Start with a question, not a parcel
The first step is a conversation, not a commitment. Send a photo of your probate and estate jewellery on WhatsApp, or call, and you will get an honest quick indicative figure and a straight answer to anything you want to ask. You decide what happens next.
Because GoldPaid works entirely by post across the UK, you do all of this from home, in your own time. No shop, no queue, and nobody watching over your shoulder while you think.
What a probate valuation of jewellery actually is
For Inheritance Tax, HMRC works from the open market value of each estate asset at the date of death: the price the item might reasonably have been expected to fetch if it had been sold on the open market on that day. For jewellery that is a second-hand figure, not a replacement figure. An old insurance schedule showing what a ring would cost to buy new from a jeweller is the wrong number, and it is the most common reason an estate overstates its household goods.
It is not automatically scrap value either. A worn 9ct chain has no real second-hand market beyond the gold in it, so its open market value and its metal value come to much the same thing. A signed piece, a recognisable watch brand or a good solitaire can be worth considerably more than the metal it contains, and that difference belongs in the estate accounts. A useful valuation tells you plainly which of your items sit in which group.
Two figures, and why they are different
A probate valuation and a purchase offer answer two different questions. GoldPaid states them separately, on the same document, so nothing is muddled in the paperwork.
| Probate figure | Purchase offer | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | What was this worth on the open market at the date of death? | What will GoldPaid pay for it now? |
| Date used | The date of death | The day the parcel is assessed |
| Rate applied | The gold or silver rate as it stood on that date | The live market rate on the day |
| What it is for | Estate accounts and HMRC | An actual sale, if the family chooses to sell |
| Obligation | None | None, decline and everything is returned |
The two are rarely identical and there is nothing odd about the gap. Metal prices move, and a valuation for tax is a historic open market estimate while an offer is a real price from a real buyer on a particular day. Because the document shows both, with the rate and the date used for each, an executor can explain the difference months later without reconstructing it from memory.
Which HMRC form jewellery goes on
Jewellery, watches, silverware and coins are household and personal goods. In a full account they belong on schedule IHT407, which accompanies form IHT400. IHT405 is the schedule for houses, land and buildings and is a frequent mix-up; nothing from a jewellery box goes on it.
- IHT400 with IHT407. The full account route, used where the estate is not an excepted one.
- Excepted estates. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022 in England and Wales, most excepted estates no longer file a separate Inheritance Tax form; the figures are declared within the probate application itself.
- Individual items. IHT407 asks for items above £1,500 to be listed separately rather than folded into one figure for the lot.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland. Inheritance Tax is UK-wide, but confirmation and grant procedures differ, so check the local process.
GoldPaid does not give tax or legal advice and cannot complete forms on your behalf. Confirm the current forms, thresholds and deadlines at gov.uk, and let the estate solicitor or accountant have the final say on what is entered where.
Do you actually need one?
There is no legal requirement to instruct a professional valuer for ordinary household goods. What is required is that the executor makes an honest, reasonable attempt at open market value and can show how the figure was reached. For a typical box of worn chains, odd earrings, a sterling bracelet and a few coins, an itemised written valuation showing weight, hallmarks, XRF-confirmed purity and the rate applied is a clear evidence trail, and it costs the estate nothing here.
A qualified valuation is the safer route where any single piece may be worth several thousand pounds, where jewellery or watches are signed or branded, where there are notable stones or genuine collector value, where the estate sits near the Inheritance Tax threshold so the household goods figure could change the tax position, or where beneficiaries disagree. In those cases a solicitor will normally want a valuer holding a recognised qualification, such as a SoFA member or a RICS registered valuer. GoldPaid will tell you if that is what your items call for.
How to tell what is precious metal before you post
Most of an estate box can be identified in ten minutes with a lamp and a magnifier. The marks are usually inside a ring shank, on a chain clasp, on the back of a pendant bale or on the underside of a spoon handle.
- Gold. 375, 585, 750, 916 or 999, often with 9ct, 14ct, 18ct or 22ct alongside.
- Silver. 925 for sterling and 958 for Britannia, or 800 and 830 on many continental pieces. British silver usually carries a lion passant and a town mark as well.
- Platinum. 950, 900 or PLAT. Noticeably heavy for its size and a duller white than white gold.
- Not precious metal. EPNS, A1, silver plate, gold plated, GP, RGP and 1/20 12k GF. These carry no metal value however convincing they look.
- Unmarked pieces. Plenty of genuine gold and silver has no readable mark, worn away or never struck. Send them anyway, an XRF assay settles it in seconds.
Do not clean, polish or dismantle anything, and do not discard what looks like costume. Sorting an estate box by eye is where value quietly goes missing. For the marks themselves, see the gold hallmark guide and XRF testing explained.
What GoldPaid can do for an estate
- A free written, itemised valuation of the gold, silver and platinum content, showing each item, its weight, its XRF-confirmed purity, the rate used and the date that rate applies to.
- The rate as it stood at the date of death where you need it, so the figure is a historic open market value rather than today’s.
- A separate purchase offer alongside it, stated as its own figure, if the family wants the option of selling.
- A plain flag on anything that looks worth more than its metal, with a recommendation to have a specialist or qualified valuer see it.
- Free tracked return of everything if the family decides not to sell.
What this valuation is not
- A formal RICS or SoFA valuation. GoldPaid is a precious-metals buyer, not a qualified chattels valuer, and does not describe its document as either.
- Tax or legal advice, completed HMRC forms, or any view on whether tax is due.
- Gemstone, antique or designer pricing. The document covers metal content and notes significant stones rather than valuing them as collectors’ items.
- A route around provenance. GoldPaid asks about ownership as a matter of course, particularly with medals, church silver and memorial pieces, and cannot buy items without clear ownership.
What affects the figures
Both numbers rest on the same measurable facts: the weight on calibrated scales, the purity confirmed by XRF rather than assumed from a stamp, the hallmarks, the stones and non-metal parts that are not payable, the condition of the piece, and the market rate applied on the relevant date. Offers depend on inspection, weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the market rate on the day. Nothing can be guaranteed before the items have been seen, and a firm figure quoted from a photograph alone is a guess.
Who this is for
Executors and administrators dealing with an estate, solicitors and probate professionals who need a documented metal valuation for the file, families working through a parent’s jewellery box, and clearance firms handling the contents of a property. There is no deadline from our side. Take the time you need, ask as many questions as you want, and post only when the family is ready. Anything staying in the family simply stays with you; the rest can still be valued. For a property clearance rather than an estate specifically, see house clearance jewellery buyer, and where the family has already decided to sell, probate and inheritance covers that route.
The full process, start to finish
- Ask, then send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with a few clear photos of your probate and estate jewellery. Lay items flat, in daylight if you can, and include any hallmarks or carat stamps in shot. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer anything you want to ask. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Request the prepaid label. When you are ready, we email a free Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed label, tracked and signed for. No printer is needed: ask for a QR code and the Post Office counter prints it for you.
- Pack and post, tracked. Wrap items in any padded envelope or a small box and attach the label. Hand the parcel in over the Post Office counter so you get a receipt with the tracking number. Keep that receipt. There is no deadline.
- We weigh, test and value. On arrival each item is weighed on calibrated scales and tested by XRF spectrometry to confirm purity. You receive a written, itemised offer showing the weight, the purity, the rate used and the figure for each item.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer on Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned to you free of charge by tracked, insured post. The choice is entirely yours, and you do not need to give a reason.
New to posting valuables? Read the flagship guide on selling gold by post in the UK for a fuller walk-through of every step.
What the offer is built on
Three measured things set every offer: confirmed purity from an XRF assay, accurate weight on calibrated scales, and the live precious-metal rate on the day. You read each figure in a written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything. To see the rates that move the figure, check the gold price today and the silver price today.
For estate work the same assay produces two clearly labelled figures: the open market value of the metal content at the date of death, for the estate accounts, and a separate purchase offer at the live rate, should the family want it. Each item appears on its own line with weight, confirmed purity, the rate used and the date it applies to, so the working can be followed by a solicitor or an accountant. It is supporting evidence of metal content, not a formal RICS or SoFA valuation.
Cover in transit
Your parcel is covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover available up to £2,500 depending on the cover level used. The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking, a signature on delivery, arranged with that cover per parcel. Higher-value items are no problem, but please message us first so the cover and the packing approach match the value. Postage and insurance explains it fully.
No obligation, ever
You are free to walk away at any point before you accept. Decline the offer and everything is repacked and returned to you free of charge, fully tracked and insured. There is no assessment fee and no sales pressure afterwards. The detail is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Why this is a calmer way to sell
Three things make GoldPaid a steadier route than a counter sale. You see a measured valuation in writing, not a verbal estimate. You decide at home, with nobody waiting. And if you decline, the return is free, tracked and insured, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
Is the probate figure the same as what you would pay me for the items?
No, and they are shown as two separate figures for that reason. The probate figure is the open market value of the metal content at the date of death, using the rate that applied on that date. The purchase offer is what GoldPaid will pay today, at the live rate, if the family decides to sell. Metal prices move, so the two rarely match. Both are set out with the rate and date used, so the difference is easy to explain later.
Which form does jewellery go on, IHT405 or IHT407?
IHT407. That is the household and personal goods schedule that accompanies IHT400, and it covers jewellery, watches, silverware and coins. IHT405 is for houses, land and buildings, so nothing from a jewellery box belongs on it. Items worth more than £1,500 are listed individually rather than lumped together. For deaths on or after 1 January 2022 in England and Wales, most excepted estates declare the figures within the probate application instead of filing a separate form. Check the current position at gov.uk or with the estate solicitor.
How do you work out the value at the date of death?
The items are weighed on calibrated scales and XRF-assayed to confirm purity, exactly as for any parcel. The only difference is the rate: instead of the live rate, the gold or silver rate as it stood on the date of death is applied to the confirmed content. The date, the rate and the working appear on the document so it can be checked.
Is this a formal probate valuation from a qualified valuer?
No. GoldPaid is a precious-metals buyer with in-house XRF assay, not a qualified chattels valuer, and the document is not a RICS or SoFA valuation. It is a written, itemised record of metal content and open market metal value at a stated date, which for ordinary household jewellery is generally accepted as supporting evidence. Where the estate needs a formal qualified valuation, we will say so rather than let the document be used for something it is not.
Do we have to sell anything to get the valuation?
No. The valuation is free and carries no obligation. If the family decides against selling, everything is returned by tracked, insured post at no cost, valuation included. Nobody will chase you afterwards.
Some pieces are staying in the family. Can they still be valued?
Yes. Items kept by the family still have to be included in the estate at open market value, so they are valued on the same document and simply returned with the rest. There is no need to decide what is being sold before you post.
Related pages
- Probate & inheritance, selling by post
- House clearance jewellery buyer
- XRF testing explained
- How we handle your parcel
- Clearing a parent’s house: jewellery, silver and coins
- Valuing jewellery for IHT400 and IHT407
- Probate jewellery valuation, 2026 executor guide
- Selling inherited gold during probate
- Do you need probate or a death certificate to sell?
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Silver price today, UK rates
- UK gold hallmark guide
- How we value gold