Every week throughout February we will be giving away a 2012 Silver 1oz Britannia coin… and all you need to do is enter the competition on The Gold Bullion Company Facebook fan page using the 'Silver Britannia Giveaway' link in the left menu. (or click here)

Click here to enter on Facebook now and be in with a chance to win, it only takes 30 seconds to enter!

At 40mm in diameter, each 2012 Silver Britannia contains a full troy ounce (31.1035 grams) of fine silver. With the silver price making steady gains over the past month can you really afford not to enter for a chance to win?

Take a look at the 2012 Silver Britannia Coin.

¹ Giveaway Terms and Conditions

Winners will be automatically selected at random from our Facebook competition page located in the left menu at facebook.com/thegoldbullioncompany.

No cash alternative is available.

Weekly winners will be selected at 2pm, on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th February 2012.

Competition winners names will be posted to our Facebook page and to this blog page within 24 hours of each competition draw.

Winners are required to check The gold Bullion Faceook page to check if they have won one of the four weekly draws, winners must make contact with The Gold Bullion Company to provide postage address and contact information.

A Facebook account is required; you can create a Facebook account here.

2012 Silver Britannia coins will be dispatched via recorded next business day delivery within 7 days winners supplying full delivery details.

Each bar features the famous Jean Paul-Gaultier heart and 'rays' emblem with cast into the front of the bar and features one full troy ounce of fine gold bullion.

As far as we’re aware this is the first 'celebrity' endorsed production gold bar available to private investors, Gaultier hopes the limited run premium priced bar will "not only make a great investment but also become a piece of history".

Gold Bullion, the ultimate fashion accessory!

In addition to our fresh web site design update launching later this week, we’ve migrated our web servers to a certified carbon neutral platform. In partnership with our data-centre service provider, our servers now operate the latest energy-efficient hardware, power management and water-cooling technology.

We will continue to investigate and implement more efficient and sustainable business practises to improve our company, we fully understand that improved efficiency delivers benefits to our customers and business alike.

Orders placed online between the 21st December 2011 and 2nd January 2012 will not be dispatched until the 3rd January 2012.

Orders in the run up to Christmas will be processed as follows:

Online Orders paid by Credit
Card Orders for in stock items placed online and paid for by debit or credit card before midnight on the 20th December 2011 will the dispatched for pre-Christmas delivery.

Online Orders
paid by Bank Transfer Orders placed online where cheque or bank transfer has been specified as the payment method, subject to items being in stock, cleared funds must be received to our bank account BEFORE midnight on the 2oth December 2011.

Collect in Person
Any customers choosing to collect their orders in person are advised to call our customer services team on 0121 523 1047 to arrange a pre-Christmas collection.

Telephone Orders
Payment for telephone orders must clear into our bank account BEFORE midnight on the 20th December 2011 unless otherwise advised at point of order.

Investment demand, at 468.1 tonnes, has now surpassed demand from the jewellery industry (465.6 tonnes), with gold purchased for investment up almost 33% on the third quarter of 2010.

Those 465.6 tonnes of investment gold have materialised predominantly as gold bullion bars, weighing in at 294.2 tonnes, while 76.2 tonnes of gold were minted into official coinage such as 2012 Gold Sovereigns.

Central bank purchasing still accounts for the largest portion of gold deliveries in 2011, but private holdings in gold bullion have soared as gold becomes more accessible and appealing to Jo public.

Want to learn more? Download a free PDF copy of the World Gold Council Q3 2011 Gold Demand Trend Report.

Top Selling Products in October 2011:

1. 2011 Gold Sovereign
2. 1oz SIlver Bar
3. 1g Gold Bar
4. American Eagle 1oz SIlver Coin
5. Krugerrand
6. 100g Silver Bar
7. 1/10th Krugerrand
8. Gold Sovereign (QEII Decimal)
9. 2.5g Gold Bar
10. Gold Sovereign (QEII Pre-decimal)

(Chart compiled from sales data between 01 October 2011 and 31 October 2011).

1. 2011 Gold Sovereign
2. 1oz Silver Bar
3. 100g Silver Bar
4. 2.5g Gold Bar
5. 1oz Gold Bar
6. 1oz Silver Maple Leaf
7. 1oz Gold Maple Leaf
8. QEII Gold Sovereign Coin
9. Krugerrand
10. Gold Half Sovereign 

QE Gold Price Boost? Further speculation surrounds a possible third round of quantitative easing by the US Federal Reserve in the coming months should the US economy continue to delivery poor numbers, such as the recent disappointing jobs data showing the US economy produced no new jobs in August.

How does QE affect the price of gold? As more cash is pumped into the economy, currency is devalued, as the US$ weakens, the gold price gains. During the last period of US quantitative easing which ran for almost seven months from November 2010 the gold price increased by almost 10%.

Seasonal Gold Prices - Autumn leaves fall, temperatures drop and gold prices... rise! Gold prices traditionally slow during the summer months, between 2002 and 2010, the gold price increased on average only 0.3% during June, July and August – but increased on average 19.7% during the other nine months!

The summer of 2011 has seen extraordinary gold price performance, the underlying tradition of seasonal statistics indicate that the next nine months will see continued growth.

Pre-order stock service. This month we've implemented a further update to our order stock system. Recently, we've seen unprecedented order volume, such is the demand recently that many of our items have sold out as quick as we can replenish stock!

Based on the principal that our increased order volume is driven by the rush of customers looking to take advantage of the fast moving gold price, many customers are more than happy to wait for delivery, providing they can purchase at the current gold price... So we've introduced our pre-order status – Any item that is not currently in-stock for immediate dispatch is shown as 'Pre-order'. You can purchase the item immediately and we'll honour the price. When the item comes back into stock, we'll dispatch it our using our standard secure and insured next business day courier.

What's Hot This Month? It has been an epic month for the gold price; we've seen huge hikes as news stories break with continued reports of weakening currencies, US fiscal policy doubts and a deepening Eurozone crisis. Now is still the time to Buy Gold – But our tip... Don't forget its lesser cousin, Silver.

You can’t pick up a newspaper or watch the evening news lately without hearing about the thriving gold price, but how, and why should you be after a ‘piece of the action’?

Building Foundations - Every private investment portfolio needs a solid base; those in the know suggest shrewd investors and savers secure at least 10% of the net worth in gold, viewed as the safest bet in time of worry. Gold has delivered such impressive performance for the past decade that it’s slowly solidifying many portfolios as investors look for performance and security.

Making sure you’re getting your 10% worth – Gold Bullion comes in an array of shapes, weights and sizes – with something to suit any investor’s budget. Investment Grade Gold

Bullion bars start at just 2.5 grams, perfect for new investors looking to test the water. At the top end of the scale,1KG bullion bars satisfy those with a larger budget. So what should you choose and why?

Bullion bars or coins? Bullion bars are available in greater weight and often represent better value but Gold Coins, specifically sovereigns have one very appealing characteristic for investors, they’re free from any capital gains tax liability, making them more appealing to some over their bullion bar counterparts. It’s important to note that gold, both coins and bars is completely VAT free, both at purchase and sale.

Where should I store my investment? That really depends on just how big your 10% is! You have options – Gold is a high value, yet very portable product – in the literal sense! First time investors are generally surprised at just how small a 1oz gold bullion bar actually is! But, its size to value ratio make storage at home in a secure location quite feasible. Larger investors will want a more secure ‘off-site’ storage solution, your local bank may be able to offer a deposit box, or you could use the services of a specialist gold bullion dealer with dedicated bullion storage facilities.

And don’t forget, it’s not all about gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion is also available for investment.

Secure your financial future, take a look at our Gold Bullion Bars and 2011 Sovereign products and start building your foundations today.

Our 2011 Gold Sovereigns are Bullion Standard Coins containing 7.98 grams of 22 carat gold. The coins depict the current standard Queen Elizabeth II head with a 2011 date stamped George and Dragon image on the reverse.

With The Gold Bullion Company you can buy your 2011 Gold Sovereigns online with confidence using your debit card, credit card or bank transfer. Our Next Business Day delivery is Guaranteed, Secure & Insured.

Why do the Greek economic worries strengthen the gold price?

Gold prospers in times of uncertainty, hence the continued gold price progress during the past three years! The proposed €12 billion loan to Greece, scheduled for July, could be halted if Greece fails to make guarantees to its Eurozone partners that it will step-up its already burdening austerity measures and commit to maintain its solvency for the next 12 months, that is to avoid national bankruptcy and make headway with its national debt.  Even with the loan, the Greek economy would still be perilously weak.

The fear that a national economy, particular a Eurozone member state sharing a single currency with several of the world’s leading economic super-powers sends many high level investors looking for security and shelter from the fickle currencies markets.  As the Euro and US Dollar weaken, gold traditionally prevails. As the bulk investors channel demand, the price follows.

How will this impact the gold price long term?

There are no long term guarantees, only trends. With many commentators cautious of the world economic growth, troubles in Libya, Syria and Yemen and several other European countries in precarious economic shape, the gold price is thought to retain strength. 

Prices dropped 2.4 percent yesterday and today swung between a gain of 0.3 percent and a loss of 0.2 percent.

"Gold fell too much yesterday" said Chris Kwon, a trader at KTB Securities Co. in Seoul. "Improving economic data appears to provide just some short-term weakness for gold. Overall, the uptrend remains intact as the U.S. economy is not in a full recovery yet and interest rates remain low."

A short term drop in the price of bullion is clearly an excellent opportunity to take advantage of a longer term increase. 

Gold jumped 30 percent last year after governments spent trillions of dollars and kept interest rates low to bolster economies following the worst global recession since World War II. This year, bullion will average $1,502 an ounce.

The Mint began accepting orders from authorised purchasers on Monday, 6th December 2010. The bullion coins have a symbolic face value of a quarter dollar, a diameter of three inches and bear no mint mark. The actual value of the coin is based on the silver it contains. However, they have proved so popular with the coin-collecting community that some are reportedly selling for “double spot value”.

These large-format coins - so called when coins are five ounces or larger - are the first of their kind for the US government and required the US Mint to spend $2.2 million on a coin press made by Graebener in Germany.

The "America the Beautiful" program was launched earlier this year and is set to continue until 2021. It calls for the creation of 56 coins, one for each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories, to honour national parks and sites.

In the UK it is illegal to sell or describe any item as gold, silver or platinum or palladium unless it is hallmarked and weighs more than 1g if gold or palladium, 7.78g if silver or 0.5g for platinum.  The hallmark guarantees the precious metal content of the item you are buying, giving you complete reassurance.

Example of a stamped UK Hallmark denoting a 925 Sterling Silver (Lion) item produced by (OW) Owen Waterhouse from the Sheffield Assay Office (Rose Crest) in 2006 as denoted by the 'g' stamp.

Hallmarks are applied in one of three ways. The traditional method of hand punching and hydraulic press punching are still widely used throughout the industry but in the 21st century, many hallmarks are now laser etched onto items, particularly for hollow, highly finished or intricate items or jewellery and watched.

Compulsory Marks

The sponsors mark is the unique mark of the company or person responsible for sending the article for hallmarking.  The sponsor maybe the original manufacturer, importer, wholesaler, retailer or an individual. To obtain a Sponsors mark you must register with an Assay Office.

The Standard Hallmark Mark demonstrates the standard of finesse, i.e. the purity of the precious metal content in parts per 1000.  For example, 18 carat gold is 750 parts per 1000 by weight.

The Assay Office Mark shows which Assay Office tested and marked the item.

Optional marks

The Date Mark defined by a stamped letter shows the year in which the article was hallmarked.

Traditional Marks – Still in use today, these traditional marks are sometimes used to show the type of metal.
Commemorative marks – These are special hallmarks to celebrate major events such as the Queens Golden Jubilee (2002) and passing of the Millennium (1999 – 2000).

International Convention Marks – Since 1972 the UK has been a signatory to the International Convention on Hallmarks. This means that UK Assay Offices can apply the common control mark which will then be recognised by all member countries in the convention.  Conversely, convention hallmarks that have been applied in other member countries are recognised in the UK.

If you have any questions regarding your hallmarked gold, silver, platinum or palladium, or if you would like to buy or sell precious metals, call our sales office on 0121 523 1047 or email sales@thegoldbullion.co.uk.

Money Watch on BBC One last night (21st July 2010) as part of a series titled How to Beat Tough Times, featured gold in a comparative between various different forms of high performance investments.  The hour long prime time show concluded with a five minute feature investigating four different investments over a period of up to twenty years. The show invited investment expert Jonathan Davies to assess the performance of property, stocks and shares, gold bullion and fine wine.

The Stocks and Shares Investment - Over the last year (June 2009 to 2010) The best performing option was reported to be stocks and shares, not a complete surprise considering the stock market could really only move one way following the global recession. Over the past 12 months, stocks and shares have soared an impressive 40%, but, that’s a market spread, you’ll need to be a pretty Sharpe investor to identify stocks and shares that are on the move and in the right direction! And not forgetting, the stock market is widely viewed as a high risk investment avenue.

The Gold Bullion Investment - Over the past ten years, gold bullion was the clear winner, accumulating a huge 300% growth in value. Gold has maintained steady growth throughout history and has weathered the economic ups and downs of the past century well. Gold has earned its stable, solid investment reputation and is the first place nervous investors turn to when times are bad. Confidence in gold investments has always been high.

The Fine Wine Investment - The clear winner for sheer impressive growth, albeit over a much longer 20 year term is wine! Fine wine investments have grown a massive 1300% over the past 20 years! Investing in wine isn’t so common place and seen as more of a niche investment.  With the huge range of wines from around the world, forecasting which wine to put you money into will also throw up considerable risk. Fine wines are a very volatile product, kept in anything but the most precisely temperate, humid and dusky conditions are liable to spoil along with your investment value.

The Property Market – The programme didn’t venture too far with the property market comparative results and if the show had aired five years ago, we’re pretty sure property would have been up there on a par with the other investments. The property marketing has a fairly high entry point for most investors and in recent years has shown just how volatile the price of property can be.  Property is a difficult animal to generalise due to geographic, quality and a whole host of other factors. Some investments in property have been a huge success, while others far from it!

To conclude the results of the investigation, while the short term winner appears to be stocks and shares, it is important to note that looking back beyond the past twelve months the value of stock markets around the world plummeted and this rise is really just the road to recovery from their pre-recession standing.  For sheer impressive growth figures, wine wins hands down but is an investment requiring time to mature and bundles a huge quantity of risk into the equation.

So we come to gold… It will come as no surprise and ultimately convenient that we interpret the results as nothing but positive for the gold investment option but, with all things considered for a stable and secure short or long term investment gold has consistently performed well.  Gold is available in a wide range of weights, enabling everyone from the small time investor to the national banking institutions entry into the same common market. Gold is a currency, acknowledged globally and unmistakeable in every way.  There are no concerns of choosing the right type, make or model of gold and storage is a simple as a bank deposit vault.

The on-going gold price surge has been fuelled by market concerns over inflation and Euro Zone stability fears, both of which have seen signs of easing in recent days.

With the gold price dip, new private gold investors may be tempted into the market as industry analysts hold out hope of a continued longer term creep towards the magic $2,000/Oz mark over the next three to five years.

Silver prices have traditionally tracked the gold trend and with popularity in the domestic jewellery and manufacturing markets remaining steady, despite the decline of some major silver consuming markets such as photo reprographics, silver is set for a gradual climb to match that of gold as we head towards 2011.

A few factors that impact the silver price which are worth consideration – While the demand for silver continues to increase, the supply which is still increasing year on year, isn’t keeping pace making silver a gradually more scarce commodity.  The majority of silver is sourced as a bi-product from other mining activates while dedicated silver mines, which extract silver far more economically, are nearing exhaustion.

Scrap Silver, just not exciting… The gold industry has seen huge input from the relatively new Scrap Gold market, powered mainly by private sales of recycled jewellery as people look to take advantage of a well-publicised gold high and free up some much needed cash in a tough economy. Scrap Silver on the other hand hasn’t seen such exciting activity, people just aren’t inspired by the low value of silver to go routing through their cupboards and draws for old silver! And so silver, has become a more use once and throw away metal, especially in industrial applications where silver is often used for minor components and connections.

But the two ultimate factors influencing the future silver fore will be the gold price and the strength of the US dollar – A slowdown in the strengthening rate of the dollar is the trigger for surge of investment in the commodities markets, but with gold already sitting near its all-time high, many potential low level investors, who combined are a sizable market force, will look to a similar alternative with potential to grow, silver will most probably be the primary choice.

So thoughts on the silver price as we head towards 2011 are positive, over the next three years the generally thinking is silver will make huge gains – but will it match those of gold in recent years?

If you’ve been inspired by this article to invest in silver you might want to now take a look at our 1kg Silver Bullion and 5kg silver bullion bars, you can buy silver bullion or buy gold bullion safe and secure online direct from the Gold Bullion Company or call 0121 523 1047 and order by phone.

Modern numismatics study coins from the 17th century to modern day while the study of older coins is considered archaeological numismatics.

Many numismatic coin collectors and dealers preside over collections worth a great deal and comprise of many hundreds of coins, often such collections can be found on public display.

Many countries have established numismatic societies, such as the Royal Numismatic Society formed in London in 1836 and the American Numismatic Society founded in 1858.

The coin above is considered the most prized and collectable US coin, the 1943 Copper Penny. Issued in very limited numbers during the Second World War, the Copper Penny was struck from a heavily rationed bronze copper alloy, unlike the common penny at the time which was made from a brass and steel alloy.

The Gold Bullion Company is actively looking to form business relationships with Numismatic Gold Coin collectors to enhance and extend our rare and sought after gold coin and collectable coin sets range of coins.  We offer personal buying and selling services to coin dealers and collectors looking to obtain or liquidate their stock.

If you would like to Buy Gold Bullion, have Gold Bullion to sell, to discuss your coin collection or to enquire about our current coin stock, contact The Gold Bullion Company directly on 0121 523 1047 to discuss your requirements further.

It seems everything now has to have a digital spin in the modern world where our everyday lives are flooded with technology. Digital Gold Currency (DGC) is a private monetary system independent from any government, based on a the physical measure of gold value, normally quoted in troy ounces.

The currency is a none physical gold asset issued by several companies, including e-Gold and Gold Money for transmitting between account holders.

The main advantage of Digital Gold Currency is cross border financial transactions, in theory, digital gold transcends territorial borders, independent of local currency exchange rates and duties.

Digital Gold Currency accounts and held credit, just like physical gold and currency are susceptible to fluctuations in value relative to the current market value - Your transaction value can literally sell or deflate while in transit to the recipient!

Most Digital Gold Currency Companies operate a physical gold backed guarantee, covering their exposed capitol with gold stored in a secure location, many will publicise a 100% physical gold backed guarantee.

There are several legal implications to the business practises of many Digital Gold Currency operators, the US Government is currently pursuing several companies on charges relating to unlicensed money transactions. Of all the Digital Gold Currency companies currently operating, only one, Gold Money, is regulated by the Financial Regulatory Authority.

If you're looking to make an investment in gold, nothing delivers more satisfaction or security than owning physical gold. The Gold Bullion Co. offer a wide range of gold bullion stock ranging from gold sovereign coins to 1kg gold bars! With investment opportunities available for every investor anyone can buy gold online.

VAT is part of everyday life in the UK, but why isn't it charged on Gold?

In the UK the majority of goods and services are subject to the standardVAT  rate of 17.5% (temporarily cut to 15% between 1 December 2008 and 31 December 2009). Certain items are subject to a reduced rate of 5%, while other items such as gold are totally VAT exempt. However, this hasn’t always been the case. Prior to 1 January 2000, gold sales in the UK were taxed at the standard rate or VAT...

Unfortunately, throughout the European Union, the VAT treatment of gold varied widely. This led to distortion of competition. The UK was at a particular disadvantage since in several Member States gold was either exempt or taxed at a very low rate. Consequently, it was felt desirable to introduce a single system for the VAT treatment of gold throughout the EU. The introduction of the exemption meant that for VAT purposes, gold would be placed on the same footing as other investments, such as stocks and shares.

This exemption became law in The VAT Act 1994. The act also stated that certain gold coins should be included in the exemption. This is because a number of coins are bought not for their rarity or numismatic interest but for their value as gold bullion – and therefore, it would be inconsistent not to include them.

A list of qualifying gold coins is published by the European Commission in December each year to ensure consistency across the EU. The UK duplicates this in Notice 701/21A, alongside an additional list of gold coins accepted by the UK as qualifying for exemption.

I'd like to buy VAT free gold bullion online.

Ever wondered what is the largest gold nugget ever found?

The world’s largest gold nugget, discovered in 1869 is commonly known as the ‘Welcome Stranger’.

Meaning 610mm x 310mm it weighed some 72KG (2315.5 troy ounces) and was eventually refined to a weight of 2283 ounces – Raw gold from the earth consists of around 22 carat purity. Refining the gold into pure 24 carat removes the excess imperfect alloy make-up.

The nugget was discovered near the historical town of Moliagul, in the Australian territory of Victoria.  At the time of the discovery, by John Deason and Richard Oates both gold miners originating from Cornwall, England, the nugget which lay just a few inches below the surface of the earth in loose soil - was valued at just over £9000, a considerable fortune in the late nineteen century.

Should a similar find be discovered today, the nugget would be worth around £1.4 million!

Want to invest in your own gold nugget?  Buy Gold Bullion from the Gold Bullion Co.