debit cards are refused.
• Bank transfer: no fee by Faster Payments; must be sent within 24 hours or the order may be cancelled with an admin fee. Same-day CHAPS costs about £20 at your bank.
• Cheque: up to £5,000, no fee, eight working days to clear.
• Cash: up to £7,500 per transaction, Blackpool showroom only, with ID.

Orders over £50,000 need a 10% deposit to fix the price, with the balance due within 48 hours. As with all dealers, once you confirm, the price is fixed even if gold falls before you pay.

Delivery, insurance and collection

Delivery is not free. Prices start at £3.50 an order. Orders under £60 go by Royal Mail 2nd Class, and orders over £60 go by a tracked and insured service, typically Royal Mail Special Delivery, with DHL Express, Parcelforce or a secure courier (Malca-Amit, Regency, Loomis or Brink's) for high-value orders. Chards aims to dispatch within two working days of cleared funds and ID checks, and says all deliveries over £60 are insured until delivery, with plain packaging.

Chards ships only to Great Britain, Northern Ireland and BFPO addresses. Collection is possible from Blackpool (choose it at checkout) or London (order by phone), always by appointment, with two forms of ID.

Storing gold with Chards

Chards offers allocated and segregated storage, meaning specific coins and bars are recorded as yours and kept apart from the company's own stock. Fees are a percentage of value based on the average price over the previous 30 days.

Silver costs 0.6%, 0.55% and 0.5% in the same bands. Storing items you already own carries a £60 + VAT processing fee. No minimum term and no cancellation fee.

The £10 minimum means the 0.5% rate only really applies from about £24,000 held; below that, the effective rate is higher. Selling from storage earns an extra 0.5% on the buy price. Compare costs in our UK gold storage guide, or see how a vault platform works in our BullionVault review.

Can you sell gold back to Chards?

Yes. Chards publishes "we pay up to" prices on its selling page and buys in three ways: by appointment at either showroom, by post (it suggests Royal Mail Special Delivery for items up to about £2,500), or through a courier collection service costing £60 plus insurance for parcels up to the value of about 10oz of gold. Payment follows once items are checked.

When we read the page at 08:32 UTC on 12 October 2026 (spot £3,156.59), it offered up to £3,144.36 for a Britannia or other CGT-free 1oz coin, £743.90 for a Sovereign and £3,065.36 for a 1oz bar, and £91.58 a gram for 24ct hallmarked scrap. Those headline figures are close to the gold value of the coins, but "up to" matters: Chards says it pays less for dented, scratched or scrap-grade items, and that it may not fix its offer during volatile markets. Get a firm quote and compare it with the published list in our UK selling guide.

On tax, Britannias and Sovereigns are UK legal tender, so gains on them are free of Capital Gains Tax for UK residents (HMRC CG78305). See our UK gold tax guide.

What do customers say about Chards?

We do not publish testimonials or invent ratings. This is what Trustpilot showed when we checked on 12 October 2026:

Chards' own footer quotes a slightly higher review count, but we report the figure shown on Trustpilot itself. Recurring themes in critical reviews across dealers are dispatch times at busy periods and the need for ID checks, so read Chards' current operational update before ordering if timing matters.

Who Chards suits, and who should look elsewhere

Good fit: price-focused UK buyers of 1oz coins who are happy to pay by debit card or bank transfer, collectors looking for specific Sovereign dates, and people who want allocated storage without a fixed contract.

Look elsewhere if: you want to pay by credit card, you want free delivery on a small order, or Sovereigns are your main purchase, where Hatton Garden Metals was cheaper in our checks. If you want the reassurance of buying straight from the mint, read our Royal Mint review, but expect to pay more.

Alternatives to Chards

• Atkinsons Bullion review: London dealer with a clear price ladder for bulk buys. See Atkinsons vs Chards.
• BullionByPost vs Chards: free delivery and card payments against lower premiums.
• Royal Mint vs Chards: buying direct from the mint compared with a specialist dealer.
• Best places to buy gold in the UK: every UK dealer we cover, with dated prices.

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.