In the UK, naturally occurring gold usually belongs to the Crown Estate or the landowner, making it illegal to keep without permission. Finds of historical significance, such as buried coins or artifacts, must be reported to a local coroner under the Treasure Act 1996, and may be split between the finder and landowner.
This means that even if you find gold on your property, you may not have the right to mine or sell it. Examine your property deed or title to determine who owns the mineral rights. You may need to conduct further research if the deed does not explicitly mention mineral rights.
You must report all finds of potential Treasure to a coroner for the district in which they are found either within 14 days after the day on which you made the discovery or within 14 days after the day on which you realised the find might be treasure.
The value of your gold is based on its weight and purity. It doesn't matter what kind of condition the gold deposits you find are in – if it's gold, it's valuable. It may be tougher to sell to your neighbor, but not to us!
Yes, you must declare gold to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you're carrying over £10,000 in value into the UK; otherwise, your obligation depends on whether you're selling it (report profits above the Capital Gains Tax allowance) or if you're a trader, but you must also keep records for any gold you import or sell, especially for tax or VAT purposes.
The Bank of England has one of the world's largest gold vaults. We are the second-largest custodian of gold in the world, after the New York Federal Reserve.
Upon discovering what they believe to be treasure, finders have a legal obligation to report their find to the local coroner within 14 days of either the find, or realising it might be classed as treasure. The landowner must also be notified of the find.
Yes, there are several active gold mines in the UK, including the Cononish Gold Mine in Scotland. To read some of the latest news back in 2023 on this mine take a look here.
They emit an electromagnetic field from a coil, which induces an electric current in any conductive metal object within its range. This current generates its own magnetic field, which the detector senses, triggering an alert. Gold, being a highly conductive metal, is easily detected by metal detectors.
In the UK, there are no legal limits on how much gold a person can own. That means you're free to buy, hold, and store as much gold as you want, whether it's in the form of jewellery or bullion coins and bars.
While not all banks deal with gold bars, some do accept them as deposits or for sale. You'll need to check with your bank or other financial institutions to see if they offer these services. Be aware that banks that trade in gold might only accept gold bars with certain accredited markings.
There's a finite amount of gold, with about 216,000 tonnes mined throughout history, but a significant amount remains underground, estimated around 50,000 to 64,000 tonnes in reserves, plus vast "resources" not yet economically viable to extract, meaning new discoveries and tech constantly shift the remaining figure, though accessible reserves might deplete in decades. Most mined gold (around 90%) is still in use today, highlighting its recyclability and scarcity.
the price in 1980: $850/oz) The official stated reason for this sale was to diversify the assets of the UK's reserves away from gold, which was deemed to be too volatile.
Most U.S. retail banks do not purchase gold directly from customers. Some banks or bank-affiliated bullion desks might accept gold bars or coins. For these institutions, buying gold helps diversify their asset holdings. It also enables them to offer their high-net-worth clients additional investment options.
From a fundamental side, a major global investment bank – Goldman Sachs - has just raised its end‑2026 gold price forecast from $4,900 to $5,400 per ounce, explicitly citing private‑sector and emerging‑market central bank diversification into gold as the main driver.
For large-scale investors then, gold bars offer the cheapest option normally. For investors who prefer smaller units however, gold coins may be a better choice. part-selling which is often an effective way of getting a maximum return on investment.
