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Gold price update — June 2026: why the spring peak has pulled back
Spot gold opened June 2026 around £3,360 per troy ounce, off the February peak of £3,696 and the March monthly average of £3,640. Here is what is moving it, in plain English.
Read article →Silver Q2 2026 update — what UK sellers should know
Silver opened June 2026 at about £56 per troy ounce, well off the January peak of £84. Here is the plain reading of why, and what it means for sterling and Britannia sellers.
Read article →Sterling, the dollar and your gold — June 2026
Gold and silver are priced in US dollars globally, so the £/$ rate moves the GBP price every day, often by more than the underlying metal does. Here is how to read it as a UK seller.
Read article →How to sell 9ct gold by post in the UK
A plain guide for anyone holding 9ct gold jewellery they no longer wear and want a fair postal valuation without driving to a high-street shop. We send a prepaid label, weigh and XRF-test every piece, then write you a clear offer.
Read article →How to sell 18ct gold by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with 18ct jewellery, a damaged designer chain or a single inherited ring who wants a fair valuation without setting foot in a pawnshop. Post it insured and decide once the written offer arrives.
Read article →How to sell 22ct gold by post in the UK
A practical guide for anyone with 22ct Indian, Pakistani, Bengali or Middle Eastern jewellery who wants a fair postal valuation without parting with the parcel until the offer is in writing.
Read article →How to sell 24ct gold by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone holding 24ct bars, coins or pure-gold gift pieces. Post insured, get an XRF-verified written offer, and decide once you have the number in front of you.
Read article →How to sell broken gold jewellery by post in the UK
A practical guide for anyone with a tangled bag of snapped chains, single earrings, dented rings and orphaned charms. Damage does not lower a scrap offer. The metal still pays.
Read article →How to sell gold rings by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old wedding bands, signet rings, eternity rings or unworn engagement rings. Post safely, get an XRF-verified written offer per ring, and choose what to sell.
Read article →How to sell gold chains by post in the UK
A practical guide for anyone with a snapped curb chain, an unworn rope chain or an inherited Belcher in the jewellery box. Test each chain, weigh per piece, and decide once the written offer arrives.
Read article →How to sell gold bracelets by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old charm bracelets, Indian kada bangles, Italian link bracelets or a tennis bracelet without its matching pair. Post insured, get a written per-piece offer.
Read article →How to sell gold earrings by post in the UK
A practical guide for anyone with single earrings, mismatched pairs, broken hoops or studs in the back of a drawer. Single earrings still pay, and the metal is what counts.
Read article →How to sell gold necklaces by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone selling a dress necklace, a long opera chain, an Italian rope or a chain with a pendant attached. Each component is tested separately and valued on its own.
Read article →How to sell gold pendants and charms by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old pendants, single charms, religious medals or sovereign mounts they no longer wear. Each charm is tested on its own and offered separately.
Read article →How to sell gold watches by post in the UK
A careful guide for anyone with a gold watch in a drawer. Some are solid gold and pay well. Most "gold" watches are gold-plated and would not. Send a photo first so you do not waste postage on the wrong route.
Read article →How to sell gold cufflinks and tie pins by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old cufflinks, dress studs or tie pins. The front face is often a different metal from the back. We test and weigh each part separately.
Read article →How to sell gold lockets by post in the UK
A careful guide for anyone with a Victorian mourning locket, an Edwardian heart locket or a 1970s photo locket. Hollow construction, attached chains and glazed panels all need a clear written offer.
Read article →How to sell gold brooches by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old brooches, regimental badges, Victorian bar pins or 1960s flower brooches. The pin back is often a different metal from the front. We test each part separately.
Read article →How to sell mixed gold lots by post in the UK
A practical guide for executors, dealers and anyone clearing a drawer of mixed gold. Different karats, broken pieces and unknown items are all sorted, XRF-tested and offered piece-by-piece in writing.
Read article →How to sell gold jewellery without hallmarks by post in the UK
A clear guide for anyone with old or imported gold jewellery that carries no British hallmark. XRF reads the metal regardless of the stamp, so unmarked does not mean unsellable.
Read article →Sell Gold Sovereigns by Post in the UK
A practical guide to posting full gold sovereigns to a UK buyer, written for sellers who want a written valuation before they decide.
Read article →Sell Gold Half Sovereigns by Post in the UK
How to sell half sovereigns by post: weights, hallmarks, what affects the offer and how the written valuation is produced.
Read article →Sell Krugerrand Gold Coins by Post in the UK
Selling Krugerrands by post, what the South African Mint produced, how the alloy behaves under XRF, and what to flag before you ship.
Read article →Sell Gold Britannia Coins by Post in the UK
A clear guide to selling Royal Mint Gold Britannias by post, the 22 carat era, the 24 carat era, and the tax status sellers ask about most.
Read article →Sell Gold Maple Leaf Coins by Post in the UK
How to sell Royal Canadian Mint Gold Maple Leafs by post, including the soft-24-carat damage rules every seller should understand before shipping.
Read article →Sell American Gold Eagle Coins by Post in the UK
A working guide to selling US Mint Gold Eagles from the UK by post, including the alloy quirks that make the Eagle harder-wearing than a Maple Leaf.
Read article →Sell Gold Bars by Post in the UK
How to sell investment gold bars by post in the UK, minted versus cast, assay cards, LBMA recognition and what damages a bar offer.
Read article →Sell PAMP Suisse Gold Bars by Post in the UK
A practical guide to selling PAMP Suisse Lady Fortuna and Veriscan bars by post in the UK, including the fake red flags every seller should know.
Read article →Sell Metalor Gold Bars by Post in the UK
A clear guide to selling Metalor gold bars by post in the UK, with notes on the plain-style design, serial stamps and assay card importance.
Read article →Sell Credit Suisse Gold Bars by Post in the UK
How to sell Credit Suisse-branded gold bars by post in the UK, including notes on the brand history after the UBS merger and how this affects identification.
Read article →Sell Silver Coins by Post in the UK
A working guide to selling British and foreign silver coins by post, including the pre-1920 sterling rule, the 1920-1946 .500 rule and the Britannia silver one ounce coin.
Read article →Sell Silver Jewellery by Post in the UK
How to sell silver jewellery by post in the UK, sterling, 800 continental, unhallmarked Asian silver and how stones affect the offer.
Read article →Sell Silver Bullion Bars by Post in the UK
How to sell silver bullion bars by post in the UK, with notes on the common refiners, the sizes most seen and the condition rules that affect a written valuation.
Read article →Sell Silver Flatware and Cutlery by Post in the UK
How to sell sterling silver flatware and cutlery by post, sterling versus EPNS, where the hallmarks sit, and why knife handles weigh less than they look.
Read article →Sell Britannia Silver Coins by Post in the UK
How to sell Royal Mint silver Britannia 1oz coins by post in the UK, with notes on the pre-2013 and post-2013 purity change and the CGT-exempt status.
Read article →How to Identify Real Gold at Home
Seven non-destructive checks you can do at home before posting an item for XRF testing. None of these tests is a substitute for XRF. They are an orientation, not a verdict.
Read article →Gold Plated vs Solid Gold: How to Tell the Difference
A practical guide to telling gold-plated jewellery from solid gold, with notes on hallmark conventions, weight feel and why GoldPaid still XRF-tests plated items.
Read article →Rolled Gold vs Solid Gold Explained
Rolled gold looks the same as solid gold across a table. Under a loupe and a scale it tells a very different story. Here is how to spot which one you have, and what postal buyers will actually pay for each.
Read article →Gold-Filled vs Gold-Plated vs Vermeil
Three labels, three very different layer thicknesses, three different valuations. Here is the honest UK-buyer explanation of what each one is, how to identify it, and how postal scrap pricing works for each.
Read article →White Gold vs Platinum: How To Tell
Two silvery rings on a tray look almost identical. The hallmarks, the weight in your palm, and the wear pattern on the inside of the shank tell you which is which. Here is the method.
Read article →Rose Gold vs Red Gold vs Pink Gold
The three names describe the same alloy family with different amounts of copper. The hallmark does not change with colour. Here is what each shade actually is, and why the colour does not change what a postal buyer pays.
Read article →UK Gold Hallmarks: The Complete Guide for 2026
A British hallmark is a small punched legal certificate. Once you know how to read it, you can identify the maker, the purity, the assay office and the year, from a stamp the size of a grain of rice.
Read article →London Assay Office Marks: The Leopard's Head
The leopard's head is the oldest continuously used assay office mark in the world. It has changed shape, gained and lost its crown, and survived the Great Fire. Here is how to read it on a modern hallmark, and what it tells you about the piece.
Read article →Birmingham Assay Office Marks: The Anchor
The Birmingham anchor is the busiest assay office mark in the world by volume. It was lobbied into existence by Matthew Boulton in 1773 and has been hammered onto gold and silver in the Jewellery Quarter ever since.
Read article →Sheffield Assay Office Marks: The Tudor Rose
The Sheffield mark started as a crown, shared with Sheffield Plate manufacturers from 1773. In 1975 it became a Tudor rose for gold, while silver kept its own marks. Here is the story and how to identify it.
Read article →Edinburgh Assay Office Marks: The Castle
The three-towered castle is Scotland's mark, struck on gold and silver in Edinburgh since 1485. It is the oldest assay office mark in Scotland and one of the oldest in the British Isles. Here is how to read it.
Read article →What Does 375 Mean on Gold? 9ct Explained
Three digits, one of the most common marks in any British jewellery box. 375 is the standard mark for 9 carat gold, and it tells you almost everything you need to know about the piece in your hand.
Read article →What Does 585 Mean on Gold? 14ct Explained
A 585 stamp is the standard mark for 14 carat gold. It is rarer in British jewellery than 375 or 750, but very common on European and US imports. Here is what 14ct actually is and how it pays.
Read article →What Does 750 Mean on Gold? 18ct Explained
750 is the standard mark for 18 carat gold. It is the karat of fine jewellery: rich colour, excellent recovery yield, and the gold most often used in high-end British and European retail.
Read article →What Does 916 Mean on Gold? 22ct Explained
916 is the standard mark for 22 carat gold, the karat of choice for Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian jewellery traditions, and for the British sovereign coin. Here is what the number means and how it pays.
Read article →What Does 999 Mean on Gold? 24ct Explained
999 is fine gold, the closest practical purity to pure gold used in coinage and bullion. It is too soft for everyday jewellery and is mostly held as bars, coins and one-off investment pieces.
Read article →Gold Price Per Gram UK by Karat Explained
What does a "price per gram" really mean for 9ct, 14ct, 18ct, 22ct and 24ct? Here is the maths, the inputs, and why no honest UK buyer should be quoting a single fixed-£ figure from memory.
Read article →Spot Price vs Scrap Price Explained
Why is the price you see on a gold ticker different from the price a UK scrap buyer offers per gram? The answer is mostly arithmetic, not conspiracy. Here are the components.
Read article →Probate jewellery valuation in the UK (2026 guide for executors)
An executor needs two distinct numbers, not one: a probate-grade valuation at the date of death for HMRC, and a realisation-grade figure for what the items will actually sell for. Here is how the two differ, when a SoFA-qualified valuer is required, and where a documented XRF assay genuinely is enough.
Read article →Sell inherited jewellery in the UK: a practical guide
Clearing a parent's jewellery box is not a transaction. It is an act of grief. Here is the unhurried walkthrough, the sentiment-first sort, the photo-and-WhatsApp shortcut for an indicative figure, the decline-and-return path with no pressure, and the answers to the questions families actually ask.
Read article →Sell gold in London: a borough-by-borough guide
There is no GoldPaid branch in any London borough. There is no GoldPaid branch anywhere. Here is how the postal service works for residents of each borough, and the borough-specific pages with the detail.
Read article →Selling inherited gold during probate: the UK process
A short walkthrough of where a postal buyer fits, and does not fit, into the UK probate process, and what executors should know before any items are sold.
Read article →How to sell inherited gold jewellery in the UK
Inherited jewellery rarely arrives with a manual. Here is how to handle it, how to value it, and how to sell what the family has decided to let go of, calmly, by post, on your own time.
Read article →How to sell silver by post in the UK (2026 guide)
Silver value is weight-driven. A canteen of cutlery is often worth meaningfully more than a single chain. Here is how to send it well, what to expect on arrival, and what counts as solid silver versus plated.
Read article →Is now a good time to sell gold? A 2026 perspective
The honest answer is that nobody knows. The useful answer is to understand the levers that move the price, so you can decide on the facts rather than the headlines.
Read article →Do I pay tax when I sell gold jewellery in the UK?
Most household jewellery sales fall outside Capital Gains Tax because of the chattel exemption. The bigger and rarer the piece, the more this can matter, here is how to think about it.
Read article →Do you pay tax when selling gold in the UK? CGT explained
For most household sales the honest answer is "probably not, but check." The Capital Gains Tax rules treat different types of gold differently, sovereigns, jewellery, bullion and scrap all sit in slightly different boxes.
Read article →How to sell gold safely by post in the UK (2026 guide)
A plain-English walkthrough of the whole process, from the first WhatsApp message to the money arriving in your account, plus exactly what makes a postal sale safe and how to read the small print before you part with anything.
Read article →Is selling a broken gold chain worth it?
Almost always yes, a broken chain holds exactly the same gold as it did when whole, and reputable buyers do not deduct for the damage.
Read article →Sell gold versus pawnbroker: the honest maths
These are different businesses, not interchangeable ones. A pawnbroker is in the loan business; a scrap buyer is in the buying business; a postal specialist is the same business with less overhead. Here is what each typically pays as a share of metal value, the worked example on a 30g 9ct chain, and which one is right when.
Read article →What happens if Royal Mail loses your gold parcel
Lost Special Delivery parcels are very rare, but knowing the process before you post turns "what if" anxiety into a five-step plan.
Read article →8 common mistakes people make when selling gold online
Eight things that genuinely cost UK sellers money or stress when selling gold online, and the cheap, simple ways to avoid each one.
Read article →Why high-street gold buyers tend to pay less
It is not a moral failing of shop owners. It is the economics of a shopfront, plus a quiet psychological dynamic at the counter. Both are real, both come out of your offer, and both are avoidable.
Read article →How we calculate the per-gram price at GoldPaid
There is no proprietary formula and no mystery. Three measured facts, one live market rate, and a written breakdown you see before you decide.
Read article →How to sell dental gold in the UK (crowns, bridges, fillings)
Dental gold is an alloy with real value, even with porcelain or tooth material attached. You do not need to clean or take anything apart, here is exactly how the postal sale works.
Read article →What determines the gold price: seven key factors
A short, plain-English tour of the seven things that move the world gold price, and which of them matter most to a UK seller in any given week.
Read article →Selling gold coins vs gold jewellery: what is different
Both pay for the gold content, but coins can carry a collector premium that jewellery rarely does, and a handful of UK coins are also exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Here is what changes how each is valued.
Read article →How gold is weighed: grams, troy ounces and pennyweights
Three units, one piece of metal. Knowing which is which avoids a common cause of confusion when comparing offers, and tells you what the buyer is actually doing.
Read article →9ct vs 14ct vs 18ct vs 22ct gold: the difference in value per gram
The carat system in one place. What each number actually means in pure-gold terms, where each one tends to come from, the maths worked through on a 30g chain at every carat, and why 9ct dominates UK jewellery boxes while 22ct dominates South Asian wedding gold.
Read article →How to read a gold hallmark in 60 seconds
Three numbers and three shapes are enough to identify almost any UK gold or silver item. Here is the one-minute reading method.
Read article →Charity division guides
Ten free, practical guides for charity shops and warehouses on finding, sorting and turning donated gold, silver, watches and broken jewellery into funds for your cause.
The Hidden Gold in Your Donation Bags
How to spot real value in donation bags before it ever reaches the rail - and stop money walking out the door.
Read guide →The Jewellery Drawer Audit
Turn the 'unsellable' jewellery box every shop has into a clean, recorded bank transfer for your cause.
Read guide →Broken, Tangled and Single Earrings
Why the damaged jewellery pile your shop can't display is often worth more than your best cabinet.
Read guide →Watches in the Donation Pile
How to tell a scrap watch from a treasure - old or new, working or broken - before it's priced at a pound.
Read guide →The Warehouse Sorting Hub Playbook
How a multi-shop charity centralises precious-metal value into one controlled, recorded income stream.
Read guide →Hallmarks for Charity Volunteers
The five-minute skill that lets any volunteer tell solid precious metal from plated - and stop giving money away.
Read guide →Estate, Probate and House-Clearance Donations
Whole-household donations are the highest-value donations a charity receives - and the easiest to process too fast.
Read guide →Costume vs Real Jewellery
A no-jargon, no-equipment way to sort donated jewellery fast - and never bin the real thing by mistake.
Read guide →Silver in Disguise
Cutlery, frames, trinkets and candlesticks - the donations charity shops underprice most, and how to stop.
Read guide →Building a Gold Box System
Turn lucky finds into a permanent, repeatable income line your charity can actually plan around.
Read guide →Common questions
What is the Journal for?
It is a working library of plain-English articles on the practical questions sellers face: how postal selling works in practice, how items are tested and valued, postal cover, probate and inheritance scenarios, hallmark reading, and honest comparisons between selling routes. Every article is written for someone who would rather get the detail right than be rushed.
How often is the Journal updated?
New articles are published as topics warrant a dedicated walkthrough rather than to a fixed publishing schedule. Existing articles are reviewed and updated when laws, postal cover levels or market practice change.
Are the articles independent or commercial?
They are written by GoldPaid and disclose that, but the practical guidance is honest. Where another selling route is better for a given item or situation, for example a specialist coin or stone, the Journal will say so rather than push every reader towards GoldPaid.
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