BYK

Bringing silver into the uk from abroad will attract vat @20% since the end of the transistion period I believe yes. All respected dealers you mentioned, I think that there is no one best dealer it depends what you're buying, some dealers might sell certain things at lower premiums  than others, another dealer might be cheaper if you're buying more bulk for eg, some are better if it's a smaller order 

@BYK
Couple of questions there. 
What should you buy ? This will depend on your aim, if you just want to stack some gold as a hedge or store of wealth then logic dictates that you should go for the lowest premium gold you can get your hands on. This will generally be sovereigns as they can go for just a few % over spot and same for the Krugerrands. If you have some other reason such as you want to collect a series or type of coin, then go for that and buy what you like. Just remember that anything with a high premium could be worth less if you want to cash it in one day and you take it to a dealer, whereby they could offer spot for it or just under. Conversely, it could keep its premium or rise so research is key.
What determines price ? Well I imagine that sovs have a low price as they have been minted into the millions for a long time and there is a strong market for buying and selling them. Similar for Krugerrands, they were the modern bullion coin after sovs from the 70s onwards so there is a lot around. 
What determines the price on any given day is up to the market really. A dealer that has 1oz Krugerrands for sale at 3% premium one day may have gold Brits at 3% the next. Supply and demand. 
If you just want to stack gold weight, then just keep an eye on the various dealers such as Atkinson's, Chards etc etc and buy what had the lowest premium when you're ready.
I think many on here will have gone a similar route to me, which is stacking some sovs for the gold weight, but once you see the history then there is actually a massive collector angle: rare years, date runs, sate runs of the different empire mints, bullion or proof, etc etc

Hi BYK, I think you're making the common newbie error of thinking that 22ct or lower coins are "less" good than 24ct/.999
The purity is irrelevant if you are stacking for gold weight. 
A 1oz Gold Krugerrand at 22ct/.917 has the same amount of gold in it as a 1oz Gold Britannia of 24ct/.999 IE 1 Troy Oz of gold.
The only difference is that the Krugerrand will weigh a few GM's over 31.1gms to allow for the extra copper it is alloyed with. 
The alloys are to add some extra durability to the coins generally, a lot of world gold is less than 24ct and Gold Britannias used to be .22ct or similar as well before 2013 I think it was.

Haha 
Yes maybe you're right. I have some time today so I wanted to make something which stores all my purchases, calculates the premiums over spot and records the market prices from that today. Ultimately I can use this as a ref or benchmark against future purchases. 
Don't be a stranger Steffana, I would love to be kept in the loop about your next purchases etc. I will likewise do the same. Hopefully we stay in touch. Thanks again for amazing info. 
 
Take care
BYK

Thank you!😊 I will let you know when.
About spreadsheet, I don't know. For long term it is irrelevant. The treasure is growing, the value is growing.

Hi Stefan, 
Amazing, thank you so much. I have copied and pasted this and printed it off so I always have it to hand. Thanks again my friend. 
I am going to begin building a spreadsheet, to hold all my bullion purchases, do you know one I could download and save me the hassle. 
 
Also if you find yourself in London, let me know! I owe you a drink for the awesome info you have provided. 
Many thanks
BYK

1. Pure silver is 0.999/1000 or 0.9999/1000 used only for coins and bars as investment. Anything less than this purity is an alloy, made to increase the resistance of silver in daily use (coinage, medals, flatware, jewellery). Also in coinage sometimes the percentage of silver was reduced in coins to keep the value of coin against inflation. This is the reason can be found coins 0.100, 0.300, 0.400, 0.500, 0.600, 0.640, 0.720, 0.800, 0.900, 0.925 or 0.958.
There are more standards of purity used in different countries, varying from .800 to .0.958. For example, continental silver can be 0.800, 0.835, 0.850, 0.900.
If you want to calculate the equivalent of pure silver from a 215g made from continental silver 0.835 standard, you need to multiply 215g x 0.835 = 179.52 equivalent pure silver.
2. With gold is almost the same: 24ct = pure silver (999.9), but is too soft for daily use. So, needed to be mixed with another metals to produce harder alloys or another colours (copper, silver, zinc, platinium, in numerous percentages and variations)
22ct.  is 0.9167 gold ( in sovereigns and grandmother's wedding ring);
21.6ct is 0.900 gold (in almost all south american, spanish, portuguese coins and not only)
18ct    is 0.750 gold (in high quality jewellery);
14ct    is 0.583 gold (even in marks is 585);
10ct    is 0.417 gold (very popular in US );
9ct      is 0.375 gold (very popular in UK);
8ct      is 0.333 gold (still popular in Germany, even is the lowest purity accepted for gold)
To calculate the pure gold content from a 13.75g bracelet made from 14ct gold alloy, you need to multiply 13.75g x 0.583(gold purity) = 8.01 pure gold content. Today price for gold is £42.77, so the spot price for your bracelet is £342.85. Of course, this is a reference price. If is very good quality, a high premium is expected.
If you have a 20 pesos Mexico 1959, 16.666g, 0.900 gold, the melting value is:
16.666g x 0.900 purity x £42.77 = £641.52. But because is a beautiful coin, the real value is bigger, having a premium.
A bullion sovereign is 7.98g x 0.917 x £42.77 = £312.97 today melting value. Add around +5% and the real value is £328.

Hi Stefan, 
Wow I am speechless, the amount of detail in your reply is amazing. I hope this helps overs searching for the same answers I was. 
Just one question, In example 1. you factored in the purity of the silver.
1. But with the others are you assuming a 999.9 purity? 
2. Also how would this equation be different if we were doing it for gold, especially when the carots drop to 18 - 22 opposed to 24crt or 999.9 purity?
 
Thanks again. 
Hope you are having a great Sunday!
BYK

My advice for your budget is to buy one sovereign every two month and one 500g Baird bar every two month. In this case, you will have your eggs in two baskets. Also, both of these two are very easy to sell and for silver bar is lower premium than Britannia.
At today prices one sovereign at Atkinson is £328.35 and one silver bar 500g at Baird is £425.26 VAT and shipping included. Will be an average per month of £376.80, affordable for your monthly budget.
Happy stacking!🤗
Stefan.

sovereigns are 22 but Britannia's are 24 (.999) 

Hi Steffano 
Thank you such a long and in depth reply. Really appreciate it. I have just looked up Bairds and I will be buying from them soon. 
Also when you calculate the price per ounce for silver. Is it common to incorporate the vat price into it? 
For example let's say silver is £20 per ounce and then with the vat it's £24. 
Is the ounce price £20 or £24?
And also do you include the vat when calculating the percentage over spot price you pay for silver? 
For example you may pay 20% over spot for silver but it may be more if you incorporate the vat?
I'm only asking because I'm building a spreadsheet and I want to know what the right way is.
Thanks 

Hi,
 
Does anyone have a template for a spreadsheet to keep an inventory of current stack that I could base mine on? Or any other tools/apps anyone can recommend for such a purpose?
 
Thanks

Hi BYK, I meant Gold Sovereign Coins. Minted by the Royal Mint for c. 200 years for the modern variety. 
They are just under 1/4oz of gold and buy and sell for just a few % either side of spot.
Your gold bar is a good shout as well.
But if you intend to build a big stack then you may want to stick to coins as they are CGT free. Although this will only apply if your profit from selling will exceed £12000 a year so that's quite a lot.
https://atkinsonsbullion.com/gold/gold-coins/sovereign-gold-coins-(1)/2021-uk-full-sovereign-gold-coin

Hi,
First, here on forum you can find very often cheap silver. An example is @Scaffstacker who sold today 1kg silver bar with £765, delivery included. This is £23.79/oz. Also, @arshimo2012 is coming sometimes with very good offers (see his quick sales from this week). Also, you can very often find silver near spot as old british coinage or scrap.
Second, you can find lower premium than Royal mint at Baird or another dealers. At today price, for example, Baird are selling 1kg silver bar at £830, VAT and shipping included. This is £25.81/oz. For smaller bars or rounds, for sure the price is higher.
Third, you can bid for silver flatware on auctions. Sometimes, with a drop of good luck, you can add to your stack nice pieces of silver.
Always you can find good opportunities, but you need patience. Stacking silver is a long term process.
Good luck and happy stacking!

I think the same. However what will you be buying? Considering I suppose you want to purchase any silver and its lowest premium over spot? 
I saw the Royal mint is selling with the lowest spot over premium? Any other places you can tell me ? 
 
Thanks 😊

Welcome aboard The Silver Forum!

^^^ I don't think anyone's been given a date yet - but sometime during the remainder of 2021.  I think some people reckon it will be in September.

Hi Guys 
 
New to the forum.
I'm interested to learn more about and especially want the complete Beast coin in gold or silver as well as Una and the lion.
Please drop me a message 

I wouldn't discard silver because everyone is comparing market price to scrap i.e. spot price.
If spot is £20 and a 1 ounce coin sells for £35 then most buyers of silver, excluding the banks etc. will use the £35 value and ignore the spot price.
Okay there is a premium plus 20% VAT but that embeds itself to the coin when trading.
Only when you liquidate to a bullion dealer do you forfeit the markup and tax.
What is the value of a bitcoin ?
Probably zero but people will buy and sell at whatever the market decides so that sets the price.
Same with our silver coins and bars except silver has a spot value so isn't zero.
Gold is bought and sold more or less around spot plus / minus single digit percentages.
However there can also be big premiums on some coins between buyers and sellers but when selling back to a dealer this premium is lost also.
For example I saw today on our forum a Queens Beast advertised for just shy of £2,000 when gold spot is £1,320.
Maybe people will pay £2,000 for an ounce of gold but a dealer will only give you £1,295 if lucky, which is 35% less than its "trading" value.
So in conclusion silver is not necessarily that bad even with its VAT and margins and only falls flat selling back to dealers.

Hi Guys 
 
New to the forum.
I'm interested to learn more about and especially want the complete Beast coin in gold or silver as well as Una and the lion.
Please drop me a message 

HELLO ... and welcome

Hello and welcome to TSF!