On , the buyback price at Gold & Silver Company, a Belgian refinery open to private clients, is 79.88 €/g for 18-carat gold, 98.75 €/g for 22-carat, 61.04 €/g for 14-carat, 37.44 €/g for 9-carat, and 648.34 € per coin for the 20 F Napoleon. This is not the gold price, and it is not the price at which we sell a bar or a coin either: three prices, three uses, explained below.
Three prices for the same metal
When people talk about “the gold price”, they often mix up three things. The gold price, or spot price, is the price of an ounce of fine gold on the markets, the same the world over, and it moves continuously. The selling price is what you pay to buy a bar or an investment coin. The buyback price, or buying price, is what you receive when you sell your gold: jewellery, coins or bars. The gold price is the reference; the other two depart from it, in one direction and the other, and it is this gap you need to understand before buying or selling.
The gold price: a world price, for fine gold
The gold price is set for one troy ounce, i.e. 31.1035 grams of fine gold at 999.9 thousandths, in dollars, then converted into euros. It applies only to pure gold, deliverable on a professional market, and it takes account neither of the form of the metal nor of the work needed to obtain it. Nobody buys or sells at the exact gold price; it is the benchmark everyone looks at. Our live gold price page displays it in euros per gram and per ounce.
The buyback price: what your gold is worth when you sell it
An 18-carat piece of jewellery contains only 750 thousandths of fine gold; a coin or a bar has to be checked, and the metal melted and refined before it becomes tradable fine gold again. The buyback price is therefore lower than the gold price: it corresponds to the weight of fine gold actually contained, less the cost of assaying, melting and refining, and less the buyer's margin. With an intermediary who sells on to a refinery, that margin is added to the refiner's; with a refinery that processes the metal itself, it is reduced and the price is published per carat. Our 18-carat gold buyback price is updated with the gold price, several times a day; the displayed price is the price paid, nothing is added, nothing is deducted.
The selling price: what a bar or a coin costs when you buy it
In the other direction, a bar or a coin sells above the gold price: the difference is called the premium. It covers manufacturing, the certificate, checking, secure transport and the seller's margin. It is small on a bar, more marked on a small coin, and it varies with demand: a highly sought-after coin costs more than its gold weight alone. Our gold bars and our investment coins display their selling price of the day.
The gap between the two: what to look at
For an investor, what matters is the gap between the price paid on purchase and the price obtained on resale, for the same product, at the same moment. The smaller this gap, the less gold needs to rise for the operation to break even. Two simple rules: compare the two prices at the same time, because the gold price moves; and compare published prices, per product and per carat, rather than promises. A refinery that buys and sells itself, with no intermediary, is where this gap is easiest to read.
To find out what your gold is worth, the simplest thing is to bring it to us: the office of our refinery, rue Arthur Roelandt 22 in Dottignies (Mouscron), is open on Mondays from 10am to 1pm, Tuesday to Thursday from 10am to 12pm and from 1:30pm to 5pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm, without appointment; weighing and analysis before your eyes, immediate offer at the published price, and you remain free. Too far? One call to +32 56 33 19 96 and your registered shipment is taken care of in the same way. Our prices today: private client rates.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the buyback price lower than the gold price?
Because the gold price applies to fine gold deliverable on a professional market, and your gold has to be assayed, melted and refined to become fine gold again; the buyback price deducts that cost and the buyer's margin.
Is the buyback price of a Napoleon the gold price?
No: a 20 F Napoleon contains 5.806 g of fine gold and is bought back at its own price, today 648.34 € per coin with us, published in our price list.
What is the premium on a coin or a bar?
The difference between its selling price and the value, at the gold price, of the fine gold it contains; it covers manufacturing, certificate, logistics and margin, and varies with demand.
How much is my 18-carat gold worth compared with the gold price?
On 4 November at 17:31, 79.88 €/g on buyback for 18-carat, that is, for 750 thousandths of fine gold per gram; our gold price page gives, at the same time, the price of a gram of fine gold.
Is the buyback price of a bar the same as for jewellery?
No: a bar is fine gold at 999.9 thousandths, numbered and certified; it is bought back at its own price, closer to the gold price than jewellery, which has to be melted and refined.
Where can you see the three prices at the same time?
On our site: the live gold price, the private client rates for buyback prices per carat and per coin, and the gold bars and investment coins pages for selling prices, all time-stamped.
See also: The price of gold and silver, in real time · What is the buyback price of 18-carat gold today? · Our buyback prices of the day (private clients) · Certified bars · Investment coins · How much is my gold worth today? · Is the gold buyback price the same everywhere? · Selling your gold in Belgium: price, expertise and the precious metals chain.