European Holidays
As we explain on our August Slowdown page, much of mainland Europe closes down in August, and everybody packs their bags and migrates to the south of France to lie on the beach. For several years now, we have noticed that, even though many of our buyers are also "on holiday" in August, it is harder for us to find enough coins to meet demand and cover our sales. Once we reach September, the situation starts to ease back to normal.

Secondary Market
The phenomenon we have described above manifest itself because most of the investment gold bullion we handle comes from the secondary market. If we had to source most of our investment gold coins from the primary (new) market, we would need to increase our premiums ( i.e. charge more). We are reluctant to do this, as we try to provide the most competitive source of physical investment gold possible. As we have mentioned on other pages of our site, eventually we expect the pool of secondary market coins to deplete relative to demand, and when this happens, all premiums will increase accordingly.

Panic Buying and Rip-Off Selling
Because many investors and worried individuals have become spooked about the safety of their pensions, investments, bank deposits, and other financial instruments, we have seen a sharply increased level of buying. Some people seem to have been so determined to get hold of physical gold without waiting, that they have paid stupidly high premiums, in our opinion, to get them. We consider that some of the prices charged for common gold bullion items to be so high as to be considered a rip-off.

Long or Short Term Thinking
We try in the pages of our website to give sound and reasoned advice to investors. We take pride in avoiding short term opportunities to make excessive profits, we are not greedy. In normal times, we can balance supply and demand from week to week, and during August and September 2008, we believe we were managing to keep supplies flowing quite well, even though it was often taking slightly longer to source coins (and bars), than we would have liked. On a rising market, this can easily reduce or wipe out our profits on individual deals, days, or even weeks. We accept this risk as part of our business rather as a casino owner or bookmaker expects to lose occasionally. With over 40 years experience, we like to think we know how to manage this risk, although we try not to get complacent. We will often hedge a short position in one type of coin with a long position in another, sometimes in a different precious metal. Even after sustained periods of high demand and short supply, we still retain a substantial hedge in our other stocks. For example, we often have stocks of gold proof coin sets, and collectable sovereigns. While these are worth a relatively high premium, at 10% to 20%, compared with bullion coins at 5% premium, in the event that gold were to double in price overnight, we would be able to sell or scrap them to limit our losses. The fact that we deal in physical gold does have an advantage when it comes to situations which may otherwise place us at risk!

Wider Stock Range
Way back in the 1960s and 1970s, when we were active traders during the unprecedented rise in gold prices, we only had one main gold bullion commodity, the gold sovereign, Most of our investment gold trading, over 90% was in one single item class. Actually, even then, there were different types of sovereign, Shields, Victoria, Kings, or New. With the invention of the Krugerrand, there were two basic gold bullion commodities. Things were quite simple.
In time, other mints brought out their own version of one ounce gold bullion coin, for example the Canadian maple leaf with its U.S.P. (Unique Selling Point) of being "fine" gold. Eventually, fractional weights were introduced, such as half, quarter and tenth ounce Krugerrands. Now in the 21st Century, there are dozens of different investment gold products available, and we make a market in most of them. In January 2000, gold bars became VAT exempt, adding at least another 10 products.
Although in pre-Krugerrand days, there were other international gold bullion coins, as UK based dealers, our main focus was on sovereigns, we did used to trade in Mexican 50 pesos, Austrian 100 or 10 Coronas, 1 and 4 Ducats, 20 and 10 Francs. French 20 Francs, Swiss 20 Francs, German 20 Marks, Russian 10 Roubles, Dutch 10 Guilders, American 20, 10, and 5 dollars, and many other world gold coins. Of these, the gold sovereign enjoyed the widest international recognition.so Swiss, German and French banks and bullion dealers held stocks and regularly traded in sovereigns, although British banks and dealers tended to concentrate on British sovereigns. In India, the middle east, Australia, Canada, USA, and almost everywhere throughout the world, gold sovereigns were recognised and traded.
Now, with the internet, and the shrinking of the globe, we are tending to become slightly more active in these older, original gold bullion coins. If premiums rise on modern one ounce bullion coins, then these other, older coins will probably attract more attention and demand than during most of the Krugerrand era.

October Goldfest 2008
In October 2008, it already looks like gold buyers are in a festive and merry mood.

November News 2008
Nearing normality in November?

December Deliveries 2008
We hear that our order for 5,000 x 2008 new "bullion" sovereigns from the Royal Mint is still on or ahead of schedule, and we should receive them on or before the 8th December date we were previously given.

January Junket 2009
We also have an order for a further 5,000 new "bullion" sovereigns, which we believe will be ready for us on 6th January 2009.

February Fasnacht Festival 2009
Including news from the World Money Fair in Berlin.

March Mayhem? 2009
The 1st of March 2009 should see the launch of the new one ounce "Pacific Sovereign" made for Fiji by the New Zealand Mint. We expect to receive one of the very first deliveries.
We also have good news about important new distributorships.
Please watch this space.

April Arrivals 2009
The 1st of March 2009 should see the launch of the new one ounce "Pacific Sovereign" made for Fiji by the New Zealand Mint. We expect to receive one of the very first deliveries.
We should also receive our first delivery of one ounce gold bullion Britannias direct from the Royal Mint.
We should be able to place our first direct order for one ounce gold bullion Krugerrands fro the Rand Refinery, but will probably not receive delivery until May.
Please watch this space.

Flexibility We would remind potential investors to read our "flexibility" page, part of the gold investment advice section of our website.

Investment Advice
You may wish to look at our gold investment advice page.

Identification
Please be aware that for callers to our showroom hoping to buy Investment Gold we must see two forms of identification. Please see our identification page for further details.

Gold Prices
There are now live spot gold prices available on this website, please see our gold prices page.