Established 2009 · Company No. SC353542 · Cardiff & Nottingham · Free Insured UK Delivery
Gold & Silver Britannias · Investment Gold Bars
Own British gold that the taxman can't touch.
Royal Mint Britannias are UK legal tender, which makes every penny of profit exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Investment gold is VAT‑free too. Speak to a specialist for 15 minutes and we'll show you exactly which coins and bars fit what you're trying to do.
No obligation. No hard sell. A real specialist, not a call centre.
What happens on the call
Fifteen minutes, by phone or video, with someone who trades this metal every day.
- Your goal, first. Inflation hedge, long-term store of value, or passing wealth on. The answer changes what you should buy.
- Coins vs bars, honestly. Britannias for tax-free gains; bars for the lowest premium per gram. Most people want a mix.
- The real cost. Live pricing, premium over spot, and what we'd pay to buy it back, before you commit anything.
- Delivery or storage. Fully insured to your door, or allocated storage if you'd rather not keep it at home.
Start where you are
Which sounds more like you?
The right first purchase is completely different depending on whether this is your first ounce or your fiftieth. Pick a track and we'll tailor the call.
Your first purchase, without the guesswork
- Start with a 1oz Silver Britannia or a 1g to 10g gold bar. Under £150 gets you real, hallmarked metal in your hand. Most first-time buyers tell us holding it is what makes the whole thing click.
- Then build into Gold Britannias. Fractional sizes (1/10oz, 1/4oz, 1/2oz) let you buy in stages instead of one nervous lump sum, and every one of them is CGT-exempt.
- Keep it simple and liquid. Britannias and Sovereigns are the most recognised UK bullion coins in the world. Any dealer, anywhere, knows what they are, which is exactly what you want on the day you sell.
- Or drip-feed monthly. Our Accumulator account buys gold or silver for you every month across a 12-month cycle, so you're not trying to time the market.
The question everyone asks first
"How do I know it's real?" Every coin we sell is struck by The Royal Mint and every bar comes from an LBMA‑approved refiner such as Metalor, Umicore, PAMP or Valcambi. Most are sealed in a tamper-evident assay card with a unique serial number. Nothing leaves us uninsured: your order is covered until you sign for it. And because we guarantee to quote a buyback price, you're never holding something you can't turn back into cash.
Talk me through my first purchaseAdd size without giving away the spread
- Bars for weight, Britannias for tax. A 100g to 1kg cast bar carries the lowest premium per gram we offer. But bars are only VAT-free, not CGT-free, so the usual play is bars for bulk and Britannias for the portion you expect to sell at a profit.
- Use bundles to cut the premium. 5- and 10-coin Britannia tubes price better than singles. Silver monster boxes (380 × 1/4oz) are the cheapest route into serious silver weight.
- Know the exit before the entry. We'll tell you on the call what we'd pay today to buy back each product. That spread matters far more to your return than a few pounds on the way in.
- Collection, not courier, on large orders. Higher-value orders can be collected in person by appointment at Cardiff or Nottingham, with ID and proof of address.
Worth a conversation if…
You're placing £25,000+ and want a live quote rather than a website price; you're rebalancing silver into gold and want to net the trade; you'd rather hold in allocated storage than at home; or you want to structure a CGT-efficient holding you can pass on. Those are all things a fifteen-minute call settles faster than an hour of reading.
Get a live quote on sizeThe bit that makes British bullion special
Two separate tax breaks. Know which is which.
Almost every "tax-free gold" claim online blurs these together. They're different rules, and only one of them applies to bars.
Applies to all
No VAT on investment gold
Investment-grade gold, meaning coins and bars of the required purity, is exempt from VAT in the UK. That's why a gold bar costs you roughly its metal value plus a modest fabrication premium, with no 20% tax bolted on. Silver does not get this treatment: VAT is included in the price of silver coins and bars.
Coins only
No Capital Gains Tax on Britannias
Because Gold and Silver Britannias (and Sovereigns) are UK legal tender with a face value, gains on them are exempt from Capital Gains Tax, no matter how much they rise, and with no limit on how many you hold. Gold bars are not legal tender, so gains on bars are potentially chargeable to CGT.
| You buy | VAT on purchase | CGT on profit | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Britannia coins | None | None, exempt | The portion you expect to sell at a gain |
| Silver Britannia coins | VAT included | None, exempt | Low-cost entry, tax-free upside |
| Investment gold bars | None | Potentially chargeable | Lowest premium per gram on bulk weight |
| Investment silver bars | VAT included | Potentially chargeable | Maximum weight of silver per pound spent |
Tax treatment depends on your personal circumstances and current legislation, and can change. GCIL Bullion does not provide tax or regulated financial advice. Please speak to a qualified adviser about your own position.
Two minutes, from us
See it explained in plain English
If you'd rather watch than read: how tax-free Britannias work, what you actually receive, and how to get started.
Live stock & live pricing
In stock right now
Prices move with the market, so these update from our live feed every time the page loads. Sold-out lines are hidden automatically, so what you see here is genuinely available.
Loading live prices…
Why buy through GCIL
A dealer, not a marketplace
Global Commodity Investments Ltd was founded in January 2009 by Frederick Brett after more than 20 years in commodities. We buy and sell directly with the market. You deal with us, not a middleman.
Insured from us to you
Every order travels fully insured via Royal Mail Special Delivery, UPS or DPD, in plain packaging with no reference to the contents, and is signed for on arrival. Larger orders can be collected in person by appointment at Cardiff or Nottingham.
Royal Mint coins, LBMA-approved bars
Coins are struck by The Royal Mint. Bars come from LBMA-approved refiners including Metalor, Umicore, PAMP Suisse, Heraeus and Valcambi. Most are supplied sealed in a serialised assay card so provenance travels with the metal.
Guaranteed buyback
Bullion is only worth what someone will pay you for it. When you want to sell, we'll offer our best price, and we'll tell you what that spread looks like before you buy, not after.
Storage if you'd rather not keep it home
Not everyone wants a kilo of gold in a drawer. We can arrange secure, allocated storage so your holding is identifiable as yours, with delivery available whenever you want it in your hands.
Monthly accumulator accounts
Buy gold or silver in regular monthly contributions across a 12-month cycle instead of one lump sum. Metal is physically purchased and held to underpin your account. Popular for retirement saving and building wealth for children.
You get a person
Two UK offices, real phone numbers, and specialists who trade these markets daily. Call Cardiff on 02920 786462 or Nottingham on 01623 827627 and speak to someone who can actually answer the question.
Free · 15 minutes · No obligation
Book your consultation
Tell us roughly what you're thinking and a specialist will call you back at a time that suits. If it turns out bullion isn't right for you, we'll say so. We'd rather have a straight conversation than a quick sale.
- A specialist, not a script. Someone who trades gold and silver daily.
- Live pricing on the call. Including the premium over spot and our buyback quote.
- Your data stays with us. Used to contact you about your enquiry. Unsubscribe any time.
Request your free 15-minute call
Fields marked * are required. We'll never pass your details to a third party.
Request received
Thank you. A GCIL Bullion specialist will be in touch shortly to arrange your 15-minute call. If you'd rather not wait, call Cardiff on 02920 786462 or Nottingham on 01623 827627.
Browse CGT-free bullionStraight answers
Questions we get asked every week
Are Gold Britannias really free of Capital Gains Tax?
Yes. Gold and Silver Britannias are UK legal tender with a face value, and UK legal tender coins are exempt from Capital Gains Tax. There's no cap on how many you can hold and no limit on the gain. Sovereigns minted from 1837 onwards carry the same exemption. Gold bars are not legal tender, so gains on bars can be chargeable to CGT. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and can change. Please take advice on your own position.
Coins or bars: which should I actually buy?
Bars give you the most metal per pound, because the fabrication premium per gram falls as the bar gets bigger. Britannia coins cost a little more per ounce but their gains are CGT-exempt, and small coins are far easier to sell in pieces than a 1kg bar. A common approach is bars for bulk weight and Britannias for the portion you expect to realise at a profit. On the call we'll put real numbers against both for the amount you have in mind.
Is silver worth buying if it carries VAT?
It depends what you want from it. Silver has VAT included, so you start further behind on price, but Silver Britannias are still CGT-exempt, silver is historically more volatile than gold (which cuts both ways), and a 1oz Silver Britannia is the cheapest way to actually hold Royal Mint bullion in your hand. Many people start there and move into gold as they build up.
How is my order delivered, and is it insured?
Smaller orders go by Royal Mail next-day guaranteed delivery; we also use UPS and DPD. Everything is fully insured until you sign for it, and packaging carries no reference to the contents. Orders are dispatched once paid in full. Place before 2pm for same-day dispatch, and orders after 2pm on a Friday are dispatched the following Monday. Higher-value orders can be collected in person by appointment with ID and proof of address.
Can I sell it back to you later?
Yes. We operate a buyback guarantee. When you want to sell, we'll offer our best price based on the live market. We'll happily tell you the current buy and sell spread on any product before you purchase, so you know exactly what the round trip looks like.
Do I have to store it at home?
No. We can arrange secure allocated storage, so your metal is identified as yours rather than pooled, and you can request delivery whenever you'd like it in your possession. If you'd prefer to hold it at home, we'll talk through sensible precautions and insurance.
What if I only want to invest a small amount to start?
That's completely normal and we're glad to help with it. A 1oz Silver Britannia or a 1g to 5g gold bar puts real bullion in your hands for well under £150. If you'd rather build steadily, our Accumulator account buys gold or silver monthly over a 12-month cycle so you're not trying to pick the bottom of the market.
Will I get a sales pitch on the call?
No. It's fifteen minutes to work out what, if anything, makes sense for you. If bullion isn't the right fit, we'll tell you. GCIL Bullion does not provide regulated financial advice; we give you factual, current market information so you can decide for yourself.
Since 2009 · Cardiff & Nottingham
Fifteen minutes now can save you a costly first purchase.
Talk to a specialist about Britannia coins, gold bars, or both, with live pricing and no obligation whatsoever.
GCIL Bullion is a trading name of Global Commodity Investments Limited, company number SC353542, incorporated 15 January 2009. The value of precious metals can fall as well as rise and past performance is not a guide to future performance; you may get back less than you invested. Physical bullion is not a regulated investment and is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. GCIL Bullion does not provide regulated financial, investment or tax advice. Tax treatment, including VAT and Capital Gains Tax exemptions, depends on individual circumstances and prevailing legislation and may change in future. Prices shown are drawn from our live product feed and change with the market; the price payable is the price confirmed at the point of order.