Ask first, post later
Start with a question, not a parcel. Send a photo on WhatsApp or call, and you will get a straight answer on what testing tier suits your item and what the report will cover. None of it commits you to posting anything.
This is a UK-wide postal testing service. There is no shop to visit and no counter. Wherever you live, the process is the same: ask first, then decide.
What the probate pack is for
The Inheritance Act 1984 and HMRC guidance on personal chattels require a professional valuation for items individually valued over £1,500. In practice, most estates contain a handful of jewellery pieces whose value is unknown until something is read on the metal.
This pack is built for that situation. It is faster than a regional valuer, posted from anywhere in the UK, priced fixed at £195 (not per-item), and the report is formatted in a way solicitors handling estates use directly inside an IHT400 submission.
What is in a probate report
- Executor cover letter on the front page, addressed to the named executor, identifying the estate and the testing date.
- Photo inventory — every item photographed individually and as a group shot, each with a numbered tag.
- Twenty individual XRF reports (or up to 20), each with the full elemental table, hallmark cross-check, plating screen, and a plain-English summary line.
- Individual indicative scrap-equivalent values at the live spot price on the test date, clearly labelled as not an offer and not a reinstatement valuation.
- Total scrap-equivalent value for the estate, with the methodology footnoted.
- Items flagged as potentially above £1,500 individually, with a recommendation to obtain a separate reinstatement valuation from a qualified independent valuer for those items.
- The not-a-hallmark disclaimer on the front page, in plain English.
- QR-verified report number on goldpaid.co.uk so HMRC, the solicitor or a beneficiary can confirm the report.
Why this beats a local valuer for most estates
Traditional probate jewellery valuation runs at £50 to £150 per item by local valuer, with the testing usually limited to visual inspection and an acid touch test. The probate pack runs at £195 for up to 20 items (under £10 per item), uses XRF rather than acid, and is posted from anywhere in the UK without a home visit.
The pack is not a replacement for a reinstatement-value valuation on a single high-value item. If a piece is genuinely worth more than £1,500, the report flags it and recommends a separate written valuation from a qualified independent valuer before any IHT figure is finalised.
The process, step by step
- Start with a photo. A clear WhatsApp photo of the item is enough for us to tell you which pack fits, what the report will show, and what the price will be.
- Pay and get your label. Once you order, a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label and a QR code for the counter are emailed straight back.
- Send it in your own time. Use any padded envelope. The label stays valid until used. There is no time pressure on you.
- Tested by handheld XRF. Each item is scanned at multiple points with a Thermo Scientific Niton XL2 precious-metal analyser. The full elemental table goes into the report.
- Report inside 24 to 48 hours. A written PDF report arrives by email, and your item is dispatched back on the same day, fully insured.
Insurance and tracking
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. For higher cover we can arrange a tracked courier before you post, with the cover level agreed in writing first.
The label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm next working day, with full tracking and signature on receipt. The tracking link is emailed to you the moment the label is issued.
If something cannot be tested
Items are returned by Royal Mail Special Delivery the same day the report is signed off. Return postage and insurance are part of the testing fee, not an extra at the end.
On the rare occasion an item cannot be read accurately, you receive a full refund of the testing fee and the item is returned the same day, with a short note explaining what happened and what an alternative test would involve.
Testing is testing
Plenty of gold buyers will offer a "free test" if you send your item in. That is a sales tool, not an independent service. This page is the other way round: you pay for the test and the report stands on its own. Whether you sell anything afterwards is a separate decision, and one we do not get involved in unless you ask.
The full reasoning is on the dedicated independence pledge page.
What this report is, and what it is not
The report identifies the elemental composition of an item to the accuracy of the analyser. It does not replace a UK hallmark, an Assay Office fire assay, or a written valuation from a qualified valuer for insurance reinstatement purposes. We say so in plain English on the front page of every report.
If a report leaves any doubt, we will tell you what the next step would be — typically a UK Assay Office fire assay (destructive but definitive) for high-value disputes, or a written insurance valuation from a qualified independent valuer for reinstatement cover.
Built to be trusted, not just believed
- Owner-run, with a named founder 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
Who should order the pack — the executor, the solicitor or the family?
Any of them. The report can be addressed to the named executor and copied to the solicitor. Tell us at order time who needs the report and who needs the copy.
How long does the probate pack take?
48 to 72 hours from receipt. Slightly longer than a single-item test because the item count is higher and the report format is more detailed.
What about items that are not gold (silver-plated, costume, base metal)?
They are reported with their actual composition. Costume jewellery and silver-plated items have value to an estate audit only as evidence of composition; the report says so plainly.
What if the estate contains a single item that is clearly worth more than £1,500?
The report identifies it and recommends a separate written reinstatement valuation from a qualified independent valuer for that specific item. The XRF report still provides the composition record, but it does not replace an insurance reinstatement valuation.
Can I add a written insurance valuation to the probate pack?
Yes. The Insurance Valuation Add-on is +£25 per item, and we can add it to selected items rather than the whole pack.
Can I see a sample probate report?
Yes — the sample report page links to an anonymised three-item probate sample so you can see the format before paying.
Are diamonds and coloured stones graded in the probate pack?
No — XRF does not test stones. For diamond grading or coloured-stone identification on a probate matter, the in-house gem service runs alongside (see the gem triage and diamond grading pages). Most estate jewellery does not need this; we will tell you straight if it does.