Journal

Buying Gold

Dealers, coins, bars and the premium over spot — how physical gold is actually bought and sold.

The number that decides whether physical gold was bought well is almost never the gold price. It is the premium: the gap between spot and what you paid, and again between spot and what a dealer will pay you back. Small bars and coins generally carry a proportionally larger premium than large ones, because minting, assaying, packaging and handling cost roughly the same per unit whatever it weighs — so buying small is paying for divisibility, which is worth it if you may sell part of a holding and a pure cost if you never will. The second question is who you are buying from. A dealer's spread, their buy-back policy and whether they will take back metal they did not sell you are all knowable before you order, and all three matter more on the day you sell than the mint mark does.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

The 10 Most Trusted Gold Dealers in Europe 2026

Trusted gold dealers in Europe for 2026 ranked by reputation, pricing, delivery and buyback for safe bullion purchases.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

How to Buy Gold: The Beginner's Complete Guide (2026)

Learn how to buy gold safely in 2026 — the ten terms every beginner needs, the five decisions behind a first purchase, a worked cost breakdown, and the beginner mistakes to avoid.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Best Gold Coins to Buy in 2026: Bullion Coins Ranked

Which gold coin is best to buy? Maple Leaf, Britannia, Eagle, Krugerrand and Philharmonic ranked on purity, premium over spot and resale liquidity.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

The Spot Price Is Not the Price. What You Actually Pay for Gold.

Part 1 of 3. Spot is a wholesale reference for unallocated metal in tonne lots. What a retail buyer pays sits above it — and the gap is the single most controllable cost in physical gold.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

What You Actually Get Back When You Sell

Part 3 of 3. Buying is quoted, selling is negotiated. What determines the offer you receive, why the two ends of the spread are not symmetrical, and how to sell without giving the gap away twice.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Gold Sovereign vs Krugerrand: Which Coin to Buy in 2026?

The Gold Sovereign and the Krugerrand are two of the world's most traded bullion coins. We compare gold content, premiums, divisibility, UK tax and liquidity to help you choose in 2026.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Gold Maple Leaf vs American Gold Eagle: Which 1 oz Bullion Coin Wins?

A direct investor showdown between two of the best-known government bullion coins: The Royal Canadian Mint 1 oz Gold Maple Leaf (.9999 fine 24K) and the United States Mint 1 oz American Gold Eagle (22K crown gold).

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

How to Buy Gold Bars: A Beginner's Complete Guide

Buying your first gold bar doesn't have to be complicated. We walk through bar sizes, premiums, storage options, and how to check a dealer.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

How to Buy Investment Gold: Bars vs Coins

Bars carry the lowest premium; coins are easier to sell in parts. How to read a premium, which fineness actually qualifies as investment gold, and what to keep.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Fractional Gold Bullion Bars & Coins: 1g to 20g Buying Strategy & Premium Analysis

A strategic financial breakdown of fractional gold bullion ownership.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Buying Gold and Jewellery at Auction: The Real Cost of the Hammer

Buyer's premium, VAT on the premium, and condition reports. What the hammer price leaves out, and how to bid without overpaying.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

Who Publishes the Price of Gold?

Twice a day an electronic auction produces the number the whole trade quotes against. What it is, who runs it, which currency it settles in, and why it is a benchmark rather than an offer to you.

Buying Gold

Buying Gold

How Many Grams Are in a Troy Ounce of Anything?

A troy ounce is not the ounce in your kitchen, and it is not a gold-only unit. The statutory conversions, the tola and tael you will meet buying abroad, and the one habit that makes any two quotes comparable.