Bullion Coin Premium Tracker
Typical premium-over-spot for the major gold and silver bullion coins and bars. Use this page to sanity-check what a dealer is quoting you — if a dealer is asking 12% over spot for a 1oz Krugerrand (usually 3-5%), you’re being over-charged.
Premium ranges reflect typical 2026 dealer pricing in the US for single-coin / single-bar retail orders. Larger orders typically earn 1-3% lower premium. Premiums fluctuate with physical demand; spike windows (e.g. early 2021, March 2020) can see premiums 2-3x these ranges.
Gold coins & bars
| Coin / bar | Weight | Purity | Typical premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Eagle | 1 oz | 0.9167 (22k) | 5-7% | US legal tender, most liquid US gold coin. Small spread on dealer buyback. |
| American Gold Buffalo | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 5-8% | US legal tender, .9999 purity. Slightly higher premium than Eagle. |
| Canadian Gold Maple Leaf | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 4-6% | Royal Canadian Mint, often cheapest of the major sovereign coins. |
| South African Krugerrand | 1 oz | 0.9167 (22k) | 3-5% | Original modern bullion coin (1967); often the lowest-premium 1oz option. |
| Austrian Gold Philharmonic | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 4-7% | EU legal tender; popular in European market. |
| Britannia | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 5-8% | UK legal tender; CGT-exempt for UK residents. |
| Generic 1oz gold round | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 2-4% | Cheapest by premium but lower resale liquidity than sovereign coins. |
| 1g gold bar | 1 g | 0.9999 | 10-18% | Highest premium by percentage; convenient for very small purchases. |
| 10g gold bar | 10 g | 0.9999 | 5-8% | Reasonable premium for fractional accumulation. |
| 1oz gold bar (PAMP, Valcambi) | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 3-5% | Slightly cheaper than coins; LBMA Good Delivery brand recognition. |
| 1kg gold bar (LBMA) | 1 kg | 0.9999 | 1-3% | Lowest premium per ounce; institutional-grade Good Delivery. |
Silver coins & bars
| Coin / bar | Weight | Purity | Typical premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Silver Eagle | 1 oz | 0.999 | 10-20% | US legal tender. Highest premium of major bullion coins; widely recognized. |
| Canadian Silver Maple Leaf | 1 oz | 0.9999 | 8-15% | Slightly cheaper than Eagles; .9999 purity. |
| Britannia | 1 oz | 0.999 | 8-12% | UK legal tender; CGT-exempt for UK residents. |
| Austrian Silver Philharmonic | 1 oz | 0.999 | 7-12% | Popular in European market; among lowest-premium sovereign silver. |
| Generic 1oz silver round | 1 oz | 0.999 | 5-10% | Cheapest by premium; lower resale liquidity than sovereign coins. |
| 10oz silver bar | 10 oz | 0.999 | 5-8% | Good balance of premium and divisibility. |
| 100oz silver bar | 100 oz | 0.999 | 3-6% | Best premium per oz for retail buyers. |
| 1000oz silver bar (Good Delivery) | 1000 oz | 0.999 | 1-3% | COMEX-deliverable; institutional standard. |
| Junk silver (pre-1965 US 90%) | $1 face = 0.715 oz | 0.900 | 3-15% | Premium varies wildly with retail demand. |
How to read these ranges
Premium = (dealer price — spot price) / spot price. If gold spot is $2,500 and a dealer quotes you $2,650 for a 1oz American Gold Eagle, your premium is 6%, which is in the typical range.
Larger orders usually earn 1-3% lower premium than the ranges in our tables — many dealers tier their pricing at 5, 10, or 20-coin breakpoints. Premium spikes during physical shortage windows can take Silver Eagle premium above 30-50% briefly; it usually normalizes within weeks.
Sovereign coins (Eagles, Maples, Krugerrands, Philharmonics) carry slightly higher premium than generic rounds but command meaningfully better resale liquidity. For long-term holds where you may sell occasionally, sovereigns are usually worth the extra 2-3%.
Frequently asked questions
- What's a fair premium when buying gold coins?
- As a rule of thumb in 2026: 1oz American Gold Eagle 4-7%, Maple Leaf 4-6%, Krugerrand 3-5%, generic round 2-4%, 1kg bar 1-3%. Premiums above these ranges suggest the dealer is over-charging or you're being upsold a numismatic version. Premiums below typically indicate a deal — but verify the dealer is reputable.
- Why is silver premium so much higher than gold?
- Silver bullion costs more to produce per dollar of metal — minting, packaging, and shipping are similar absolute costs but spread over a much smaller dollar value. A $30 silver coin and a $2,500 gold coin both cost roughly the same to mint and ship, so the silver coin's premium-as-percentage is much higher.
- When are bullion premiums highest?
- During physical-demand spikes — most notably March 2020 (COVID supply chain disruption), early 2021 (silver squeeze), and periodically during banking-stress windows. American Silver Eagle premium has spiked above 50% over spot during severe shortage events. In normal markets, premiums stay near the ranges in our table.
- Is it worth paying extra for sovereign coins vs generic rounds?
- Usually yes, for resale liquidity. Sovereign coins (Eagle, Maple, Krugerrand) are recognized by every dealer and command tighter buy/sell spreads. Generic rounds are cheaper to buy but harder to sell at favorable prices. For long-term holds where you may sell occasionally, sovereign coins are usually the better risk-adjusted option.
- Should I buy the same coin from multiple dealers?
- Diversifying across dealers reduces single-counterparty risk on storage chain-of-custody and on dealer solvency. Compare premiums on the same SKU — they vary 1-3% across dealers — and rotate based on whoever has the best price plus reputation when you're buying.
- What's a numismatic vs bullion coin?
- Bullion coins are valued primarily by metal content (premium of 3-15% over spot for typical sizes). Numismatic coins are valued by rarity, mintage, condition, and collector demand, often with markups of 100-500%+ over melt value. Bullion is for investment; numismatics is for collecting. Don't let a 'rare coin' upsell turn what should be bullion buying into a numismatic gamble.