Everything worth knowing
before you buy.

An independent service, almost always NGC or PCGS, examines the coin for condition, strike quality and authenticity, assigns a number on a seventy point scale and seals it in a tamper evident holder. The grade travels with the coin, so a buyer does not have to take the seller's word for its condition.

Proof describes how the coin was struck, not how good it is. Polished dies and more than one strike — at lower speed and less pressure than a bullion coin, to preserve the fine detail — produce the sharper relief and the mirrored field you see behind a frosted design. Proof runs are far smaller than bullion runs, and the coins are handled individually at the mint.

It usually trades at a premium, because PF70 is the top grade awarded and the population in it is smaller. In the hand the two are normally indistinguishable, since the flaws separating them are microscopic. Whether the premium is worth paying is a collecting decision rather than a grading one.

Investment grade gold is exempt from VAT, and UK legal tender coins such as sovereigns and Britannias are exempt from Capital Gains Tax for UK residents because they are legal tender. This reflects current legislation and is not tax advice; your own position may differ.

Almost never. The holder protects the surface, carries the grade and removes the counterfeit question. Once it is opened the coin has to be resubmitted to be graded again, and there is no guarantee it comes back at the same number.

Every graded coin we list shows its certification number on the product page. Enter it into the verification page on the NGC or PCGS website and you will see the same coin, the same grade and the same holder. We would rather you checked.