Each Royal Mint coins is Capital Gains Tax Free (CGT), meaning that you'll not pay any tax on any profits once you come to sell your investment bullion coins. For further information or to buy online now with your debit card, credit card or electronic bank transfer, click the view and buy button on the products below.

Looking for other Capital Gains Tax Free Royal Mint coins? Take a look at our Sovereign, Half Sovereign and Britannia Coin categories.

For the latest information regarding our processing and delivery times, please see our service update.

Thank you for your continued business.

Paul Marcus
Managing Director, The Gold Bullion Company

Due to unprecedented demand we are currently unable to guarantee next day and 1 - 2 delivery lead times for customer orders of physical gold and silver bars and coins. The recent drop in the gold and silver price has led to an exceptional increase in demand for physical gold and silver bullion products, from an afternoon gold fix of £1,028.81 last Monday, the gold price has today dropped to a spot price low of £877.00 per troy ounce - Private physical bullion investors have surged at the opportunity to purchase at the two year low.

We anticipate the majority of orders will be dispatched on time but would take this opportunity to alert customers to the current situation, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your custom.

Please be assured, your order will be delivered to you as soon as possible.

For further information regarding Royal Mail Special Delivery services in your area, please visit the Royal Mail wintery weather status update page at www.royalmail.com/customer-service/service-updates.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience these delays may cause and will return to normal service as soon as possible.

Following last minute talks between President Obama’s Democratic Party and the republicans on New Year’s Eve, some democrats have proposed a plan to mint a one trillion dollar platinum coin to ease pressure to-close-for-comfort debt ceiling limit.

Sounding more like the storey line to an episode of the Simpsons or a jackpot headline in a Las Vegas Casino, the move has produced a stern and immediate response from Republicans, with a bill already in progress to block the ‘minting’ of such ‘coin’. Conceded as a gimmick by most democrats and Republicans alike, the move exploits a loophole that is essentially quantitative easing without the flow of cash out into the wider economy, the coin would simply be moved to the Federal Reserve as a sale of asset with the proceeds – a trillion dollars – being added to the US treasury bottom line.

Should the US Fed actually move to produce a physical version of the coin, just how much would a trillion dollar platinum coin weight if it were to represent a true metal content value? Based on the current platinum price of $51,151.83 per kilogram (Wednesday 9th January 2013 @ 17:00) the coin would weigh a total of 19.4 metric tons or 623,734 troy ounces! That’s no small change!

If you feel the latest round of US economic calamity can only be good for the gold price throughout 2013 then our Gold Britannia coins, both VAT and Capital Gains tax free could be the perfect investment to hedge against the continued uncertainties in Uncle Sam’s wallet!

Ready to start your own gold store? We stock a full range of gold bar and coins from 1 gram to 1kilogram - Buy Gold Online.

As a driving force for the commodities bull market for the last decade, it’s predicted China’s current focus on gold could boost prices. The World Gold Council says China’s gold demand has risen 27% a year since 2007, while it’s share of world demand has doubled from 10% to 21%. And yet, analysts remark, evidence of Chinese stamped gold bars is rare. The attitude, reported by Dominic Frisby at www.moneyweek.com is that China is not exporting, but hoarding its gold.

Earlier this month, while speaking at the London Bullion Market Association’s annual precious metals conference in Hong Kong, Xie Duo, Director General of the Financial Markets Department at the People’s Bank of China, said, “the central bank’s policy is to encourage residents to hold physical gold.”

Duo revealed how China set out a ‘Three Transformations Strategy’, in 2004, to turn itself into a major gold player. The strategy was clearly an effective one; Duo said the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) is now the world’s number one spot and physical gold trading centre, while it’s futures exchange is fourth in the world, behind New York, Tokyo and Mumbai. Its Chairman and President Wang Zhe revealed grand plans for the SGE, “As the domestic market matures and opens up, the exchange will launch over-the-counter trading, gold ETFs, Friday night trading and improve the leasing market.”

For many, the turning point in China’s gold fortunes came in earnest with the Three Transformations Strategy in 2004. At that time, the World Official Gold Holdings listed China as 10th globally, with 600 tonnes or a 1.6% share in gold of total foreign reserves. By November 2012, China had jumped to sixth, with 1.054 tonnes or a 1.8% share. The United States tops the chart with 8133.5 tonnes or 76.6% of reserves.

Dominic Frisby at www.moneyweek.com, says the interesting point about China’s position on gold is that, “unlike the countries above it, China’s gold holdings make up such a small part of its foreign exchange reserves. If it were to balance its portfolio up to 10% of its reserves, it would have to quintuple its holdings, assuming no other currency sales. That would mean buying more than Germany’s entire stock. That’s got to be incredibly bullish for the gold price. No wonder they’re buying surreptitiously.”

The impact China’s slow and steady approach to gold will have on the market is yet to be fully felt, but with the weight of one of the world’s most formidable economic powerhouses behind it, the outlook for gold is strong.

Will they, won't they? As the US Federal Reserve meet on Thursday to discuss options to stimulate the US economy, the signals suggest that top of the to-do list will be a third round of quantitative easing - Historically, QE means a surge for the gold price!

Barclays, UBS and JP Morgan have all this week indicated they expect the Federal Reserve to announce more financial stimulus for US economy and are keeping ears open to the Washington meeting this Thursday. Head of the US Fed, Ben Bernanke AKA Helicopter Ben is expected to take what many consider a 'none satisfactory option' to attempt to alleviate the struggling US economy from the continued barrage of less than impressive economic data. Analysts and commentators suggest QE3 is already a 'done deal' following clear signs from Ben Bernanke during a speech in Wyoming last month. 

So how much of an impact could a third round of quantitative easing have on the gold price? The first round of QE, announced late November 2008 came as the global economic crisis began to take hold. The second round, in November 2010 arrived as a reaction to the US Fed's concern over deflation. Following the announcement of the second round of QE in November 2010 the Gold Price rallied more than $45 per ounce in one day, to put that in perspective, back in 1971 you could buy a whole ounce for $45!

We believe a new announcement tomorrow will push the gold price north, just how far will be seen in the coming weeks. We've stocked and prepared in anticipation of a strong surge in demand throughout September. We have good stock of all gold bullion bar and coin products with a range of new items arriving in the next few days.

Most investors see funds as the most straight forward investment route. This allows an investor to buy into a fund that in turn invests in physical 400 ounce gold bullion bars. Such funds are normally operated by independent managers within the exchange-traded fund sector. According to investorschronicle.co.uk, there is more than £81.06 billion invested in these trackers annually.

The benefits of a fund are that it allows the investor relative freedom; they are not responsible for storage insurance and are able to trade quickly and often online. But such freedom comes at a cost. Funds are not the cheapest option, with the average total expense ratio estimated between 0.25 and 0.40 percent of the value of the fund’s assets.

For those wishing to get their hands on real gold, without the responsibility of security, allocated storage providers are proving increasingly popular. As newcomers to the gold market, these companies offer “allocated” and secure storage at, usually, less than 0.20 percent of the value per year. Investors are also required to pay dealing costs, which start at around 0.80 percent of the gold’s value, and drop significantly as value increases. Security of the investment is assured as the company inspects the physical gold storage on a daily basis and investors are able to arrange next day delivery of their gold bars, if required.

Another choice for investors wishing to break into the precious metal market, or simply invest smaller amounts, is to buy coins. The Gold Bullion Company sells gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion, as well as coins, such as sovereigns and krugerrands. Coins can be bought online and are delivered next day via a fully insured courier service. Investors are usually able to store their coins safely at home and increase their investment quantities as desired.

The Gold Bullion Company can advise customers on the best gold coins for investment based on scarcity and numismatic value. For example, The Gold Bullion Company advises anyone wishing to invest in British sovereigns to look to the Edward VII Gold Sovereign, weighing 7.98 grams of 22 carat gold and issued from 1902-1910, or the Victoria Young Head Shield Sovereign. The US $20 Liberty ‘Double Eagle’, was designed by James B. Longacre and features Liberty’s head encircled by thirteen stars on its face. The back depicts a wreath encircling the date and value of the coin and the inscription ‘United States of America.’ The coin carries a purity of 90%, being made up of .900 gold and .100 copper and is currently trading at around twenty times its face value. To buy gold coins from The Gold Bullion Company, visit www.thegoldbullion.co.uk.

Banking is based on trust, recent years have demonstrated that banks and financial intuitions are not infallible; they can and do fail - in spectacular fashion! But it’s no longer a simple case of economic downturn and bad decision.

As the spotlight has been firmly fixed on the global banking fraternity, each week brings news of new and even more concerning corruption and scandal involving some of the worlds most trusted names… Once household names, many of our banking institutions are now considered almost blasphemous!

The consumer trust has eroded; banks will put themselves first and consider the implication their decisions have on your money later!

Buying gold provides consumers with an opportunity to side step the calamitous banking institutions and affords customers the opportunity to really take their financial stability in to their own hands.

The Gold Bullion Company hold a wide range of gold bullion bars and coins from refineries and mints around the world, specifically selected for investors and each delivered complete with a full certificate of authenticity to guarantee both the weight and purity of your investment, our range of bars, starting from just 1g cater to every budget.

Are you new to buying gold? View our top selling gold bars last month to discover what others are buying.

The silver to gold price ratio has seen huge variations over the years, from as little as 15/1 to as high as 93/1 in the early 90's. Historically the price ratio of the two precious metals have moved in tandem, albeit at a staggered ratio. But, with that ratio currently hovering around 54.47, the pressure is now on to see which metal will move to close the gap – Do the recent gains in the silver price suggest it may be time to buy silver?

A recent report from RapidTrends stated, “The clear lesson from history is that we can expect silver to drop faster than gold during a recession, and silver will rise faster than gold during a bull market in the metals. The simple application of this observation is to trade silver for gold in the middle of a recession, when a bull market in gold and silver is about to start, and to trade gold for silver at the top of a bull market in precious metals.”

See more historic Silver Price charts at www.goldprice.org/gold-silver-ratio.html.

But surely, it is supply, not demand, which will have the biggest long-term impact on the ratio? While Jefferson Lab reports that silver is almost 19 times more abundant in the Earth’s crust than gold, a contribution to Seeking Alpha, suggests it is reserves and production which are more likely to give us a clearer indication of physical availability. According to US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2011 reserves and production for silver was respectively ten and nine times as abundant than gold.

In spite of silver’s availability, demand for gold, as always, holds strong. “Demand for gold is very strong, especially at the investment level.” reported RapidTrends. “Reports of shortages of coins and small bars have come in from all over the globe. Several Mints have stopped taking orders and other mints are working overtime to fill orders. Dealers are paying a premium over bullion value in order to replace stock they sold earlier.”

To check live prices for gold and silver, and to buy gold or silver bullion or coins, visit our live silver price and live gold price charts. The Gold Bullion Company hold good stock of investment grade 1kg and 5 Kilogram Silver Bars available to purchase direct online.

Physical, ETF’s, leveraged futures, allocated, unallocated – All forms of investments associated with the gold bullion market, but what do they mean and which will deliver the best balance of performance and security?

If we look to current business and finance news stories, two of the biggest names on the markets in recent months are Apple and Facebook. Apple have been newly heralded as the worlds ‘richest’ company while Facebook have charted a new voyage into the world of stock market floatation, an adventure that has seen their share value spiral more than 50%, from its May 2012 launch price of $38 a share to a new low of just under $19.

To fully understand the mechanics behind each company’s business model – and this is by no means a definitive business analysis, but simply casually observing each company from a layman’s point of view, these two companies fit two very distinct categories…

The rock… Apple Inc. in the main produce physical, touchable tangible products in the form of iPhones, iPads and personal computers – physical goods made from desirable, irresistible contoured metal and glass, utilizing the latest technologies and cutting edge design to produce weighty, solid and functional end products.

The paper… On the flip side, Facebook value their business purely on numbers – How many people have/are/will sign up to their service… A non-physical, fickle entity that is regarded neither as a saleable product nor fixed asset.

Facebook’s business is based entirely on a database, a computer reporting numbers of electronic communications in the ethernet, it’s not physical, it could disappear, become unavailable, non-existent without a moments notice… and that’s the difference between holding something that exists in the material world and something that exists on a server somewhere in the Arizona desert – Control.

Gold, silver platinum and palladium based electronically traded investments are only as stable as the company behind the platform.

The past four years have clearly demonstrated that banks and financial institutions are not infallible and will always consider themselves before their customers. If your ETF issuer goes bump tomorrow, where do you turn to recover your investment?

Sure your physical kilogram gold bar will cost a fraction of a percentage more to buy, but once you have that metal in hand, you own it, and only you have the right to access, transport or liquidate your investment. You are free from legislation, policy and uncertainty.

Owing physical gold is fundamentally about stability, security and reliability – having the freedom to trade your investment across borders without limitation. You own your gold, you exercise absolute control over your gold.

We believe physically owning gold is the before form of precious metal investment, our thousands of customers agree.

“Economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and the uncertainty of the U.S. November elections are theoretically gold-bullish.” The report suggests, despite its current stall, gold prices should begin to increase by the end of the year, “when U.S. growth is poor and the dollar is weak. We expect prices to rally to above $1,900/oz by the end of the year. Patience is the most important commodity.” said Commodities Analysts at HSBC.

CNBC says the report predicts gold should retain its value as banks attempt to support their economic systems with quantitative easing. “The big four central banks have printed around $9 trillion during the current crisis, roughly equivalent to the total value of gold ever mined...(but) despite this long-standing pedigree as a safe haven, gold has noticeably failed to rally in the present economic turmoil.”

Unstable global currencies coupled with the euro-zone crisis are largely blamed for invoking a “contradictory dynamic” in investors’ reaction and perception of gold. “However, we retain our bullish view on gold for the second half of 2012, buoyed by official sector demand and our expectations of the U.S. dollar weakness as the market becomes more fixated on the currency’s value as the U.S. fiscal cliff story gains greater traction.”

For private investors looking to hedge against another banking crisis or to maximise the potential of the predicted gold price move, physical gold bars make the perfect portable, safe and secure investment.

August’s most active gold contract on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange settled at $1,582.80, down 0.58% for the week, while September silver settled at $27.302 an ounce, down 0.25% on the week.

Of 22 respondents to the Kitco gold survey, 10 participants see prices up, six see figures down, while six are neutral. The survey, of bullion dealers, investment banks, futures traders, money managers and technical-chart analysts, reveals a non-commital attitude amongst market watchers towards precious metals for the next week.

While some analysts suggest the annual summer slump will see gold hold in its current range on the live gold price chart, averaging strong support at $1,525, there are others who indicate external influences could see gold push the upside of its current trading range.

“We likely favour the upside in gold over the very short term,” Edward Muir Commodities Consultant at INTL FCStone, told Kitco News. “If for no other reason than the fact that the strength in grains and oil should lead to generally more buying in commodity indices, which in turn should benefit relative laggards like precious and base metals.”

With much of the American Midwest gripped by drought and high temperatures, the U.S grain markets, in particular the Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures, have been feeling the pressure. Prices have been pushed to all-time highs; corn futures are up roughly 48%, soybean futures up about 35% since mid-June, leaving some market watchers nervous of a return to the food inflation and crisis of 2008.

Although there has not yet been any mention of trade restrictions, market commentators are still concerned for the impact on a stagnant economy. “On the growth front, we’re worried about the global impact of the sudden, substantial and ongoing increases in soft commodity prices,” suggested Nomura analysts to Kitco News. “This may take a few months to feed through but comes at a particularly unwelcome time as global manufacturing, capex (capital expenditures) and jobs growth are slowing.”

Others believe the live gold price chart will see gold withstand the pressure. “The grains are a beast of their own with the weather,” said Bob Haberkorn, Senior Commodities Broker with the RJO Futures.

Thousands of athletes from 204 countries around d the world have converged in the East of London with one goal in mind, to put month of dedication, focus and training into one moment of perfection and achieve the ultimate award, the coveted podium moment and the gold medal!

As the energetic and athletic top percenters of the world give it their all, we’re going to take a look at the true value of their reward, just how much is a gold medal actually worth?

Each of the 4,700 gold, silver and bronze medals has been expertly crafted by the Royal Mint in South Wales. Each gold medal measures 85mm in diameter with a thickness of 8mm and an overall weight of 412 grams. The 2012 medals are the largest and heaviest of any produced to date.

Leaving the sentimental and sporting memorabilia values aside, the value of each gold medal boils down to two precious metals, silver and gold… Regulations specify that each medal must contain a minimum of 6 gram of fine gold, considering the overall weight of 412 grams, that makes just 1.46% actual gold! 92.5% is fine silver and the remaining 6.04% copper.

To calculate the true metal values on the evening of the opening ceremony, we’ll use the PM London fix of £1,026.87 troy ounce for gold and £17.71 per troy ounce (31.1034768 gram) for silver.

As a cast of thousands presented London and all that is British to the world, on the open market, based purely on the fine metal value, each gold medal was worth £415.79! Will Mr Bolt be searching for Scrap Gold dealers come the closing ceremony? We doubt it, besides… he’ll have to win one first!

Winners will be drawn at random by an independant adjudicator at 12pm each Friday throughout June. Winners will be notified within two hours of the draw by email, winners names will also be posted on our Facebook page and in the table below...

Each 2012 Silver Britannia coin is produced by the Royal Mint and contains one full troy ounce of fine silver and measures 40mm in diameter, with a 3.1mm thickness.

Winners will receive their coin within 14 days. Please note, there is no cash alternative and winners must provide their delivery details within 28 days of the competition draw.

1. 2012 Gold Sovereign Coin
2. 1oz Gold Krugerrand Coin
3. King George V Gold Sovereign Coin
4. King George VII Gold Sovereign
5. 2012 Silver Britannia
6. 1oz Silver Bar (Scottsdale replacement)
7. 100g Silver Bar
8. Silver Threepence 50% Gold (10 Pack)
9. 2.5 gram Gold Bar
10. 1oz Umicore Gold Bar

 For a full list of products see Gold Bars and Silver Bars.

Gold weights are formally accepted by bullion markets in kilograms, grams, toy ounces, tolas and taels. The largest bullion bars, known as ‘Good Delivery Bars’ weight 12.5 kilograms, the smallest standardised bars being 5 tolas.

Understanding troy ounces (oz t) – At 31.1034768 grams, a troy ounce is marginally heavier than a standard ounce, as commonly used in cooking and domestic applications. The troy ounce derives from the imperial troy weights system, much of which is based on the Roman Monetary System. The troy ounce was officially defined as the standard measure for coinage in 1527.

Tolas and Taels – A Tolas is the equivalent of 11.6638038 grams and is commonly used in Arab State Gold Markets, acceptable weights for gold bars using the system are 5 and 10 tolas.

Taels are commonly used in the Far East where traditionally the weight of a tael varied widely between different regions until standardisation set the agreed weight equivalent to 50 grams. In Hong Kong and Singapore the Tael continues to be a legal weight measure, while Taiwan still use taels as a measure for precious metals. In other areas, including China and Vietnam, the tael is commonly used as a measure for food.

We stock a range of accepted bullion market gold bars ranging from a 1 gram gold bar up to 1 kilogram investment bars.

Coins manufactured by minting houses around the world, such as the Royal Mint in the UK are designed and struck to very high standards to ensure precise size and weight consistency for every coin produced, maintaining an exact replication for every coin in a production batch (that may run to several million coins) is vital.

Each coin is produced, or minted, from a flat sheet of source metal, such as gold and silver. The coin is stamped from the sheet by two dies coming together under great pressure. Each of these two dies is engraved with a mirror image of the reverse and obverse coin design, as the dies come together the carefully measured pressure applied to the stamps imprints the design to each side of the coin.

As the coins are produced they are check and verified using computer control optical technology to verify each coin meets the strict mint standards.

The coins are at this point regarded as uncirculated; they are fresh from the mint and free from any wear which can occur from everyday handling. Any marks or scuffs on the coins (sometimes called ‘bag-scuffs’) are a result of the manufacture and storage process only. Increasingly more commonly, high value coins such as Gold Sovereigns are now packaged into vacuum seal plastic pockets to protect them from any such wear. Proof coins can be distinguished from their standard production counterparts by their more defined edges, crisper profile and highly polished appearance.

The manufacture process is significantly more considered, dedicated dies are used to punch the coins, with each die striking the coin several times to ensure the perfect transfer of each contour. Raised features on each die are treated with an acidic coating to give a frosted matt finish on the raised coin features while flat background areas on the die are highly polished to give a clean mirror finish, this process of high contrast features gives the coin very striking appearance known as a cameo finish. Proof coins will undergo close manual inspection to ensure the highest standards for the finished product. Proof coins are regarded for their superior quality finish; generally fetch a higher premium, proof coins are often packaged in a tailored higher quality case to enhance their appeal (and justify the price premium).

For an investor, proof coins represent a vanity that cannot realistically be justified by their intrinsic value. Proof coins carry such high premiums over their mass production cousins that any movement in the precious metals price would need to be significant just to break even! Essentially, in years to come the coin will most probably be valued by its metal purity and weight – not the ornate carved wooden box it came in!

Discover more in our gold coin buyers guide.

Weel 2 (15/02/2012) Winner: Andrew Hindley

Weel 3 (22/02/2012) Winner: Mike Parker

Weel 4 (29/02/2012) Winner: Cyrus Semmence

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 within 28 days.

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.

Delivery available to UK addresses ONLY.

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.

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.

This week, the managing director of American Precious Metals Advisors suggested that Gold Prices could reach as much as $1,500 per ounce next year.

He believes that despite the recent correction, the four pillars of gold-price strength remain intact.

1. Inflation-fueling U.S. monetary and fiscal policies.
2. Central bank reserve diversification with the official sector being a purchaser rather than a supplier of gold.
3.  Expanding retail and institutional investor participation in the United States, China, and around the world.
4. Declining world gold-mine production.

Ted Scott, the director of UK strategy at F&C Investments has also said “The only way that gold can underperform is if the US and other developed economies recover in a conventional way by cutting spending and raising taxes while at the same time embarking on a period of stable economic growth.”

Given the significant challenges ahead, a muted and fragile recovery appears more likely. It will probably take several more years to recover from the credit crunch and alternative assets like gold will remain attractive in such an uncertain environment.

So why not take this opportunity to make a purchase from the Gold Bullion Company?

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 Gold VAT free gold bullion online.

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.