We buy hundreds of gold coins and silver coins every week and they generally fall into two main categories: British Coins and Overseas Coins.
The vast majority of modern British coins are made from base metals and do not contain any precious metal. The Royal Mint does produce fine silver and fine gold versions of some modern coins as well as limited edition commemorative pieces but these are unlikely to be found in general circulation. Consequently, any coin found in your small change is unlikely to be of interest to us but may be a rare example that would interest a coin collector or numismatist.
British coins that are of interest to us include:
These 22 carat gold coins have been produced for more than 200 years in their present form and contain 7.32 grams of pure gold. They also exist in ¼, ½, double (£2) and quintuple (£5) versions.
Produced from 1987 to 2012 as 22 carat coins containing 31.1 grams (1 Troy Ounce) of fine gold and from 2013 onwards as 24 carat coins, these are the Royal Mint’s ‘flagship bullion coins’ for investors with a face value of £100. They also exist in 1/10, ¼ and ½ sizes.
Produced from 1997 to 2012 in Britannia Silver (958 parts per thousand) and from 2013 to the present day in 999.0 pure silver. Each coin contains one Troy Ounce of fine silver.
Silver coins up to 1919 – were minted in 925 purity silver. These would include 3d, 6d, 1/-, 2/-, 2/6, and 5/- coins.
Silver Coins from 1920 to 1947 – were minted in 500 purity silver.
Most nations produce silver and gold coins, either as general currency or as bullion investment pieces or collectors’ pieces.
The most common overseas coins that we see are:
If you are unsure whether your coins would be of interest to us, feel free to call our Customer Service Team on 01902 828 400, we are here to help.