By Rocco Clayfield, trading as GoldPaid; the business incorporated as GOLDPAID LTD (company 17382540) on 5 August 2026 · Published · updated
When can inherited gold be sold during probate?
In England and Wales (and similarly in Scotland and Northern Ireland), an estate where the deceased owned assets above certain thresholds typically needs a Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration) before assets can be formally administered. During that period, the executor or administrator is responsible for valuing the estate, paying any Inheritance Tax due and distributing what remains in line with the will or intestacy rules. Selling significant items before that process is complete can complicate the administration. GoldPaid’s own probate route, including what a written valuation contains, is set out on probate and inheritance.
The wait is rarely short, which is why the question comes up at all. gov.uk states that you will usually get probate within 12 weeks of submitting the application, and that it can take longer where further information is needed (gov.uk, applying for probate). Through that period the executor or administrator, rather than the beneficiary, controls whether anything is sold. This page is general information about how the process usually runs, not legal advice, and an estate solicitor or gov.uk should settle anything specific to your own estate.
Not sure how any of this applies to your own items? Send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you, call 07944 014111 (8am to 9pm, 7 days a week). We can arrange postage after we have spoken. Nothing is posted until you decide, your parcel is tracked and signed for, the written offer follows the XRF assay, the return is free if you decline, and we aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance.
How does a probate valuation differ from a commercial valuation?
For the estate figures, GOV.UK asks executors to value household and personal items, jewellery included, at what they would have got if they had sold them on the date the person died, and suggests searching for similar items on online marketplaces (GOV.UK, valuing the estate of someone who has died). It does not require a professional valuer, although GOV.UK’s guidance for estates where Inheritance Tax is due or full details are needed adds that you can get a professional valuation for anything worth over £1,500 (GOV.UK). For high-value, signed or branded pieces, or an estate near the Inheritance Tax threshold, a registered valuer is the safer route. A postal buyer’s written commercial offer, by contrast, is a present-day offer to buy, not a date-of-death valuation, and it is not independent. Our page on a free written metal figure for estate jewellery sets out what it covers, and when a registered valuer is needed.
| Probate valuation | A postal buyer’s written offer | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | The Inheritance Tax figures on form IHT400 and schedule IHT407 | An actual sale of the items, at today’s market |
| Date the value refers to | Open market value at the date of death | The live precious-metal rate on the day the offer is made |
| Who prepares it | The executor, with a registered valuer for higher-value pieces | The buying company, from an XRF assay and a measured weight |
| Used for the estate figures | Yes, that is its purpose | No, it prices a sale today, not the date of death |
| What it costs | Nothing if the executor estimates it; a fee if a valuer is instructed | Free, with no obligation to accept |
| When it is the right tool | While the estate is being administered | After distribution, when a beneficiary decides to sell |
What can a beneficiary do once the estate has been distributed?
Once the executor has distributed items to the beneficiaries, those beneficiaries decide what to do. Some keep everything. Some keep sentimental pieces and sell the rest. Some sell everything. A postal buyer fits at this point: a written, itemised XRF valuation, a no-obligation offer, and a free tracked return if it is not for you.
Does a beneficiary pay Capital Gains Tax on inherited gold?
If a beneficiary later sells inherited items, the CGT base cost is generally the probate value rather than the original purchase price. If the sale price is below the probate value, there may be no gain at all; if above, the gain may be within the chattel exemption (currently £6,000 per item) or the annual CGT allowance. This is general information, not tax advice. Speak to a tax adviser for a specific position.
Other guides for estates and inherited jewellery
Each of these answers a different part of the same job. Pick the one that matches where you are.
- Sell inherited and probate jewellery by post: the overview, for a family or an executor ready to sell some or all of it.
- Sell inherited jewellery in your own time: for a beneficiary who already holds the pieces.
- A free metal figure for estate jewellery: what a buyer’s free written figure covers, what a paid report adds, and when to use a registered valuer.
- An executor’s guide to valuing and selling jewellery: authority, telling the beneficiaries, and the records to keep.
- Clearing a parent’s house: what to keep, what to check, and agreeing it as a family.
- House clearance jewellery buyer: mixed lots from a clearance, sent exactly as found.
- For probate solicitors and will writers: a written, itemised metal record for the client file.
- Do you need probate or a death certificate to sell inherited jewellery?: the paperwork question, answered.
- How to value jewellery for probate: the two figures an executor needs, and when to use a qualified valuer.
- How to sell inherited gold jewellery safely: a step-by-step guide for families.
When you are ready, there is one step to take: request a free prepaid Royal Mail label, or send photos on WhatsApp first if you would rather ask before posting. Every piece is XRF-tested and you receive a written, itemised valuation. Nothing is sold unless you accept it, and anything declined comes back free by Royal Mail Special Delivery. For everyday gold that is not part of an estate, the general route is selling gold by post.