Rough estimates where possible; your final offer follows inspection.
No obligation. Free tracked return if you decline. We aim to pay within one working hour of acceptance.
Sovereigns, half sovereigns, Krugerrands, Britannias, Maple Leafs, pre-1947 silver and mixed collections can all be sold by post. Send a photo of your coins on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value them before you post anything. Then post with a free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, and every coin is weighed, XRF-tested and listed on a written offer.
Send a photo on WhatsApp for a rough estimate where possible, or arrange to post your items for assessment. We confirm our purchase offer after inspection, and you decide whether to accept. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Free Special Delivery label, usually within 30 minutesPurity tested in-house by X-ray (XRF)
Will you tell me how a coin would be valued before I post it?Yes. Send a photo of both sides of each coin on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value them before you post anything. Some coins carry a collector premium from a rare date, an unusual mint or exceptional condition, and a specialist coin dealer can be the better home for those. After testing, every coin is listed on the written offer with its weight and confirmed purity.
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you.
Send photos of your items and any hallmarks. We give a rough estimate where possible; your final offer follows inspection. You do not need to arrange postage to ask us a question.
We arrange postage with you after our conversation.
Before you post
The questions people ask before they send anything, answered here rather than at the end of the page.
Can I ask first?
Yes. WhatsApp a photo to 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm, every day, and we reply with an idea of what it is worth. Nothing is posted until you decide.
Is it safe to post?
Your parcel travels by Royal Mail Special Delivery, tracked and signed for. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post.
How is it tested?
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and tested with an XRF analyser, an X-ray test that reads the metal without marking it. Your written offer lists each piece with its weight, purity and figure.
What if I say no?
We return everything by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. Saying no costs you nothing.
When am I paid?
Only if you accept the written offer. We aim for the money to reach your bank within 24 hours of posting. We use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, test your items promptly on receipt, and aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance. The 24-hour target is an aim, not a guarantee: it depends on posting before the local cut-off, the applicable working-day delivery service, prompt acceptance, completed identity checks and bank processing.
How long does an offer last?
Each written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses, we re-run it at that day’s rate.
Who am I dealing with?
GOLDPAID LTD, registered in England and Wales, run by founder Rocco Clayfield. Our office is at Unit 217, Bristol Business Centre, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG. We are postal only, so there is no counter to visit. Before we pay, we ask every seller for a photo of their passport or driving licence.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Ask first. Post later, or not at all.
You can ask as much as you like before anything is sent. Photos on WhatsApp give us enough to offer a rough estimate on your gold and silver coins, and we will tell you straight if something is not worth posting. Nothing moves until you say so.
Selling with GoldPaid is done entirely by post, anywhere in the UK. There is no shop to find and no pressure at a counter, because there is no counter.
Coins we buy
Gold sovereigns and half sovereigns, any year
Krugerrands, Britannias, Maple Leafs, Philharmonics, Eagles and other bullion coins
Pre-1947 and pre-1920 UK silver coins, florins, shillings, half-crowns, crowns
Silver bullion coins and rounds
Mixed and inherited coin collections
Small gold and silver bullion bars
You do not need to identify or grade anything. Send the collection as it is. If you would like a rough estimate first, a clear photo of both sides on WhatsApp is all we need. Continental coins, 20 Francs, 20 Marks, ducats, guilders and their relatives, have a dedicated page: sell European gold coins, and sovereigns have their own guide to selling sovereigns by post. If most of what you have is jewellery or broken gold rather than coins, selling gold by post covers the whole process, and GoldPaid is built around exactly that.
Gold coin weights and fine-gold content
How much gold is in a sovereign?A full sovereign weighs about 7.98 g and is 22ct, containing about 7.32 g of fine gold. A half sovereign contains half as much. Weight and purity are identification references: date, mint mark, condition and collector demand can matter beyond the metal content.
Common coin specifications in new condition. Wear, damage or mounting can change the measured weight. These are metal-content references, not valuations.
Coin
Weight
Fineness
Fine gold
Quarter sovereign (UK)
2.00 g
916.7 (22ct)
1.83 g
Half sovereign (UK)
3.99 g
916.7 (22ct)
3.66 g
Full sovereign (UK)
7.98 g
916.7 (22ct)
7.32 g
Double sovereign (UK)
15.98 g
916.7 (22ct)
14.64 g
Five-pound sovereign (UK)
39.94 g
916.7 (22ct)
36.61 g
Britannia, 1 oz (1987-2012)
34.05 g
916.7 (22ct)
31.10 g
Britannia, 1 oz (2013 on)
31.21 g
999.9 (24ct)
31.10 g
Krugerrand, 1 oz (South Africa)
33.93 g
916.7 (22ct)
31.10 g
Maple Leaf, 1 oz (Canada)
31.11 g
999.9 (24ct)
31.10 g
Philharmonic, 1 oz (Austria)
31.10 g
999.9 (24ct)
31.10 g
American Eagle, 1 oz (USA)
33.93 g
916.7 (22ct)
31.10 g
20 Francs (France, Switzerland)
6.45 g
900 (21.6ct)
5.81 g
20 Mark (Germany, 1871-1915)
7.97 g
900 (21.6ct)
7.17 g
Photograph both sides and any packaging before posting. Rare dates, proof finishes and scarce mint marks can justify a specialist assessment. GoldPaid does not publish a price list or calculator. Send photos for a rough estimate where possible; your written offer follows inspection of your own items.
Bullion value versus collector value, the honest answer
Every coin is weighed and XRF-tested, and the written offer lists each coin with its weight, the purity the test confirms and the figure for it, so you can see how the offer is built.
Some coins carry a collector premium above their metal value: a rare date, an unusual mint, exceptional condition. A specialist coin dealer or auction can be the better home for a coin like that, which is why the photo on WhatsApp comes first.
How selling works here
Start on WhatsApp. A couple of clear photos of your gold and silver coins are enough for us to give you a rough estimate at no charge.
Claim your free postage. We issue a prepaid, tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery label, or a QR code for the Post Office.
Post in your own time. Any padded envelope works, and there is no deadline to meet.
Get a written valuation. Each item is weighed and read by XRF spectrometry, and the itemised offer is sent to you in writing, usually on the working day your parcel arrives.
Accept or walk away. Acceptance means payment by Faster Payments; declining means a free, fully tracked return.
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and XRF-tested before the written offer is prepared.
What decides your offer
Every parcel is opened at our Bristol office and each piece is handled on its own. Nothing is averaged across the parcel.
Weight. Each item is weighed on scales. Stones, steel springs, non-gold clasps and cores are not paid as gold. The written breakdown explains the payable metal weight for each item, rather than treating everything on the scales as precious metal.
Purity. Each item is tested with an XRF analyser, which reads the metals at the points tested without marking the item. A surface reading alone cannot establish the composition of a plated or filled piece. Hallmarks, construction and different components all need to be considered alongside the test.
The market on the day. Gold and silver are priced against the live precious-metal market at the time your parcel is assessed, not at the time you posted.
Condition and intact value. Broken is fine and does not reduce a metal offer. Where a piece is worth more intact (a named maker, a collectable coin, a locket with provenance) we tell you before testing, so you can choose.
Anything that is not gold or silver. Plated, rolled-gold and base-metal items are listed on the offer at nothing and returned to you free. We never quietly keep them.
Why we do not publish a per-gram price list. A single printed rate hides the things that change the figure: hollow versus solid, stones, mixed carats in one bag, a mark that does not match the metal. We would rather show you the weight, the tested purity and the figure for each item, in writing, and let you decide. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What you see before you decide. A written, itemised offer by WhatsApp or email: every item, its weight, its tested purity, and its figure. Accept and we aim to pay by bank transfer within one working hour. Decline and the whole parcel comes back by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. No fee, no deduction, no questions.
Every coin is weighed and XRF-tested at our Bristol office, and the written offer lists each one on its own line, with the reading, the weight and the figure, before you decide anything.
Each coin is weighed and XRF-assayed to confirm its precious-metal content, and your written breakdown lists each coin and the figure for it.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
One parcel gets one written figure, itemised piece by piece. Any gold or silver jewellery in it is priced on the weight and purity we measure and the live precious-metal market, with our margin already inside the figure.
Getting it here safely
We email you a Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed label, usually within 30 minutes between 8am and 9pm: tracked end to end and signed for. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post. Print the label at home, or ask for a QR code and the Post Office counter prints it for you. If your items are worth more, message us before posting and we split them across more than one prepaid label. There is more on postage and cover. If a parcel is lost on its way to us, the compensation claim goes to Royal Mail from you, the sender, using your Post Office receipt, and we give you our tracking records and help you make it. Lost parcels, step by step.
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, signed-for service, with no fee and no pressure to reconsider. What happens if I decline the offer covers it fully.
The written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses before you decide, we re-run it against the live precious-metal market on the day, at no charge. You can also accept part of a parcel and decline the rest, with no minimum and no penalty for splitting it.
Who this helps
This page is for inherited coins with nobody left to ask what any of it is, for holders of bullion sovereigns and Krugerrands who want a plain postal sale, and for the jar where gold, silver and plain face value sit mixed together. Coins are sorted, weighed and XRF-assayed one at a time, so nothing has to be identified before it is sent.
How payment reaches you
Accept the offer and we aim to send the money by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance, straight to the bank account you provide. There are no cheques and no strings.
What we pay nothing for, and the ID we ask for
What we pay nothing for. UK circulating coins dated 1947 onwards are cupro-nickel with no silver, and gold-plated coins hold no recoverable gold, so GoldPaid pays nothing for either as precious metal. Any such pieces in your parcel are listed at nil on the written valuation and returned free of charge by tracked post, whether you accept the offer on the rest or decline it. The full list, and where those items can go instead, is on what we don’t buy.
ID and ownership checks. Every seller sends a photograph of UK photo ID, a passport or a driving licence, whatever the parcel is worth. We check the name and address on the Royal Mail label against the name on the bank account, and ask you to confirm that the items are yours to sell. GoldPaid only buys from sellers aged 18 or over. Why we check, and what the law does and does not require, is set out on payments, cash and money-laundering rules.
What you see before you decide
GoldPaid makes no price-beating claims. You get the XRF reading, the weight and the figure for every piece in writing, and you decide at home.
Common questions
Do I pay Capital Gains Tax when I sell sovereigns or Britannias?
Not on UK legal-tender coins. HMRC’s Capital Gains Manual says coins that are sterling currency are not chargeable assets, and that only coins which are legal tender count as currency (CG76881). UK gold coins such as sovereigns and gold Britannias are legal tender (Coinage Act 1971, section 2). Foreign legal-tender coins, such as Krugerrands, are different: currency other than sterling is a chargeable asset (CG78300), and HMRC does not treat those coins as chattels, so the £6,000 personal-possessions exemption does not apply to them (CG76881). General information, not tax advice.
Which UK silver coins are worth selling?
UK coins dated 1920–1946 are 50% silver, and pre-1920 coins are 92.5% sterling silver. UK circulating coins dated 1947 onwards contain no silver. Send the lot, the XRF assay confirms the silver content of each coin.
Do I need to know what my coins are before posting?
No. Send the collection as it is. We weigh and XRF-assay each coin and send a written breakdown. A photo of both sides on WhatsApp first will get you a rough estimate.
What if I think the offer is too low?
Decline it and your coins come back free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. Before you do, check the sum: each coin is listed with its weight, its XRF purity and the figure for it, so you can compare it with another buyer’s written figure.
Where can I sell gold coins online in the UK?
Bullion dealers with a buy-back service, postal gold buyers such as GoldPaid, and coin dealers or auction houses all buy gold coins online. For bullion coins such as sovereigns, Britannias and Krugerrands, compare written offers made on the same day against the gold each coin contains. Rare dates, proofs and scarce mint marks are usually better with a coin specialist or auction. Whoever you choose, payment follows receipt and checking of the coins.
How much gold is in a Krugerrand or a Britannia?
One troy ounce, 31.10 g of fine gold, in both. A Krugerrand is 22ct and weighs 33.93 g, the extra weight being copper that makes it harder wearing. A gold Britannia was 22ct up to 2012 and has been 999.9 fine since 2013; either way it holds one troy ounce of gold. The table above shows the market value of that gold on the date shown, and the guides to what a Krugerrand is worth and what a gold Britannia is worth cover each coin.
Do you buy damaged, holed or mounted coins?
Yes. A coin that is worn, holed, bent, soldered into a pendant or set in a ring mount is bought for its metal. Any mount is weighed and XRF-tested on its own, so a 9ct mount around a 22ct sovereign is valued as 9ct and the coin as 22ct, and both appear as separate lines on the written offer. See selling sovereign rings and mounted coins.
Do I need the box, capsule or certificate?
No. Bullion coins are valued on their confirmed weight and metal, which the scales and the XRF test establish on arrival. Boxes and certificates matter more for proof and limited-issue coins, where a collector may pay for the full set; if you have them, mention it when you send your photos.
What happens if Royal Mail loses my parcel?
Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post. While the parcel is travelling to us it remains yours, so a claim for a lost parcel is made to Royal Mail by you, the sender, using your Post Office receipt. Our normal claims process is sender-led, with our assistance, even when we paid for the label. Tell us straight away and we check the tracking with you and give you the label details the claim needs. Lost parcels, step by step.
Who am I sending it to?
GOLDPAID LTD, run by its founder Rocco Clayfield. Labels are addressed to our Bristol office, and there is no shop or counter. Every seller sends a photo of UK photo ID, and we only buy from people aged 18 or over.
Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.
Speak to us before you post
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you. We give a rough estimate where possible and arrange postage with you after our conversation. Your final offer follows inspection.
Send a photo of both sides on WhatsApp, ask anything, and request your free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label when you are ready. No obligation, free tracked return.
