Gold & Silver Bullion Coin Types: An Investors Guide
Synopsis
We offer 4 main categories of "bullion" coins for investment - the latest year, secondary market, minty, and Grade C coins. Dive into this guide to make informed choices that align perfectly with your investment goals.
Why Offer Different Types?
The easiest operational option would be to offer two types - pre-owned coins and latest year coins to our customers. This would not be the best option for many as bullion coins vary in appearance and quality. Treating some of the newer or better-quality coins as our lowest priced option could degrade their appearance and we know for some customers having a nice coin is important to them. Customer expectations are also important and those buying newer coins expect the quality of the coins to be higher than, for example, a secondary market our choice Queen Victoria bullion sovereign.
We use the different bullion types and sort our coins according to quality and appearance. Customers are then able to choose the product that best suits their investment needs and tastes.
Brand New Vs Pre-Owned
Bullion coins can be brand new or pre-owned depending on the source. If the source is a mint and the coins supplied straight off a production line they can be regarded as brand new. If a supplier, a company or a member of the public were to buy these and then sell them to us then they become pre-owned.
Most customers have the view that a pre-owned coin is one previously owned by a member of the public but companies and suppliers can be customers holding stock as an investment over time. For example, we may buy a 2015 coin from a supplier that has never been in the hands of the public - would you regard this coin as new or pre-owned?
Whether a bullion coin is brand new or pre-owned does not always correlate with coin quality and appearance. We have seen coins direct from mints which are not perfect as one might expect. On the other hand, a retail investor might buy a tube of gold coins as an investment, never open them and find in 10 years they are in perfect, mint-like condition. Another example of pre-owned coins in mint condition are customers who opt for storage here at Chards when they buy brand new stock. They never take receipt of their items and when the coins are sold back to us they move in the sealed tubes from one shelf to another remaining sealed and in mint condition.
Bullion Types
Latest Year Releases
Our latest-year bullion coins are sourced from a variety of our esteemed partners, including The Royal Mint, The Rand Refinery, Perth Mint, and others. These new releases encompass the most sought-after world bullion, such as Britannias, sovereigns, Krugerrands, and more. We will maintain regular stock availability throughout the year and we recommend for you to check our latest releases page to keep up with the new and upcoming releases.
Additionally, some of the coins or bullion bars may be available for pre-order. This means that you can place an order today and receive regular updates from our team until they are safely delivered to you. These are the most expensive/highest premium, but they will be in mint condition, which some investors believe to be important, and are usually readily available.
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Minty Condition Coins
Investors should expect no difference in the quality of minty coins as they remain in near mint condition (sometimes in the original packaging). Newly minted coins had usually been issued in the last 5 years whereas our new product includes backdated coins that remain in great condition.
Two of our most popular 'mint condition' gold bullion coin ranges include our 1-ounce Britannia minty bullion coins and our gold sovereign minty bullion coins. Both of these options make excellent additions to your investment portfolio, as they are exempt from Capital Gains Tax (CGT). To accommodate larger investments in our mint condition coins, we offer CGT-free investment bundles that include both of the UK's favourite bullion coins: Sovereign and Britannia coins in a single bundle, both of which are exempt from Capital Gains Tax for UK investors.
We wish to remind customers that this bullion option is cheaper than the respective latest year of coin and therefore may take longer to source. On a daily basis we look to buy from our suppliers which are a mix of mints, bullion dealers, companies and private investors to source these products for you in the fastest time possible. Should you wish for a faster delivery, please choose the latest year of coin.
Please note that even mint condition does not necessarily indicate perfection. Those wanting perfection should consider buying proof sovereigns, but these are issued at considerably higher premiums, and should not be considered a gold bullion investment.
We have the following minty products available to buy:
Secondary Market Coins
Secondary Market bullion coins are best described as 'pre-owned best value,' making them the ideal choice for investors seeking the best value in bullion. It's important to note that our secondary market coin selections are curated based on our choice, which means you could receive a coin from any specific date.
These coins represent our most affordable option in terms of price and premium for bullion sovereigns. While many of them have likely been in circulation, some may include more recent pieces that are not in 'mint' condition. We actively acquire these items on a daily basis from a diverse range of suppliers, including mints, bullion dealers, companies, and private investors More information on this can be found on our Secondary Market Gold article.
For investors seeking the most cost-effective means of investing in gold sovereign coins, there's no need to look further than our best-value gold sovereign range.
We have the following secondary market coins available to buy:
Other Bullion Types
Grade C
If you are looking to buy silver and gold with low premiums over spot then we would recommend our Grade C coins. Grade C coins can be best described as the lowest acceptable grade for coins accepted as bullion coins, and they are likely to exhibit wear and may have scratches.
We would recommend purchasing Grade C coins if you are perhaps needing the gold to melt down or you would like to mount the coin in jewellery. Although they will carry lower premiums over their precious metal content than their bullion counterparts, we may offer a lower price for you to sell them back. That said, we would recommend purchasing our best value bullion coins for investment purposes.
We offer these coins at a slightly higher price than their intrinsic metal value. You can find more information in our 'What is Grade C?' guide, which compares the typical bullion grade to Grade C, and provides additional details on our buyback prices and the types of Grade C coins available for sale.
Specific Reigns or Designs
Some of our customers want to specify which reign or type of bullion sovereign they buy, and we charge extra to provide this service. We do not recommend these for most normal bullion investments as this is more of a numismatic enquiry.
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