Ask before you post, always
You never have to commit to anything to start. Message us on WhatsApp or call, tell us roughly what you have, and send a few clear photos for a quick indicative figure. Nothing leaves your hands until you decide it should, and there is no obligation even then.
GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buying service. Wherever you are, you sell European gold coins by post with a free insured Royal Mail label. There is no shop to visit and no counter pressure.
European gold coins we buy
- French 20 Francs, Napoleon, Angel and Rooster types, plus 10 and 40 Franc pieces
- Swiss 20 Francs, the Vreneli and the earlier Helvetia head
- Belgian 20 Francs and Italian 20 Lire, struck to the same standard as the French coin
- German 20 and 10 Marks from the Empire period, Prussia, Bavaria, Hamburg and the smaller states
- Austrian ducats (1 and 4 ducat) and 10, 20 and 100 Corona coins
- Dutch 10 Guilders, Spanish 25 Pesetas and Danish, Swedish and Norwegian 20 Kroner
- Mounted coins in pendants and rings, odd singles, and whole inherited tins
You do not need to identify anything, or read the language on the coin. Send a clear photo of both sides on WhatsApp and we will tell you what it is and give you a quick indicative figure before anything is posted.
Fine gold content by coin type
These are the issuing mints’ published specifications. Most of the 900-fine coins were struck to standards fixed by treaty or statute, the Latin Monetary Union convention of 1865, the German Coinage Act of 1871 and the Scandinavian Monetary Union of 1873, so the figures below are fixed facts, not estimates.
| Coin | Dates | Fineness | Fine gold content |
|---|---|---|---|
| French 20 Francs | 1803–1914 | 900 | 5.81g (0.1867 oz) |
| Swiss 20 Francs (Vreneli) | 1897–1949 | 900 | 5.81g (0.1867 oz) |
| Belgian 20 Francs / Italian 20 Lire | 1861–1914 | 900 | 5.81g (0.1867 oz) |
| German 20 Mark | 1871–1915 | 900 | 7.17g (0.2304 oz) |
| German 10 Mark | 1872–1914 | 900 | 3.58g (0.1152 oz) |
| Austrian 1 Ducat | 1852–1915 | 986 | 3.44g (0.1107 oz) |
| Austrian 4 Ducats | 1854–1915 | 986 | 13.77g (0.4427 oz) |
| Austrian 100 Corona | 1908–1915 | 900 | 30.49g (0.9802 oz) |
| Dutch 10 Guilders | 1875–1933 | 900 | 6.06g (0.1947 oz) |
| Spanish 25 Pesetas | 1876–1885 | 900 | 7.26g (0.2334 oz) |
| Scandinavian 20 Kroner | 1873–1931 | 900 | 8.06g (0.2593 oz) |
A coin’s metal value is its fine gold content multiplied by the live gold price, so a 20 Franc piece holds a little under a fifth of an ounce of gold, and a German 20 Mark a little under a quarter. For the arithmetic against a current price, see gold coin values or the gold value tracker; for a figure on your actual coins, a photo on WhatsApp is quicker.
Restrikes, copies and how the XRF assay settles it
A surprising share of the continental gold in circulation was struck after the date it carries. Austrian 1915-dated ducats and 100 Corona pieces are official restrikes produced by the Austrian Mint for decades, and Switzerland restruck 1935-dated Vrenelis after the war, marked with an L beside the date. Official restrikes contain exactly the gold the specification says, and we value them on that content like any other coin.
Copies are a different matter. Gilded base-metal souvenirs and low-fineness copies of 20 Francs and ducats exist in quantity, and some are hard to judge by eye or even by weight. This is what the XRF assay is for: it confirms the actual fineness of your specific coin, non-destructively and at no cost to you. If a coin is not what it appears to be, we tell you plainly, and everything is returned free if you decline.
When a European gold coin is worth more than its melt value
- Scarce dates and mints. Early Napoleon issues, certain Vreneli years such as 1926, and low-mintage strikes can carry premiums well above their gold.
- The smaller German states. Prussian 20 Marks are common; issues from the minor duchies and free cities can be worth many times their metal.
- Condition. An uncirculated coin is worth more to a collector than a worn one; see gold coin grading for how grades work.
Most European gold coins in UK households are common dates in circulated condition and trade close to their gold value, and that is what we pay. But if a date, mint mark or grade suggests collector value above the metal, we flag it before making an offer, even when the better home for the coin is a specialist numismatic auction rather than us.
How it works
- Ask first and send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with photos of your European gold coins for a quick indicative figure. Ask anything; there is no charge and no obligation.
- Request a prepaid Royal Mail label. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. No printer? We send a QR code for the Post Office counter.
- Post it when you are ready. Use any padded envelope. There is no deadline and no pressure.
- Receive a no-obligation valuation. Every item is weighed on calibrated scales and tested by XRF spectrometry. You get a written, itemised offer, usually on the working day your parcel arrives, showing purity, weight, the rate used and the figure.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer via Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned free of charge by tracked, insured post.
How we value what you send
Every offer is built from three measurable facts: confirmed purity, accurate weight, and the live precious-metal market rate on the day we assess your items. You see each figure in a written breakdown before you decide anything. See how we value gold and XRF testing explained for the full method.
Each coin is identified, weighed on calibrated scales and XRF-assayed, so fineness is confirmed rather than assumed, which is exactly what separates a genuine 900-fine 20 Franc piece from a gilded copy. Your written breakdown lists each coin and its confirmed gold content against the live market rate, with any possible collector value flagged separately rather than absorbed into a scrap figure.
Postage and cover
Your parcel is covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover available up to £2,500 depending on the cover level used. The label we send is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: tracked end to end, signed for on delivery, and arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. If you believe your items are worth more, message us before posting. We will arrange the right approach, either extra cover or splitting the items across more than one parcel. Full detail is on postage and insurance, and is it safe to post gold? walks through posting valuables safely.
If you decide not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not for you, simply decline, and we return everything free of charge by tracked, insured post, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. The full return process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Who this helps
Almost all of the continental gold we see arrives through estates rather than collections: a few 20 Franc pieces brought back generations ago, a tin of coins from a Dutch, Polish or Italian grandparent, a coin in a pendant nobody can read. Most people selling them have never sold a coin before, which is exactly what the ask-first process is for. If you are handling an estate, probate and inheritance explains how valuations for probate work.
The payment step
Acceptance triggers payment: a direct bank transfer by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, to the account you give us. Nothing to bank and nothing to chase.
Built to be trusted, not just believed
- Owner-run, with founder Rocco Clayfield personally accountable for the service
- Every item XRF-assayed, the result shown to you in writing
- Free insured postage both ways, so a valuation is genuinely no-obligation
- Honest about its limits, including when a specialist would suit you better
- No fabricated reviews and no invented numbers, anywhere on the site
Common questions
What is a German 20 Mark gold coin worth?
An Empire-period 20 Mark contains 7.17g of fine gold (0.2304 of a troy ounce). Prussian and Hamburg issues are common and trade close to their gold value; coins from the smaller German states can be worth considerably more to collectors, and we tell you if yours is one of them.
Are Austrian ducats real gold?
Genuine ducats are 986 fine, nearly pure gold, and noticeably thin for their size. Most on the market are official 1915-dated restrikes from the Austrian Mint, which contain the full 3.44g of fine gold and are valued on that content. Gilded copies also exist, and the XRF assay settles which yours is at no cost to you.
How do I know if my foreign gold coin is genuine?
Often you cannot tell by eye, and neither can we from a photo alone, which is why no figure is final until the coin is XRF-assayed. The assay is free, non-destructive and confirms the actual fineness of your specific coin. If a coin is not genuine we say so plainly, and everything is returned free if you decline.
Do I pay Capital Gains Tax on European gold coins?
European coins are not UK legal tender, so unlike Sovereigns and Britannias they are not CGT-exempt, and a gain above your annual allowance may be taxable. GoldPaid is not a tax adviser; check your own position with HMRC or an accountant.
Do you buy coins mounted in pendants or rings?
Yes. A 20 Franc or ducat in a mount is valued on its confirmed gold content, and the mount is valued separately if it is gold. Be aware that mounting usually removes any collector premium a coin might have carried, and we will say so honestly in the written breakdown.