This web page comes in ~6 parts:

  • Gold Overview & My Commentary
  • Continually Updated Article & Analysis Feed
  • Contact & Websites For Gold Experts Claudio Grass & Alasdair Macleod
  • All My Videos On The Subjects Of: Gold, Hard Money, Finance, Economics etc
  • Viewer Q&A
  • Regulated & Recommended Bullion Dealers

Gold – Some Questions Answered
https://godfreybloom.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Gold-Some-Questions-Answered.pdf

Gold has been money for 5000 years. Quite a provenance. The reason is that it does not decay physically or monetarily.

As I always point out to undergraduates: a gold sovereign would buy you bed & breakfast in a good London, Paris or New York hotel 150 years ago – and it would buy the same today, and will in another 150 years.

Historically paper money is a new invention, with a very sorry provenance.

In 1971 the United States came off the gold standard (currency backed by gold) to fund the Vietnam war with printed currency. The result was a fall in the purchasing power of the dollar against gold by 94%.

Similarly this has happened to all other global paper currencies.

Paper money is simply a credit note by a bank – underwritten by politicians. It’s value degrades with corruption. Just remember what you paid for a pint of beer or family car 20 years ago.

But remember gold is not an investment. It is a preserver of wealth as the hotel analogy shows. Thus gold coins are for people who want to seal in the spending power of their savings for the long term.

It is not a reasonable or recommended move to buy & sell Gold coins over the short term (trading). Buying & selling fees at most dealers, especially for smaller amounts, make this an unviable option – you will just lose money.

It helps when dealing to know what coins or bullion you need & an idea of the amount you want to spend.

Remember: Gold Sovereigns (Coins) in the UK are Capital Gains Tax & VAT Exempt. They are classed as Coin Of The Realm.

Silver coins are not treated the same – with silver coins, VAT is charged at 20% if you take delivery. So you have to hope for a 20% upward movement just to break even (not including potential selling fees or spread)!

When buying Gold Coins remember the golden rules:

  • Find a reputable dealer.
  • Check the buy/sell price on offer.
  • Take delivery if you can. If you cannot, use a reputable safe deposit house. There will be one in your nearest big town.
  • Buy coins for bullion value & tax benefits, not collectability.
  • Don’t trade (buy/sell in the short term), they are for the long haul, be patient.

Buying & selling gold is very easy.

Different dealers have different minimum buy requirements.
In general, bigger purchases give a better overall price.

Larger purchases require ID protocols, a regulatory requirement, but are standard practice and nothing to worry about.

Due to recent unprecedented Gold demand; Gold deliveries from all dealers may be slightly delayed, this does not affect the buying/strike price.

See my videos on the topic for more information below.

Comments as always are welcome. Please use my contact page to reach me if you have any questions and I will add to the Q&A Section below.

Cutting Edge & Important Articles

Supporting Articles & Material

Experts Claudio Grass & Alasdair Macleod

Claudio Grass runs precious metals advisory in Switzerland and has been a good friend of mine for many years.

You can contact him here for personally recommended large holding precious metal advisory.

claudiograss.ch

Alasdair has been a chum of mine for many, many years and I look to him for top notch expert analysis on anything Gold.

You can find his Substack here, and other work below.

Goldmoney Research
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My Videos On Gold, Inflation, Currency & More

Q & A Section

  • Premium Bonds:
    Premium Bonds are a loan to the UK government. In place of a coupon (interest) they put the yield into a reserve & distribute that reserve in prizes.

    The current yield is circa 4% (10 years).

    Are they safe? Safer than banks yes.

    But with inflation at circa 11% your investment must drop by 11%-4%=7% year on year.
    So a premium bond holder in the medium long term must lose.
    A bit like the casino roulette wheel, eventually the house wins.

    Remember, Gordon Brown sold your gold holdings in the late 1990s at $250 per ounce – I was buying.
  • Silver:
    I hold plenty but it is an industrial as well as monetary metal.

    The ride is bumpy therefore, it looks cheap today, but I thought it was a steal at $25 per ounce! Ouch !

    Given VAT at 20% if you take delivery – and a current 10%-15% premium, it is simply an unrealistic choice for investment – you will need a 35% move upward to simply break even. Scrap Silver or buying coins peer-to-peer could be options, but its a buy only for the brave – and you must do your due diligence on the latter matters. Gold first.

Regulated Gold Dealers

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT MY RECOMMENDED BULLION DEALERS – PLEASE LET ME KNOW DIRECTLY VIA MY CONTACT PAGE

The Pure Gold Company
Speak to my trusted broker Dan Alderman

R C Baird & Co

Bullion by Post

Atkinson of Birmingham

This page only recommends institutions after a due diligence procedure however it is not infallible. It is imperative you perform your own due diligence and as much personal research on all aspects of Gold Purchase as possible.