09

Feb 2017

09

Feb 2017

Why Invest In Gold Britannia Coins

By StoneX Bullion

The Britannia gold coin is one of the most sought after in the world. The coins are struck by the Royal Mint which is recognized for its leading techniques to manufacture high-quality merchandise together with the intricacies of design.

Britannia Gold Coins were first struck in 1987 but soon became with popular with collectors. The coins feature the lone figure of Britannia, a Roman goddess of war and protector of the seas.

The symbol of Britannia was used on Roman coins before they arrived in England in AD43. Perhaps the Romans appointed Britannia as the personification of the land the Romans renamed Britain in honour to Queen Boadicea who bravely attempted to reclaim the isle by marching into London.

Although Boadicea was defeated she was heralded as a hero and is still remembered for her efforts today. A statue of her can be found on West Minster Bridge outside the Houses of Parliament. Ironically, the image of Britannia which adorned the back of 50p pieces until 2008 is mistaken for Queen Boadicea by 8% of Britons according to the Royal Mint.

Gold tax advantages

The Gold Britannia coin is available in one troy ounce, half-ounce and tenth-ounce and can be used as legal tender in the UK. The coins carry a fineness of 99.9% pure gold, the maximum amount of yellow metal that can be found in coins.

This is good news for sellers, as gold bullion prices are based on the amount of gold contained in the coin. Ordinarily, coins will contain around 92 per cent of pure gold with the rest been made up with metals allows such as copper or nickel.

Buying physical gold also offers tax advantages in the UK as they are free from capital gains tax when you sell. It is therefore better to buy gold bullion rather than an ETF (exchange-traded fund). Physical gold also performs better than paper gold in the price points.

When buying and selling gold, you should take into account the premiums. When buying a Britannia gold coin for example, you will pay 3 or 4 per cent over the spot price at the time of purchase to cover the seller´s charges.

Long-term investment

If you intend to buy gold short-term you will probably not make much of a profit. Gold is a long-term investment. Over time, premiums erode to the point where your coin is worth the gold it is made of, which is why it is important to buy gold whilst we are in a bear market – like now!

Industry speculators forecast gold prices will stay low for the next year or more going into 2015. This give low-level investors plenty of time to purchase gold bullion in small quantities each month and build up reasonable reserves in your investment portfolio to make significant profits once the precious metals enter a bull market.

You can Buy Gold Britannia Coins today from StoneX Bullion. Then all you have to do is wait until the next financial disaster hits and gold prices go through the roof.

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