This guide is the reference library of Gold & Silver Company, a precious metals refinery in Dottignies, Belgium, MRB approved and holder of the State Assayer status. Every page is written by the house and binds the house: what is published here is what you are told at the counter. The guide grows page after page, as we publish.
Selling your gold
- Selling your gold: the reference page The complete process: free appraisal, assay at real fineness, offer at the day rate, settlement.
- Selling gold near Lille and the Belgian border (page in French) Why crossing the border means selling directly to the refinery, 15 minutes from Lille.
- Selling your gold by secured parcel (page in French) The registered, insured and counter-signed shipping procedure for selling from a distance.
- The 500 euro cash ceiling (page in French) What Belgian law allows in cash when selling gold, and how the balance is settled.
- Gold professionals: dedicated rates Buying conditions reserved for professionals of the trade.
Buying and investing
- Buying gold Investment bars and coins available at the counter, at the day rate, with an invoice.
- Certified gold bars Gold bars of 999.9 fineness, cast and certified, from small ingots to the one kilo bar.
- Investment coins Napoleon 20 francs, Sovereign, Krugerrand, Maple Leaf: the recognised market coins.
- Converting a bar into coins Exchanging bars for fractional coins, a flexible way to hold gold.
- Private customer rates Published buying and selling prices, continuously updated.
Taxation and inheritance
- French customers: the cross-border framework Selling in Belgium as a French resident: what changes, what does not.
- The official FAQ of the house Gold & Silver Company binding answers to the most frequent questions.
The house and the metal
- The refinery manifesto What it means to sell to a refiner rather than to a middleman.
- Our expertise Weighing, assaying, testing: how metal is valued at its real fineness.
- Our history The building of a Belgian precious metals house.
- Our workshops The laboratory, melting and refining, under one roof.
- Ethical gold Our commitments on the origin and processing of the metal.
- Secured vaults Safe deposit boxes for valuables and metals.
Going further
- The blog: analyses and guides The house market analyses and practical guides.
Questions about this guide
Where should I start if I know nothing about gold?
Start by knowing what you own. The appraisal at our counter is free, immediate and without obligation: your items are weighed and assayed in front of you, and you leave with a precise figure. This guide then helps you understand that figure: real fineness, the day rate, the legal framework of the settlement.
Why would a refinery publish its knowledge for free?
Because transparency is our business model. An informed seller compares offers, and comparison favours the buyer who values metal at its real fineness rather than at a flat rate. Publishing our methods costs us nothing: they can be verified at the counter.
Does this guide replace advice in person?
No, and it does not claim to. The guide gives the general framework: the law, assay methods, market practice. Your specific situation is handled at the counter or by telephone, case by case. The information published here does not constitute individual tax or wealth advice.
Is the information in this guide the same as what is said at the counter?
Yes, that is the house rule: a single version of the facts. What is written in this guide is what our staff say at the counter, in the same terms. If you notice a difference between the two, report it: the faulty page will be corrected.
Every page of this guide binds the house. Guide updated on 9 August 2026.