FAQ

Here you can find the most Frequently Asked Questions - if your query is not answered here, please do contact us

Where do you get your coins from?

We buy from a major, well-established international bullion wholesaler based in Europe. We've been buying from them for over a year now with no issues.

How do I know your coins are genuine?

Most modern silver coins are almost impossible to forge either by design or cost-effectively for the would-be counterfeiter. For example, the silver Maple Leaf now has security etchings and lines on the dial of the reverse, and the Britannia etches designs around the rim - both of which are very, very hard to fake. We source our coins from a reputable major international dealer based in Europe and have every confidence that, as they sell thousands of coins a day, are selling genuine coins!

How can you offer such good value?

There are a few simple reasons. We buy only what we need, so we can stay close to the spot silver price without risk of holding too many and being caught on a downward spike, which means we don't need such a big margin as protection against volatility. Also, we have low overheads and don't try to spend too much on advertising, preferring to grow though word-of-mouth and personal recommendation, and conversions from eBay sales.

Are you VAT registered?

No, we are not required to be VAT registered as we are not big enough (yet!) to be required to register for VAT. This means we don't need to charge you VAT - which again represents a saving for you over some of our competitors.

What are bullion coins?

Bullion coins are coins struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce. They have a similar standard of finish to freshly-minted circulating coins i.e. while shiny and high-quality they are normally 'struck' only once and are machine-fed both into and out of the striking machinery with many other coins, so they may occasionally have very tiny scratches on them incurred during the minting process and then being packed into tubes with other coins. Bullion coins sell for a premium over the market price of the metal on the commodities exchanges. This is due to their comparative small size and the costs associated with manufacture, storage and distribution. The margin that is paid varies depending on what type of coin it is, the weight of the coin, and the precious metal. The premium also is affected by prevailing demand.

Note that while the coins we sell are fresh from the respective mints and are totally uncirculated (unlike many bullion dealers who also sell circulated or 'bought-back' bullion coins), these coins are not 'proof' coins, which are often hand-fed and struck three times so as to be as perfect as possible - and are many times more expensive! No reputable bullion dealer will try to claim their standard bullion coins are proof so be wary of anyone claiming to be selling proof coins unless the price is suitably high - for example, the Royal Mint has 2014 silver Proof Britannias for £92.50.

But if you want freshly-minted, beautiful, shiny, uncirculated silver coins to collect or an an investment - then bullion coins are ideal.

How much is postage?

Postage is always free and fully insured for your peice of mind, although the method of sending varies with the purchase value. Most orders will be sent Signed For, but buy over £100 and get free Special Delivery. Please visit our Delivery and Returns page for more information.

Do you offer discounts on bulk purchase?

Yes - see individual product pages, which show the discounts available. Most bullion dealers want you to buy fixed quantities of specific coin types to qualify for discounts but we like to give you flexibility to "mix and match" coins, giving you a discount off your entire order based on the total number of coins you purchase!

If you wish to make a larger purchase and would like to enquire about the possibility of a bigger discount, then please contact us with your proposed quantity and desired coin type and we will see what we can do for you!

What methods of payment are there and how secure are they?

We accept Paypal, which means you can pay by debit or credit card, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express - even if you don't have a PayPal account!

When you checkout, you are integrated into PayPal's industry-leading secure payment gateway. PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information in transit from your computer to PayPal using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available).

Before you even register or log in to PayPal, our server checks that you're using an approved browser - one that uses SSL 3.0 or higher, and all personal data you enter at the checkout before PayPal is SSL-secured (please note that when you move from the Cart to the Checkout screen, the web address is "https" and not simply "http", and a padlock appears in the web address bar to show the site is secured). Your personal (name/email/address) is therefore encrypted when you send this data.

Once your information reaches the PayPal site, it resides on a server that is heavily guarded both physically and electronically. PayPal servers sit behind an electronic firewall and are not directly connected to the internet, so your private financial information is available only to authorised computers. Silverleafcoins.co.uk NEVER sees your financial data - which is held only with PayPal.

What if wish to return an item?

No problem - we accept returns up to 14 days after delivery. Please visit our Delivery and Returns page for more information.

Will you spam me if I give you my email address?

All communications with you will be solely for the purpose of completing your order. At the moment, we have no plans for a newsletter or similar but even if we did, we would ask your permission first. We will never send you marketing material without your permission and we will never sell or otherwise distribute your contact details to anyone else.