Sell gold sovereign coins by post across the UK

The British gold sovereign has been struck since 1817 to a single technical specification that has barely changed in two centuries: 7.98805 grams gross weight, 22ct gold (916 fineness), giving 7.32238 grams of pure gold per coin, or 0.2354 of a troy ounce. Every full sovereign you can post us, whether minted in 1817 or 2024, contains essentially the same amount of fine gold within tolerance.

The half sovereign carries half the metal of a full sovereign: 3.99 grams gross, 0.1177 troy ounces fine gold, in a smaller 19.3mm coin. Quarter and double sovereigns also exist but in far smaller numbers, mostly as modern Royal Mint issues for collectors. The XRF reading on arrival confirms each coin’s 22ct purity directly, and a worn coin that has lost a little weight in circulation is weighed as it is.

Some sovereigns are worth more than their gold content. The reasons split into three categories: rare date, rare mint, and proof quality.

Rare dates: certain years of the Victorian, Edward VII and George V issues are scarce enough to attract collector interest above scrap, and Edward VIII pattern sovereigns, struck but never issued, are rarer still. Victorian "shield-back" sovereigns from certain branch mints can also sell above their gold, depending on condition.

Rare mints: sovereigns were struck at London, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Bombay, Pretoria and Ottawa. The mint mark (a small letter or symbol on the reverse) identifies the branch mint and some branch combinations are scarce.

Proof quality: modern Royal Mint proof sovereigns in their original presentation cases, complete with the certificate of authenticity, can sell above their gold value.

Common-date Edward VII, George V and modern Elizabeth II sovereigns trade close to the value of their gold: 7.32 grams of fine gold per full coin.

Even a worn common-date sovereign keeps almost all of that gold.

Cleaning can reduce what a sovereign is worth. Decades in a drawer or a purse leave a soft, even surface tone, and that tone is part of how a collector reads a coin as original. A polishing cloth, silver dip, toothpaste or an ultrasonic bath strips it, leaves hairline scratches across the flat fields, and turns a coin that might have carried a premium into one worth its metal alone. It cannot be undone. Gold does not tarnish, so there is nothing that needs removing in the first place; send each coin as it is, in whatever tissue, capsule or case it has lived in.

Two condition points matter. A sovereign that has been mounted, drilled or soldered has lost most of its collector market, and the solder is usually a lower carat than the coin, which the XRF reading shows separately. A heavily worn coin also weighs slightly less than a sharp one, which the scale records. Neither is a reason to hold a coin back.

Send photos of both sides of each coin on WhatsApp, with the date and any mint mark visible. Nothing needs posting until you are happy with the answer. Once the coins arrive, each one is weighed and XRF-tested, and the written offer lists every coin on its own line, so twelve common George V sovereigns and one scarcer branch-mint coin are thirteen lines, not one bulk weight. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.

If a coin would do better through a specialist numismatic dealer or auction, that route stays open: decline the written offer and the coins come back free by tracked, signed-for post. How GoldPaid values jewellery and scrap gold is set out in how we value gold.

Sterling coins that are legal tender are not chargeable assets for Capital Gains Tax (HMRC Capital Gains Manual CG76881), which puts sovereigns in the same position as gold Britannias. The Royal Mint lists sovereigns minted in 1837 and later as exempt, and the same applies to half and quarter sovereigns of those dates.

The exemption is narrower than people assume. Foreign legal tender coins such as Krugerrands and Maple Leafs are chargeable assets, and because they are currency the £6,000 personal-possessions exemption does not apply to them. Gold bars and jewellery are chargeable too, although the £6,000 rule can apply to them. On a larger parcel the difference matters: a bag of inherited sovereigns and the same weight of gold bar can be taxed differently on an identical gain.

This is general information for UK residents rather than tax advice. HMRC publishes the underlying guidance on gov.uk, and an accountant can confirm your own position, particularly for inherited coins where the base cost is normally the value at the date of death.

Sovereigns are small (22mm diameter, 1.5mm thick) and need wrapping individually in tissue or a small coin envelope so they do not rub against each other in transit. A parcel of ten full sovereigns weighs only about 80 grams but can be worth well over a standard parcel's cover.

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. Tell us how many coins you have before a label is issued, and a larger lot can travel in more than one parcel, each with its own prepaid label and tracking number.