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The World of British Silver Coins

The story of silver coins charts the ups and downs of UK history, from the Middle Ages right the way through to the 1940s, when silver was effectively phased out of actively-used coinage. One thing you might not be aware of is the varying purities of the different types of silver coins in your possession. Depending on when your coin was minted, you could expect to sell your coins and fetch a completely different value. 

A matter of purity 

In the Middle Ages, original English silver coins often carried the highest purity available, known as fine silver. However, the coins suffered from easy wear and tear, prompting the authorities to start minting silver coins with a slightly less than pure content using harder alloys. Copper was often added at 7.5 per cent, with some of the purest silver coins going forward being 92.5 per cent silver for much of English and UK history. 

However, if you happen to find UK-based silver coinage from days gone by, it’s more likely to have been minted closer to the 20th century, which is when the currency underwent a radical overhaul. That’s because any silver coins minted up until 1920 retained that 92.5 per cent purity. As world wars, economic depressions and other factors weighed on the British economy, the content of coinage was debased towards cheaper metals instead. 

As a result, coins minted between 1920 and 1946 saw silver content reduced dramatically to 50 per cent. The remaining half of the coin’s content was often consisting of manganese and traces of other cheaper metals, which often causes old coins to darken in colour over time. Such a move has a significant impact on the valuation you can expect to gain from your coin, and lower silver content has a dramatic impact on its appearance relative to more pure-silver ones. 

Shimmering silver coins 

By 1947, silver coinage had well and truly had its day, being phased out of use almost altogether. While the average silvery coin in your wallet might give the appearance of true silver once more, it’s more likely a trick of the eye: nickel-plated steel is the go-to in more recent times, giving coins the look of silver but with metals that are far more resilient to wear than purer silver. Modern coinage might look like the real thing, but its value is far lower and better use to you as spending money. 

UK Scrap Gold has its very own Scrap Silver Calculator, which allows you to ascertain how much a typical silver coin could potentially be worth. With silver yielding 44p per gram at .925 (92.5 per cent purity), you might need a fair few coins to generate the kind of money you would expect from a smaller haul of a more valuable precious metal like gold. 

The date your silver coin was minted will have a significant impact on its purity, especially if you’re having to determine whether it was pre-1920 or not. UK Scrap Gold are specialists in all things related to precious metals, and we would be happy to help assess your coins to make sure they’re the genuine article. Give us a call today on 01902 623 254. 

The Flip Side of Selling Gold Coins

In an age of digital transactions, going paperless and having fewer reasons to spend actual cash, you might wonder what coins have left going for them. Gold coins, you’ll be interested to know, can crop up in the most unexpected of places. We know for a fact that you can attract a respectable price if you wish to sell gold in your possession.

Victorian Gold Sovereigns  

Gold coinage might sound like an archaic form of exchange calling back to an older time, but really, these items hark back more to a golden age if anything. Just 150 years ago, Gold Sovereigns were commonly used forms of currency in the UK, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria herself, one of the country’s longest-reigning monarchs. 

Her lengthy reign and the production of various designs of Gold Sovereigns during this time means Queen Victoria has a wider variety of Sovereign coins struck in her likeness than any British monarch before or since. Gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns contain gold to the value of roughly £300 and £150 at today’s prices. Depending on the design, the date it was minted, rarity and condition, specific coins may be of interest to historians, numismatists or gold coin enthusiasts and hold much greater value. 

For example, during Queen Victoria’s long reign, several versions of her likeness were used on her coins. The ‘Young Head’, for the early part of her reign, the ‘Jubilee Head’ covering the period from 1887 to 1893, and the ‘Old Head’ or ‘Veiled Head’, with Queen Victoria depicted in mourning following the death of her husband. The iconic St George and The Dragon design for Sovereigns was also replaced by a shield design at various times during Queen Victoria’s reign. 

Gold coins by type 

Gold Sovereigns aren’t the only types of coins you might find as old heirlooms, or as part of pieces of jewellery. The UK is a popular producer of such coins, including the Britannia, depicting the British emblem herself. The 1oz of pure gold contained in a Britannia coin is currently worth more than £1,200. This means, if you are lucky enough to find some of these coins in your possession, you could be sitting on a small fortune.  

South African Krugerrand gold coins are another form of coin to watch out for, first minted from 1967 onwards as a means of allowing for private ownership of gold. Between the 1970s and 1980s, at the height of the apartheid era, import of such coins from South Africa was prohibited in many countries. However, following relaxation of these regulations, the Krugerrand went on to become the most widely held 1oz gold bullion coin on Earth. 

There are a finite number of gold coins which are now prized heirlooms or incorporated in items of jewellery, such as Sovereign pendants or rings, lying in homes all over the country. As there is such demand from the buyer side from the likes of gold coin enthusiasts, historians and other gold-related buyers, prices can be substantial, and give you a golden dividend, should you wish to sell with UK Scrap Gold today.  

Found a gold coin but want to get the experts to take a look at it? Give us a call on 01902 623 254 to make this happen today. 

Platinum and Palladium Can Outshine Gold and Silver

Whether it’s for use as wedding bands or in the design of catalytic converters, platinum and palladium are highly valuable precious metals, and yet they lack some of the attention given to gold and silver. This is somewhat odd, considering how much rarer the former two are, when compared to the latter pair. 

A valuable pairing 

Much of the world’s palladium and platinum wind up going into the manufacture of catalytic converters, but the rest often goes into the manufacture of popular items of jewellery such as wedding bands and other types of rings. It might be easy to mistake these two metals for one another or even forms of silver or gold, including white gold. 

However, they couldn’t be more different from each other. Platinum is 15 times rarer than gold, while palladium is 30 times less commonplace by comparison. This scarcity, when combined with the sheer demand for the metals for industrial purposes, helps propel them to significant valuations on the precious metals market. Palladium is especially valuable at present, sitting at a price point roughly twice the price it was in 2018. 

For this reason, it makes sense to get a good valuation for your item, if you wish to sell palladium or platinum today. You’ll be pleased to know UK Scrap Gold has a palladium and platinum scrap calculator which you can use for free at home. Simply assess your item’s weight and purity, feed it into the calculator and it will give an estimated value for your item, informing whether the price is right for you to sell. 

Outshining gold and silver 

Palladium and platinum are almost like lesser-considered cousins to gold and silver, far rarer than them but still incredibly valuable. They are highly durable, which makes them ideal metals for use in industry and jewellery, with a silver-like appearance but with far more worth hidden away. Precious metals come in many forms, and while gold and silver often take the top spots in most peoples’ minds, there are other options. 

UK Scrap Gold has facilitated sales in plenty of precious metals, including palladium and platinum. We know our white gold from these two metals on any day of the week, because we’re experts in all things precious metals-related. Selling is easily done, and when you’re sure you’re in a position to sell to us, all you have to do is complete this Seller’s Form. 

If palladium and platinum are playing on your mind, and you wish to know a bit more about them before even considering making a sale, it might help to talk to the experts first. If you do have any queries about palladium or platinum items, don’t hesitate to call us on 01902 623 254, and our team will be happy to help you in any way they can. 

Gold Could be Greener as Recycling Remains Popular

Gold may be known as the yellow metal, but did you know it could also be one of the greenest? That’s because, instead of sourcing gold from resource-intensive mining operations, we can ensure a more circular economy by recycling the gold we have. 

A golden circular loop 

If you know anything about gold, certainly in its purest forms, it can be soft and easily melted into different shapes. Mining for gold has always come at a price, not just in monetary terms, but in environmental ones too. Our quest for more of it has caught the eyes of consumers increasingly, prompting more of us to source gold in a greener way. 

The World Gold Council has concluded that a green revolution is upon us, as 28 per cent of the world’s gold supply as of 2020 was sourced from recycling. The move towards greener sources of gold enjoyed a bounce in 2020, as supply from recycling saw its share of total supply rise, despite a drop in overall supply by four per cent. 

This golden moment for recycled gold came as gold prices hit an all-time high in 2020, and evidence points to ‘green’ gold being more preferable than freshly-mined alternatives. A paper published in 2020 goes as far as to suggest that recycled gold is 300 times better for the planet than gold sourced through primary production. The choice is simple: stick to the more polluting mining sources, or embrace a greener, circular economy for gold. 

Gold comes first 

You only have to look to Japan as this summer’s Olympic hosts to see the value of recycling gold. The Japanese government came up with the ingenious idea of taking discarded smartphones and other technology, sifting through them for scrap gold and recycling it to make the Olympic medals for this year’s athletes. 

UK Scrap Gold sees the value in recycled gold, as it is a finite resource and demand is just so great for it. Any scrap gold item you have to sell could easily be melted down and reshaped into something entirely new for a wide array of potential buyers. Prices are attractive as they remain close to the all-time high established in the summer of 2020. 

For example, by selling to UK Scrap Gold, you could expect to make £15.13 from a single gram of 9-carat gold. Selling can be facilitated easily, simply by filling in our seller’s form. By requesting for your item to be picked up from your doorstep by Royal Mail, you can dodge the queues at the Post Office and track your parcel on its way to us. Search ‘Parcel Collect’ to access the Royal Mail collection service. 

Upon receipt of the item, we can assess its value and present you with an offer, but if you’d like to discuss selling or some other matter first, why not give us a call on 01902 623 254? 

Operational Update


Our offices will be closed from 3pm on Friday 30th July until 9am on Monday 9th August, to give our hard-working team a break after another very hectic period.  

We operate with a very small team and rather than rotating individuals onto annual leave and putting more pressure on the remaining staff members as a result, we have decided to close our offices for a full week so that everyone can get some much-needed rest and the opportunity to re-connect with family and friends as lockdown measures are now starting to ease. 

We have timed the closure to minimize disruption as much as possible. Whilst we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the holiday closure, the wellbeing of our staff members and our ability to continue to provide outstanding service to our customers in the months ahead are of great importance to us.  

As our offices will be unoccupied, please do not send items to us for delivery during the closure. Mail will not be delivered to us during this period and will be held in Royal Mail or courier depots until our return. 

Wishing all of our customers a peaceful and healthy summer. 

The Team at UKSCRAPGOLD

12th November 2020
As the latest Covid Lock-Down in England adds to the restrictions that are already in force, to varying degrees, in all parts of the United Kingdom, we wish to re-assure our customers that we are still open for business.

We have very strict protocols in place to keep our members of staff safe in the workplace and business continues, albeit not as usual.

We are still receiving packages sent to us by insured Royal Mail Special Delivery and for higher value sales we are able to make Covid-secure arrangements to receive personally delivered consignments, strictly by appointment only and subject to compliance with our protocols. Please call for details if you wish to visit us to sell items.

For clients that are self-isolating or unwilling to visit a Post Office, the new Royal Mail Collect service may be of interest. It is now possible to have insured Special Delivery parcels collected from your home or workplace by Royal Mail for a small additional fee. Visit Royal Mail Parcel Collect Service for details. (Select large letter or small parcel, depending on the weight of your items and select Special Delivery service with an insurance level that covers the contents.) We strongly recommend that a tamper-proof Royal Mail Special Delivery pouch is used when sending precious metals through the post. These pouches are available free of charge from a Post Office. If you are unable to access a Post Office to collect a pouch we will be happy to post a selling kit out to you, just give us a call.

The recent news that a Covid vaccine could be available in the near future seems to have given the Nation a glimmer of hope that 2021 could see the lifting of many of the restrictions that we are currently enduring. We all hope to see improvements in the situation which will allow as social a Christmas period as possible.

In the meantime, please follow the rules that apply to your particular area and Stay Safe.

The Team at UKSCRAPGOLD

Demand for Gold Coins Spikes During Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a literal goldmine in the last year for those with an interest in gold itself. Prices famously touched an all-time high in the summer, as COVID-19 cases mounted and the prospect of profound economic damage was weighing heavily on the financial decisions of millions worldwide. 

Physical markets squeezed 

One of the biggest observations we have made at UK Scrap Gold, beyond the clear rally in gold prices last year, was a noticeable squeeze in supply of gold coins. They come in all kinds of varieties: Gold Sovereigns, Krugerrands, Britannias and American Eagles, to name a few. As mints all over the world can agree, they simply can’t mint quick enough, as demand has clearly outpaced supply. 

The US Mint admitted earlier this year that sales of gold bullion coins had jumped 258 per cent in the past year, and this higher-than-expected demand across the gold coin markets has persisted in 2021. This all comes despite mass disruption of minting operations due to the pandemic. The effect is simple: unless large quantities of gold can be magically discovered in the next few months, gold coins will become harder to come by. 

This could have a profound impact on prices, and could potentially make last summer’s rally look like the taster of something far greater to come. In other words, it could be the perfect set of ingredients to convince anyone to consider selling gold coins in their possession sooner rather than later. 

Selling gold coins today 

With this high demand for physical gold, the secondary market has been a thriving place, as sellers cash in on old coins which may have seen their values increase massively since they were originally minted. Gold Sovereigns, for example, used to be spent as much as any coin today, but were discontinued for a number of years, gaining great prestige over time. At UK Scrap Gold, we know how much of a difference the price rally in gold has made, and could be in a position to help you realise those gains. 

Check out our Gold Scrap Calculator to see exactly what your gold coin or other gold items could be worth today. 

Subject to condition, UK Scrap Gold is willing to offer 100% of a gold coin’s spot value, if you decide to sell with us. How can this be possible, you may ask. Demand is simply so high in the gold coin markets that even a single coin could fetch a hefty price if sold in the right place at the right time. If you have even just one Gold Sovereign which you’re thinking of selling, now could be precisely the right time. 

UK Scrap Gold are specialists in buying gold coins, having been a part of the gold markets for many years. We have the knowledge and insight to serve as experienced gold buyers, and offer attractive prices for gold items, as we operate mostly in a digital sense, reducing the need for overheads which is often an issue with other buyers. If you wish to make a sale of a gold coin today, call us on 01902 623 254. 

Copyright: alliedcomputergraphics / 123RF Stock Photo

Gold Offers Post-Lockdown Cash Boost

It’s no secret that money has been tight for many of us over the past year of lockdowns. Whether you’ve passed through the lockdowns on furlough, or are planning for retirement, the shock from COVID-19 has hit household finances hard. However, if you have a bit of scrap gold tucked away in your home, it could be the perfect time to sell, and benefit from the COVID-19 gold price boom. 

A golden dividend for 2021 

Scrap gold comes in all shapes and sizes, and may have been acquired recently or several generations ago, passed down through the family. Whichever way you have got hold of scrap gold items, such as necklaces, chains, rings, coins and other such items, they have a great intrinsic value, purely thanks to the metal that they’re made from. 

Gold has been treasured as one of the rarest noble metals for centuries, and if you decided to sell with UK Scrap Gold today, you could expect to make £15.20 from just one gram of 9 carat gold. Imagine what a heavier item with a greater purity could be worth. But why is this so? 

Gold prices have soared over the past two decades, from just over £300 per ounce in the early-2000s to over £1,500 last summer. Prices may have come down a little since then, but gold is certainly worth several times more than it has ever been in nominal terms. These opportunities may take many years to come, and fortunately, 2021 could be just the time to sell. 

Selling your gold in 2021 

Prices are high and your scrap gold is worth more than ever before, but how do you turn to a gold buyer you can trust? UK Scrap Gold has been providing such a service for many years now, and our website has its own special page to help track gold prices, so you can pick a period of bullish price action to make your sale. 

Want to get a free valuation without sending a single gram? Check out our Gold Scrap Calculator, and just input the item’s weight and purity, and a near-instant valuation can be given. For a more detailed valuation, why not arrange a Zoom call with us, and let one of our specialists analyse your item via video-call? 

If you wish to make a sale today, it’s time to fill in the Seller’s Form here. To minimise the spread of COVID-19 and ensure your package reaches us safely, we strongly encourage you to use fully insured Special Delivery with the Royal Mail’s home collection service. This service will ensure your item is picked up from your doorstep, and you can track it until it reaches us, where we can analyse it and give you an offer you’ll hopefully find to your liking. 

For more information about selling scrap gold with UK Scrap Gold, call us on 01902 623 254 today. 

Our Guide to Spotting True Gold and Silver

Here at UK Scrap Gold, we can attest to seeing growing demand from the general public to sell items purported to be true gold or silver, only for them to be disappointed when we take a closer look and find this not to be the case.

Many vendors trick customers into buying what they claim to be the real thing, offering unusually cheap prices for products which should hold far higher intrinsic value. As experts in this field, we will explain how to spot the real deal from the plated versions.

Check the source

If you know anything about precious metals, you’ll know that density and purity are huge drivers in the valuation of items such as gold coins, the family silver, or jewellery passed down from generation to generation. The last thing you want, during a period of high gold prices, is to find that the items you wish to sell aren’t what you thought they were.

Warning signs are easy to spot, if you know what to look out for. If you’re purchasing a gold coin, for example, a certificate of authenticity is a key requirement to expect. This document is a firm statement attesting to your item’s proof of origin, giving you assurance that it was provided by a reputable dealer.

By contrast, a seller who cuts corners and offers you an item ‘enhanced with gold’ without these forms of certification, may be offering an item below what would be considered the appropriate market value. As you will see, true gold and silver have clear pricings on the open market. 

Any item which requires any form of enhancement could be a sign that the seller tried shifting plated gold items, which are actually comprised of a far cheaper metal with a superficial gold coating.

Density and purity matter

The price must be right for true gold and silver, in order for you to expect getting a fair price when you decide to sell to UK Scrap Gold today. Pure gold and silver have specific densities and therefore weights, depending on the size of the item.

Hallmarks and various stamps can be a useful way of determining purity of your item, and weight can be another way of assessing whether your item is worth its actual weight in gold or silver. UK Scrap Gold has a free scrap gold calculator which allows you to assess what your item could be worth.

Not only that, but we offer Zoom video meetings to help determine whether your item is true gold or silver, as well as offering a verification if you send the item to us by post. If you think you’re in a position to make a sale to us today, or simply wish to get in touch to prove the authenticity of your item before selling to us, call us on 01902 623 254.

Is Your Scrap Gold or Silver Worth Its Weight?

Authenticity is crucial when you wish to sell gold or silver. UK Scrap Gold has been a buyer of a wide range of items including rings, chains, gold tooth fillings and silver cutlery over the years, just to name a few. But all is not as it seems. All that glitters is not gold.

Precious metals prices are close to all-time highs, so you don’t want to fall at the last hurdle, and find your items aren’t what you think they are.

An electroplating epidemic

UK Scrap Gold has experienced a growing number of people sending in items believed to be gold or silver, only to be disappointed when our team digs deeper and discovers they’re not. Items which give the appearance of gold or silver can often be electroplated. This means manufacturers apply a thin layer of gold or silver onto the surface of a cheaper metal, often copper.

It makes you believe the item is authentic, but cut through the glossy exterior, and you’ll find you may have been short-changed.

Electroplating is an electro-chemical process which can short-change you, and stops you benefiting from the tangible value to be had when selling true gold or silver, when the time comes. While gold and silver are durable metals, electroplated alternatives are worth a fraction of their value, and degrade easily, as the molecules from the base metal transfer into the thin gold/silver layer, causing it to look tarnished over time.

Signs to watch out for include apparent wear to the surface of your item – solid gold is ageless and doesn’t oxidise, helping preserve its shine for thousands of years. Electroplating serves as a sticky plaster, but the shine soon wears off, exposing the copper underneath.

Hallmarks to spot

Fortunately, gold and silver items can be more easily identified if they have hallmarks. These markings serve as effective seals of approval, informing you of the purity of your item, as well as the Sponsor’s Mark and Assay Office mark.

For more information about hallmarks and how they work, check out this article here.

Gold items often include a stamp saying “375” which means the item has been assessed and officially classed as being 9 carat or 37.5 per cent pure. Keep an eye out for this number, as purity plays a significant role in determining how valuable gold items can be. Our Gold Scrap Calculator can help you work out what you could make by selling with UK Scrap Gold today. All you need is the item’s weight, plus its purity.

If you’re sure you have an item which you believe to be genuine gold or silver, and you wish to sell, look no further than UK Scrap Gold. We offer £14.25 for just one gram of 9-carat gold, as a starting point. Imagine what a heavier higher-purity item could be worth.

For more information about selling scrap gold or silver, call UK Scrap Gold on 01902 623 254.

Silver Sellers Eye Up Potential Silver Spikes

Expect the unexpected, when it comes to silver, and you could potentially reap the rewards of an unforeseen spike in prices. Recent events concerning the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets have triggered a rush of cash into silver, and if repeated, anyone with a bit of silver could cash in.

See how the coming year ahead could be an ideal time for making a scrap silver sale with UK Scrap Gold. 

The Reddit silver surge

For many weeks, a group of Reddit users patiently began orchestrating buying stocks in an ailing games company, GameStop. In the blink of an eye, the idea went viral, and thousands of users flooded onto easily downloadable investment apps, buying up shares in order to squeeze hedge funds holding large short positions.

It wasn’t long before attention on Reddit turned to silver, another asset in which hedge funds have extensive short positions. In just three trading days, we saw silver prices rising by almost 20 per cent, an unusually large increase in such a short time frame. Typically, such moves are seen as part of multi-year bull markets.

The lack of prior warning for such a spike demonstrates why having a bit of silver could become incredibly useful – it’s all just a matter of timing a sale and finding the right buyer. UK Scrap Gold gives clear information on existing prices for silver, helping you spot key trends including price rallies. Check out Live Silver prices here.

In addition, our Silver Scrap Calculator allows you to make a free valuation from the safety of your home, without having to send a single gram of silver to us. At present prices, you could expect to sell a 50-gram silver chain with a purity of .925 for over £24 with UK Scrap Gold.

We’re able to offer such respectable prices as we operate largely in the digital space, reducing overheads and ensuring our customers receive a fairer price for their items.

Making discreet sales of scrap silver

Finding the right price and the right buyer for your scrap silver are crucial, but how to ensure your items are dispatched safely? Due to ongoing restrictions during the current COVID-19 pandemic, we strongly suggest customers make use of the Royal Mail’s online Click and Drop dispatch service.

With just the click of a few buttons, a Royal Mail van can collect your package from your doorstep. One of the benefits of this service is the ability to track your parcel on its journey if you select the Insured Special Delivery service. Organising dispatch online helps halt the spread of COVID-19, as it means not having to stand in a lengthy queue at your Post Office branch, to mail your scrap silver in person.

If you have any queries about selling scrap silver, or wish to make a sale with UK Scrap Gold soon, why not give us a call? Call us on 01902 623 254, and a member of our team will be ready to help you with any requirements you may have.