Where to sell gold in the UK
In the UK, bullion dealers that publish buy prices and The Royal Mint usually pay most for coins and bars. On 11 October 2026, Hatton Garden Metals paid £3,067.15 for a 1oz Britannia (3.29% below spot) and £720.90 for a Sovereign. Gains on Britannias and Sovereigns are free of Capital Gains Tax.
The UK is one of the easier places to sell gold well. Several bullion dealers post their buy prices every day, The Royal Mint runs its own buyback, and the most popular coins carry a tax advantage no other country offers. The catch is that high street buyers, pawnbrokers and cash-for-gold shops sit alongside them, and a coin sold to the wrong buyer can be priced like broken jewellery. This guide shows what UK buyers actually paid in October 2026 and how to choose.
Who buys gold in the UK, and who pays most?
| Buyer | How it prices | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion dealer with published buy prices | Per coin or bar, a few per cent below spot | Same day in person; a few days by post | Britannias, Sovereigns, Krugerrands, bars |
| The Royal Mint buyback | 96% of the live LBMA gold price | Quote within 24 hours, paid after inspection | Bullion coins and bars from recognised mints |
| Royal Mint vault holding | 98% of its own bid price | Instant | Gold already stored in The Vault |
| Online dealer, phone quote | Live quote by phone, not published | 1 to 3 working days after receipt | Existing customers of that dealer |
| Jeweller, pawnbroker, cash-for-gold shop | Often by weight at scrap rates | On the spot | Small jewellery items |
Bullion dealers. Dealers such as Hatton Garden Metals publish a daily list of what they pay for each coin. Hatton Garden Metals buys in person at its London shop with no appointment, or by post, and says it pays the same day by bank transfer, with PayPal, cheque and cash also offered. London's jewellery quarter around Hatton Garden has many buyers within a short walk, which makes it easy to compare offers face to face.
The Royal Mint. The Royal Mint buys gold bullion coins and bars from itself and from other recognised mints and refiners. You fill in a quote form, it aims to reply within 24 hours, and if you accept you post the items by tracked delivery or hand them to an approved partner. It checks purity and authenticity, then pays into your account. Our guide to The Royal Mint and Royal Mint review cover the rest of its service.
Online dealers that quote by phone. Some large online dealers buy back but do not publish coin prices. BullionByPost, for example, asks you to phone for a live quote, post items by Royal Mail Special Delivery and wait for payment by bank transfer after testing. See our BullionByPost review.
Jewellers and pawnbrokers. Fine for a broken chain. For a Britannia or Sovereign, ask whether the offer is per coin or per gram. If it is per gram at a scrap rate, a bullion dealer will almost certainly pay more.
What did UK dealers pay in October 2026?
Hatton Garden Metals publishes its full buyback list, so we captured it and compared each price with the value of the gold in the coin at spot.
| Coin | Fine gold (oz) | Dealer pays | vs gold value | CGT on gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britannia 1oz | 1.0000 | £3,067.15 | -3.29% | Exempt |
| Krugerrand 1oz | 1.0000 | £3,065.17 | -3.35% | Chargeable |
| Sovereign (mixed years) | 0.2354 | £720.90 | -3.45% | Exempt |
| Half Sovereign | 0.1177 | £356.73 | -4.44% | Exempt |
GoldVetted automated price check, 11 October 2026, 10:56 UTC, from Hatton Garden Metals' published buyback list. Spot from gold-api.com. Captured on a Sunday when the gold market was closed. Prices move with spot; ask for a live quote before you sell.
How does The Royal Mint compare? Its 96% rate is a 4% discount to the LBMA gold price, which is set twice a day and is close to, but not the same as, spot. At that day's spot, 96% would have meant about £3,044.59 for a Britannia and £716.76 for a Sovereign: roughly £23 and £4 less than the Hatton Garden Metals bids. On a single Sovereign the difference is small; on a tube of Britannias it adds up.
See Hatton Garden Metals' buy prices
Smaller coins lose more. The Half Sovereign's bid was 4.44% below its gold value, against 3.29% for a 1oz Britannia, because the cost of handling a coin is spread over less gold. If you are deciding which coins to sell first and the tax position is the same, larger coins usually give up less.
How do hallmarks affect what jewellery is worth?
For jewellery, the buyer pays for the pure gold content, and the hallmark tells them how much there is. Under UK hallmarking rules, a full hallmark has three compulsory parts: the sponsor's mark (at least two letters in a surround, identifying the maker), the fineness mark (gold content in parts per thousand, with the surround shape showing the metal) and the assay office mark. There are four UK assay offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Gold items under 1 gram do not have to be hallmarked, according to the Assay Offices' guidance.
| Carat | Fineness mark | Melt value per gram (live) | HGM scrap price per gram, 11 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9ct | 375 | ... | £32.03 |
| 14ct | 585 | ... | £49.96 |
| 18ct | 750 | ... | £64.05 |
| 22ct | 916 | ... | £78.23 |
| 24ct | 999 | ... | £85.40 |
Live melt values use spot (updated Loading) and are the value of the gold content, not a dealer price. Scrap prices from Hatton Garden Metals, captured 11 October 2026, 10:56 UTC, about 84% of melt value for every carat.
A common surprise: 22ct items, including Sovereigns and Britannias struck before 2013, are 916 fine, not 999, so they contain less gold per gram than a modern 24ct Britannia. Most UK buyers will not purchase unhallmarked, plated or filled items, and testing may involve a small cut or scratch. Our guide to gold hallmarks shows the marks in detail, the UK gold price per gram page tracks melt value, and how to sell scrap gold covers dental gold and mixed lots.
Do you pay Capital Gains Tax when you sell gold?
It depends on what you sell, and this is where UK sellers can save real money. HMRC's manual (CG78305) says Sovereigns minted in 1837 and later and Britannia gold coins are currency and, like all sterling currency, exempt. It also says coins that are currency but not sterling, such as Krugerrands, are chargeable assets. Gold bars are chargeable too.
| What you sell | CGT treatment |
|---|---|
| Britannias, Sovereigns, Half Sovereigns | Exempt, whatever the gain |
| Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, Eagles, other foreign coins | Chargeable |
| Gold bars | Chargeable |
| Rate on chargeable gains | 18% or 24%, depending on your taxable income |
| Annual exempt amount | £3,000 of total gains a year (GOV.UK) |
A worked example. Suppose you bought ten 1oz Krugerrands for £16,000 and sell them for £30,651.70 (ten at the £3,065.17 bid above). The gain is £14,651.70. After the £3,000 exempt amount, £11,651.70 is taxable: about £2,097 at 18% or £2,796 at 24%. Ten Britannias with the same gain would owe nothing. Both coins fetched almost the same buyback price, so the tax difference is the bigger number. Our UK gold tax guide covers record keeping and inherited gold.
How do you sell gold in the UK, step by step?
Sort coins, bars and jewellery
Keep bullion coins and bars separate from jewellery, and sort jewellery by hallmark. Note each coin's name and year, and keep any capsules, certificates or receipts.
Check the gold value
Multiply the fine gold weight by today's spot price. A Sovereign holds 0.23542 oz, so today it holds ... of gold at spot. Any offer is a percentage of that.
Compare three buyers
Check a dealer's published buy list, request a Royal Mint quote, and ask one local buyer. Ask whether the price is per coin and whether postage or testing is deducted.
Think about tax before you choose what to sell
If you hold both exempt and chargeable gold, the order you sell in can change your tax bill. Keep chargeable gains within the £3,000 allowance where you can.
Lock the price and send safely
Agree the price before posting, use Royal Mail Special Delivery with enough cover, and photograph items before packing. Or sell in person and take the payment there and then.
Keep the paperwork
Keep the sale invoice with the purchase receipt. You need both to work out any gain on chargeable gold.
For the bigger picture, our global guide to selling gold compares the US, Canada and Australia, and our guide to the best places to buy gold in the UK shows dealer premiums if you plan to buy again. The Hatton Garden Metals review covers that dealer's buying side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to sell gold in the UK?
For bullion coins and bars, a bullion dealer that publishes its buy prices usually pays most, because it resells at a known premium. On 11 October 2026, Hatton Garden Metals paid £3,067.15 for a 1oz Britannia, 3.29% below spot. The Royal Mint pays 96% of the LBMA price. High street jewellers usually pay scrap rates.
How much will I get for a gold Sovereign?
A full Sovereign contains 7.3224 g (0.23542 troy oz) of fine gold. On 11 October 2026, Hatton Garden Metals' buyback price for mixed-year Sovereigns was £720.90, 3.45% below the value of its gold at spot. Rare dates and high-grade coins can be worth more to a coin dealer, so ask before selling as bullion.
Do I pay Capital Gains Tax when I sell gold in the UK?
Not on Sovereigns or Britannias. HMRC treats them as sterling currency, so gains are exempt. Gold bars and foreign coins such as Krugerrands are chargeable assets: gains above the £3,000 annual exempt amount are taxed at 18% or 24% depending on your income. See our UK gold tax guide.
Can I sell gold back to The Royal Mint?
Yes. The Royal Mint buys bullion coins and bars from itself and from other recognised mints and refiners. You request a quote online, it aims to reply within 24 hours, and it pays 96% of the live LBMA gold price after inspecting your items. Gold held in its own vault sells instantly at 98% of its bid price.
How much is 9ct gold worth per gram when selling?
9ct gold is 37.5% pure, hallmarked 375. On 11 October 2026, Hatton Garden Metals published a scrap price of £32.03 per gram for 9ct, against £85.40 for 24ct, about 84% of melt value in each case. Sort items by hallmark before you sell so lower carats are not used to price higher ones.
Should I sell gold to a jeweller or a bullion dealer?
For coins and bars, a bullion dealer: it prices each coin by its gold content and resale value, so its offer is usually within a few per cent of spot. Jewellers and cash-for-gold shops often weigh everything as scrap. For hallmarked jewellery, compare a bullion dealer's published per-gram rate with the jeweller's offer.
Do I need ID to sell gold in the UK?
Expect to be asked. UK dealers carry out identity checks under anti-money laundering rules and set their own thresholds. Bring photo ID and proof of address if you sell in person, and expect to register an account before selling online or by post. Payment usually goes to a bank account in your name.
Sources
We checked these primary and official sources when writing and fact-checking this page.
- The Royal Mint: How to sell your gold (96% of LBMA price outside the vault, 98% inside)
- HMRC Capital Gains Manual CG78305 (Sovereigns and Britannias exempt; Krugerrands chargeable)
- GOV.UK: Capital Gains Tax rates and allowances (18% and 24%, £3,000 exempt amount)
- Assay Offices of Great Britain: Hallmarking guidance notes (November 2022)
- Hatton Garden Metals: Sell gold coins (in person or by post, same-day payment)
- Hatton Garden Metals: Scrap gold prices per gram
- BullionByPost: Cash for gold (phone quote, Special Delivery, bank transfer)
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.