No pressure to begin with
There is genuinely nothing to commit to up front. A WhatsApp message with a couple of photos of your pocket watches gets you a quick indicative figure and a straight answer to any question. Whether you post anything is your call, made later.
GoldPaid has no high-street branches. It is postal-only and UK-wide, which is what keeps it lean and means you never have to travel.
What we buy, and what to photograph first
We buy pocket watches old and new. A solid gold or silver case is valued for its precious-metal content, and the gold Albert chains, T-bars and fobs that go with them are bought too. The single most useful thing you can send is a clear photo of the inside of the case back, where the hallmark usually sits, plus the dial and movement.
- Solid gold pocket watches, 9ct, 14ct, 18ct, hunter, half-hunter and open-face
- Solid silver pocket watches and fob watches
- Gold Albert chains, double Alberts, T-bars and fobs
- Broken and non-running pocket watches with solid precious-metal cases
- Rolled-gold and gold-filled cases (marked "RGP", "rolled gold" or "gold filled"), note: little recoverable metal value
A case marked "RGP", "rolled gold" or "gold filled" is plated, not solid, and carries little metal value. A genuine collectable or a high-grade movement can be worth more to a specialist than the case is worth as metal. When that happens we will say so, rather than take the watch as scrap.
Solid gold, rolled gold or plated, and how to tell
Most disappointment with pocket watches traces back to one thing, a heavy, convincing yellow case that turns out to be rolled gold. Weight and colour will not tell you which you have. The marking inside the case back will.
| Stamped inside the case | What it means | Metal value |
|---|---|---|
| 375, 585, 750, or 9ct, 14ct, 18ct | Solid gold right through the case | Weighed and XRF-assayed |
| 925, "sterling", or a lion passant | Solid sterling silver case | Weighed and XRF-assayed |
| "Gold filled", "GF", "rolled gold plate", "RGP" | A thin gold layer bonded to a base-metal core | Little recoverable value |
| "Guaranteed 10 years" or similar | A wear guarantee on the plating, not a gold standard | Little recoverable value |
| "Dennison", "Star", "Keystone" | A case maker, not a metal. Read the mark beside it | Depends what else is stamped |
| No marking at all | Often base metal, occasionally an unmarked import | Settled by XRF, not by guesswork |
Dennison catches people most often. Dennison of Birmingham made cases in solid 9ct and 18ct as well as in rolled gold, so the name alone settles nothing; the fineness mark beside it does. Where a photo leaves it unclear, XRF settles it once the watch arrives.
Reading the hallmark inside the case back
British cases were assayed part by part, so look inside the back cover, inside the front bezel, and on the inner dust cover if the watch has one. The marks are not always identical on each. What you are reading:
- Fineness, 375, 585, 750 or 916 on gold, 925 on sterling silver. This number drives the figure.
- Assay office, a leopard head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, three wheatsheaves for Chester, a castle for Edinburgh. Chester marks are common on English watch cases.
- The crown, the traditional British gold mark: struck on 18ct and 22ct cases throughout, on 9ct cases only from 1975, and optional on all gold since 1999.
- Date letter, one letter in a shaped shield, dating the case to a year.
- Case maker initials, such as ALD for Aaron Lufkin Dennison. Not a metal mark on their own.
- Swiss, French and American cases, marked 0.585, 0.750, 14K or 18K rather than with a British hallmark. Fineness is confirmed by assay instead of by the punch.
When a watch is worth more whole than as metal
A plain 9ct open-face watch with an ordinary jewelled lever movement is usually worth its gold, and that metal figure is normally the strongest one available for it. Some watches are not like that. An English fusee movement, a chronometer, repeater or chronograph, a high-grade Swiss name such as Patek Philippe or IWC, or an American railroad-grade movement can be worth distinctly more complete than melted.
Where the movement outruns the case we say so and point you to a specialist or auction, even though it means we do not buy it. So send a photo of the movement as well as the case, and never break a watch up before posting. A complete watch keeps every option open, a stripped case has only one.
Gold wristwatches, the same reading applies
A solid gold wristwatch case is marked 375, 585 or 750 inside the back and is valued on weight and assay in exactly the same way, while "rolled gold" and "gold filled" wristwatch cases hold little recoverable metal. Wristwatch cases are lighter than pocket watch cases, so the fineness matters proportionally more. For modern and branded pieces, and for the case-back markings that separate a steel or gold-plated watch from a solid gold one, see sell watches. For older ones see sell vintage watches, and for Omega pocket and wristwatches specifically, sell an Omega watch.
The process, step by step
- Get in touch and show us. A WhatsApp photo of your pocket watches is all we need to give you a quick indicative figure before anything is posted.
- Get your free label. We send a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, fully tracked. If you have no printer, a QR code for the counter does the same job.
- Send it at your own pace. Wrap it in any padded envelope and hand it in at a Post Office whenever it suits you.
- See the written offer. Everything is weighed on calibrated scales, metal is XRF-assayed and any stones are assessed separately, usually on the working day your parcel arrives. You then get an itemised breakdown showing exactly how the figure was reached.
- Decide. Say yes and the money is sent by Faster Payments. Say no and your items come straight back, free and tracked.
When your parcel reaches us it is signed for, opened on camera and photographed exactly as it arrives, before anything is weighed or tested. The contents are logged against the description you gave when you asked for the label, so what we record and what you sent are checked against each other on day one. Those arrival photographs exist for every parcel and you can ask for them at any point.
Where the figure comes from
There is no guesswork in the offer. We confirm purity by XRF assay, weigh on calibrated scales, and price against the live market rate on the day. Every one of those numbers appears in the written breakdown you receive before deciding. The full method is on how we value gold.
A pocket watch sold as metal has its solid gold or silver case weighed and XRF-assayed, with the movement, glass, dial and any non-precious parts excluded from the figure. Rolled-gold and plated cases hold only a thin precious layer and little recoverable value. Where a watch carries value as a timepiece beyond its metal, that is flagged rather than absorbed.
One parcel gets one written figure, itemised piece by piece. The rates published on this site are a rough guide to what your weight comes to at the last published rates, with our margin already inside the figure. Your written offer follows an XRF assay of your specific items, and shows the confirmed purity, the payable weight and the rate used. Collectables, sovereigns, watches and signed pieces are valued individually by hand.
Cover in transit
The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking and a signature on delivery, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, with the cover level confirmed with you before the label is issued. Higher-value items are no problem, but please message us first, so that anything expected to exceed that cover level is split across more than one prepaid label before it travels. Postage and cover explains it fully.
What to include when you post a pocket watch
- The whole watch, movement, dial, hands, glass and both covers. Do not remove the movement.
- The chain and fobs, Albert chains, double Alberts, T-bars, seals and medallions.
- The winding key, if it is a key-wind watch. Small, and easily left behind.
- A note with your name, address and phone number, plus a list of the contents, so the itemised offer stays matched to your items.
- Sensible packing, the watch wrapped in soft cloth inside a small rigid box, padded inside the outer parcel. No need to wind or set it.
Photograph everything before you seal the parcel. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, so tell us beforehand if you think the watch is worth more than that.
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 signed for. There is no assessment fee and no sales pressure afterwards. The detail is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Two things worth knowing before you post. There is no countdown on the offer and no expiry date attached to it, so you can take the time you need and forward the written valuation to anyone else who has to see it. And you may accept part of a parcel and decline the rest: there is no minimum acceptance and no penalty for splitting it.
Who this helps
This suits people with an inherited solid gold or silver pocket watch, a drawer of Albert chains and fobs, or a broken pocket watch with a precious-metal case that is not worth repairing. The photo-first check is there to point genuinely collectable pieces to the right buyer, even when that is not us.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of acceptance, 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 signed for, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
Do you buy non-running pocket watches?
Yes. A non-running pocket watch can still be worth buying for a solid gold or silver case, for parts, or as a collectable piece. Send a photo of the case markings and the movement and we will tell you what we can offer.
Do you buy the Albert chain as well as the watch?
Yes. Gold Albert chains, double Alberts, T-bars and fobs are bought and valued for their metal content alongside the watch. Include them in your photo.
How do I read the hallmark inside a pocket watch case?
Open the back cover and look at the inside surface. You want a fineness number, 375, 585 or 750 for gold and 925 for sterling silver, usually beside an assay office mark, a leopard head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, three wheatsheaves for Chester. British 18ct and 22ct gold cases carry a crown, and all gold cases do from 1975 until the mark became optional in 1999. A maker punch such as ALD for Dennison is not a metal mark on its own. Send a close photo of the inside of the case back and we will read it for you.
Is my pocket watch worth more than its gold?
Sometimes. A plain 9ct open-face watch with an ordinary movement is usually worth its metal. An English fusee movement, a chronometer, repeater or chronograph, a high-grade Swiss name or an American railroad-grade movement can be worth more complete than melted. Where that is the case we tell you and point you to a specialist rather than buying it as scrap, so send a photo of the movement as well as the case.
Do you buy gold wristwatches as well as pocket watches?
Yes. Solid gold wristwatch cases marked 375, 585 or 750 are weighed and XRF-assayed in the same way, while rolled-gold and gold-filled wristwatch cases hold little recoverable metal. For modern and branded pieces see sell watches, and for older ones see sell vintage watches. Either way, a photo of the case-back markings first is the quickest route to an honest steer.
What if I decline the offer?
Your pocket watch is returned to you free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery. There is no fee for declining and no follow-up pressure.
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.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Two quick steps. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Two things worth knowing before you start, rather than after. Everyone sends a photo of a UK passport or driving licence, whatever the parcel is worth — it applies to every seller, so it is never a comment on you. And the parcel is handed in at a Post Office counter rather than dropped in a postbox: the receipt they give you is the proof of postage any compensation claim depends on.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp. It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.
Related pages
- Sell watches (old & new)
- Sell vintage watches
- Sell an Omega watch
- Watches, coins, medals & stamps (hub)
- Sell gold by post UK
- Sell silver
- What we buy
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Silver price today, UK rates
- UK gold hallmark guide
- How we value gold
- Sell Victorian gold jewellery
- Sell 18ct gold
- Sell Art Deco gold jewellery
- Towns and counties we serve by post