Divmad

Can anyone please shed any light on the initial premium mark ups available for the 1989 or 2005 gold sovereign issues, compared with bullion condition? I'm trying to figure out if a £700 price tag for the 2022 proof issue currently, is a good deal or to be expected. Seems quite steep to me, but then I usually try to buy bullion coins up to only 7% premiums.

So pre-1870 Victorian sovereigns in slabbed form, in particular, must be a real collector's item.

I read somewhere that a lot of these older sovereigns in circulation were melted down and shipped as gold bullion to the USA in part settlement of war incurred debts. Was this for WW1 or WW2 or both? I wonder what % of Victorian sovereigns went that way?

As a matter of interest, when did gold sovereigns first become "bullion" coins?

I was thinking M&S Victoria Sponge at first. Very nice.

Hi Robda, That's interesting. Shieldback because they were circulated in quite low numbers, typically 2m-4m each year? Or because of their position as the very first Victorian sovereign design? Or their relative scarcity now because of their age? Or a bit of all of the above. ATB.

Given the vast choice of dates, reigns, portraits and condition (proof/bullion etc), where would collectors/stackers advise to focus on for maximum future potential capital growth, given that all will rise on a rising fiat money tide?

So much choice out there. I'm a Silver bug long term, but want more from my Silver coin accumulation than just a 1-1 appreciation in line with the POS. I have many France 20Fr and 50Fr Hercules coins, which I really drool over, but premiums are too high to make them investment standouts currently. I have bags of pre-1947 British silver coins. What else would the experienced stackers suggest? ATB.

Just PM'd you.

Nice coin. Where did you find it?

Agreed. I can often pick up junk silver coins on Flea Bay around spot =/- 5%, with patience.

Someone earlier mentioned that using Bairdmint to buy Gold sovereigns was a competitive deal. Well I beg to differ. Yes, if you take their advertised prices, in-bond, but when you add on delivery charges, it's quite another matter. Tonight, as an example, I was about to buy a 1959 Gold sovereign for their price of £323, but at the checkout, they added on no less than £13.20 for delivery (£11 + £2.20 VAT). It doesn't matter if it's one or two coins you buy. All are at £13.20 extra. I am appalled, especially since the last time I bought one Gold sovereign from Bairdmint, which was in June 2020, they charged me a standard £6.25 (no VAT). I think I'll stick with Chards. They are most reasonable when it comes to P&P.

What about these national courier services, as an alternative to RM Special Delivery? Do they do PMs with full insurance?

I think one reason why you can pick up bargains in this area is that quite often, but not always, the 925 commemorative coin was produced alongside an identical cupro-nickel version. So unless you know how to differentiate between them, which isn't easy on Flea Bay for example, you may get "done" a few times.

Dicker, have you seen any trend to firming of premiums offered over spot on your 925 coin buys? I agree with you that this segment of the silver coin market is a value area. Why pay £4-8 premium per 1oz coin for all these Mint special issues? Only if you are a true collector, not an investor, IMHO.