Short answer
GoldPaid buys antique gold (broadly pre-1920) by post UK-wide. Each piece is examined for hallmarks, dated where possible, and flagged for the antique market on the written offer where the designed-piece value is likely to exceed metal scrap. The metal-only valuation is shown for transparency. Free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, free return if declined.
When scrap is the wrong answer for antique gold
The honest position on antique gold is that scrap is often the wrong answer. A Georgian gold mourning ring with a clear maker mark, a Victorian hair-work locket, an Edwardian platinum-and-diamond brooch with a documented London assay office hallmark, all of these can be worth substantially more on the specialist antique market than at metal weight.
The scrap calculation is mechanical and indifferent to history: weight times measured purity times the rate on the day. The antique-market calculation is the opposite: condition, maker, provenance, design, demand. The two figures rarely match and on antique gold the scrap figure is almost always the lower of the two.
How we identify antique pieces on arrival
Every piece received is examined for hallmarks before any other step. The four UK assay offices (London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh) plus the two closed offices (Chester until 1962, Glasgow until 1964) all struck pieces that turn up in inherited parcels. The date letter, the office mark, the maker's mark and the standard mark together identify the year, the maker and the carat.
Foreign marks (French eagle, Italian assay marks, Russian zolotnik, Indian BIS) are noted separately. Pre-1700 silver and pre-1800 gold pieces are flagged on arrival for individual review because they are most likely to have museum or specialist-market value above scrap.
The honest fork in the road on the written offer
Every antique piece on the written offer gets two figures: the metal-only scrap valuation (transparent, mechanical), and a flag for any piece we believe is worth more on the antique market with an estimate of that figure if we can give one. The decision between selling at scrap or pursuing the antique market is yours.
For pieces we believe are clearly in the antique-market category, we are honest and suggest specific routes: reputable antique dealers, named auction houses, specialist online marketplaces. We do not benefit from scrap-selling a piece that should go to auction, and we say so on the written offer rather than burying it.
Pre-hallmark antique pieces
Compulsory UK hallmarking dates only from 1300 (London leopard's head) and was extended in stages to other offices over the following centuries. Some genuine pre-1300 pieces exist (rare, mostly in museum collections); many later pieces produced below the legal hallmarking weight or for personal commission carry no marks at all.
Unmarked gold is not the same as fake gold. The XRF reading measures the metal regardless of stamp. The deciding test for an unmarked piece is the metal content, the style cues for dating, and any documented provenance the seller can supply.
What happens, from first message to payment
- A photo and a question. Send photos of your antique gold on WhatsApp. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer whatever you want to know.
- A prepaid label, on request. Ask for the label when you are ready and we send a free, tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery one, or a QR code for the counter.
- You post it. Any padded envelope is fine, posted whenever you choose.
- We assess and write it up. Calibrated weighing plus an XRF assay produce a written, itemised offer for you to read at home.
- Your decision. Accept for payment by Faster Payments, or decline for a free, tracked, insured return.
How your parcel is protected
Royal Mail Special Delivery cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: fully tracked, needs a signature on delivery, arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. Worth more than that? Tell us before you post, and we will either arrange extra cover or suggest splitting the items across separate parcels. See postage and insurance for the full picture.
Declining, made simple
A quick message is all it takes to decline, and you do not need to give a reason. Your items are then returned free of charge on a tracked, insured service, with no fee and no pressure to reconsider. What happens if I decline the offer covers it fully.
Being paid
If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments, transferred directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.
What backs the offer up
- XRF spectrometry on every item, not a counter estimate
- A written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything
- Free insured postage in, free tracked return out
- No countdowns, no pressure, no fabricated reviews
- An owner-run business with a named founder who answers honestly
Common questions
How do I know if my piece is worth more than scrap?
Send photographs on WhatsApp before posting. We can usually give a quick indicative figure from the hallmark, style cues and any visible maker marks before you commit.
What is the difference between antique and antique-market value?
Antique describes age. Antique-market value is what specialist dealers and auctions pay for the piece, which can be many multiples of the scrap-metal value for the right piece.
Will you pay the antique-market value yourself?
Generally no. We buy at the scrap-metal floor. Where we believe a piece is worth more on the antique market, we say so and you can decline our offer and pursue that route.
Are antique pieces always worth more than modern ones at scrap?
No. At scrap they are valued identically by weight and measured purity. The age premium only applies on the antique market, not on the scrap calculation.
What about Edwardian and Art Deco pieces specifically?
Both eras can carry antique premiums. See the era-specific pages for the detail; the same scrap-vs-antique fork applies on the written offer.