Selection guide

When buying, selling and owning precious metals, there are a number of choices to be made. You can use this selection guide when weighing up the possibilities.

Step 1: Gold, silver and other precious metals?

In addition to the price of the precious metal, the choice of the precious metal has to do with the properties, use and history of the precious metal.

Gold – for more than 6000 years a store of wealth and a hedge against inflation in times of financial disaster.

Silver – a scarce superconducting raw material and also an inflation hedge for investors.

Platinum and palladium– very scarce raw materials, especially for the automotive industry, and increasingly popular as an investment.

Step 2: coins or bars?

General

When you purchase a bar or coin, you pay a premium on top of the price for 'the physical product'. With smaller bars and coins, the 'making costs' will be relatively higher than with larger bars and coins. The number that is made of a coin or the special character (e.g. an old coin) can also lead to an extra premium. Part of the premium can then be allocated to the collective value. When making a choice between coins and bars, there is a difference between gold and silver (and other metals). In short:

Gold - Investment gold is exempt from VAT. As a result, the price difference between bars and coins is quite small. Above all, your personal preference will be decisive in making your choice.

Silver and other precious metals– It is interesting for private individuals to purchase silver coins: silver coins fall under the margin scheme, which means that a lot less VAT is paid on a silver coin than on a silver bar. The high VAT rate must be paid on a silver bar. This can only be interesting for business customers if they can reclaim the VAT. Individuals and business customers get the most silver for their money by purchasing silver bars (or platinum bars) in combination with storage in Switzerland; These bars are VAT-free! You can simply order these bars via the website of Holland Gold. Storage in Switzerland is provided by sister company AunexumSafe.

Step 3: specific coin or bar?

Most customers choose Umicore bars, Maple Leaf, Philharmoniker or Kruger coins because these products provide the "most precious metal" for their money. Still, some customers opt for the Heraeus bar or one of the many other coins. They are willing to spend a little more on the edition and weight unit for their personal preference. Or they hope that the collector's value will be higher in the future. Finally, some investors build up a collection of investment coins. A collection is (under specific conditions) exempt from income tax.