FAQs
Here you will find answers to the most common questions we are asked.
You want to sell precious metals?
FAQs about the gold buying process
Questions & Answers if you want to sell precious metals.
We buy all items made of gold, silver, platinum and palladium.
For example:
- Old or broken jewelry (inherited jewelry, old gold, broken gold, gold jewelry, silver jewelry): Rings, necklaces, ear studs, bracelets and much more.
- Brilliant jewelry, antique jewelry, jewelry with stones or other resalable jewelry
- Silverware and silverware (e.g. silver cutlery)
- dental gold
- Gold and silver coins (e.g. ducats, Vienna Philharmonic, schilling)
- Gold bars and silver bars of all manufacturers
- Luxury watches, also made of steel
- Watches made of gold and silver
- diamonds
More about this under gold buying in Vienna.
In the first step, each piece is examined individually. The number of carats and thus the gold content is determined, and each piece is tested for authenticity. This is done using test acids of different strengths. Using calibrated scales, the pieces are then weighed separately according to their karat number and the price is determined on the basis of the current gold rate. You can find out more about this under Valuation of Jewelry and Co.
This depends on the amount of jewelry you want to have valued or sold. In most cases, the complete process from valuation to payment takes no more than 10 minutes. For the valuation of diamond or antique jewelry the expert needs a little more time.
Yes, we offer our customers a free and non-binding evaluation of the entire pieces. Should you wish to sell the jewelry, you will receive the money paid in cash or, for larger amounts, usually by bank transfer.
Since the price depends, among other things, on the current gold rate and this is constantly changing, the offer is valid for the respective day.
The purchase price for gold and silver is calculated from several factors:
1. the fineness of the pieces (e.g. 585 for 14 carat or 58.5 % gold content)
2. the weight of the pieces
3. the current market price of gold
You can find the current prices under precious metal prices.
That depends on the dental gold itself. For example, it makes a difference whether the dental gold is white or yellow. In addition, we can say from experience how much dental or ceramic content must be deducted from the total weight. We will remove the tooth residue after the sale. For an exact determination of the value, you are welcome to come by one of our branches.
On real silver cutlery you will mostly find the stamp 800 or a 3-digit number. If you find the stamp 90 or 100 on silver cutlery, these are silver-plated items that we do not buy. If no stamp is visible, we determine on site whether it is genuine silver cutlery.
Please note that the value is lower for knives, because only the handle (=handle) is made of silver, but not the blade. Moreover, handle fillings are made of putty, sand and the blade was often mounted to the handle with pewter.
As a rule, we pay out the money in cash, but on request we are also happy to pay by bank transfer. For larger amounts, a bank transfer is customary.
Yes, the minimum age for the sale of precious metals has been set by law at 18 years.
If you want to sell gold, you need a valid photo ID (e.g. driver's license, passport, ID card). We are required by law to record the identification data. Your data will of course not be passed on.
Yes, we are happy to provide home visits upon request.
Postal shipping service
If you do not have the opportunity to come to one of our branches, you can easily use our mail-order service.
For more information, see Postal Shipping Service.
For detailed instructions on how to buy gold by mail, please see Mail Shipping Service.
To ensure that your gold is safely packed during shipping, you are welcome to request free packing material via our website. Request your packaging material right here.
This includes:
1) Plastic bag (2 pieces)
2) Safety instruction
3) Step by step instruction
You can find the detailed packing instructions under Postal Shipping Service.
To ensure that your valuables reach us insured, please send only "registered mail" to:
Mag. Walter Hell-Höflinger
Währinger street 48
1090 Vienna
Important: For security reasons, you should avoid designations in the addressing that suggest the content.
Do not address with Gold & Co. However, this also includes inscriptions such as gold, jewelry, valuables, valuable or similar.
We will return inauthentic pieces to you free of charge or dispose of them upon request.
Swap jewelry
Jewelry is not suitable for asset protection. Therefore, we recommend that you exchange your jewelry that you do not wear into safe bars or coins. More about this in the next question.
Jewelry is beautiful and valuable, but not a form of investment. The value of jewelry can only be assessed by a professional and therefore it is not very suitable for retirement planning. I advise you to sell jewelry that is no longer worn and exchange it for investment gold such as gold coins or bars.
You can always determine the value of investment gold yourself via the published gold price on the Internet or in the newspaper. Coins (ducats, Vienna Philharmonic...) or bars are best suited. Smaller units are recommended (coins from 3 grams, bars from 20 grams), because this way you remain flexible. If you need some money, not all reserves have to be sold at once.
For more, see "How much is my old jewelry worth?"
For more valuable tips, see Investing money properly in gold.
Gold Knowledge
Jewelry with stones are tested directly on site. In the process, it is determined which stone it is. For diamonds, the "4 Cs" are of particular importance: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat. If you own jewelry with a gemstone of 1 carat (1ct) or more, a professional and free appraisal by our gemstone expert makes sense.
The jewelry is melted down by us. Afterwards, the gold is chemically recycled, reintroduced into the gold cycle and further processed into gold bars or jewelry. Gold is a rare commodity with extremely limited resources, which is why the recycling of precious metals is of enormous importance. A look at the origin of traded gold shows this particularly clearly. On average, 10,000 tons of gold are traded annually. Of this, only about 3000 - 4000 tons come from the mines of the world, but almost two thirds come from recycling. Gold & Co. contributes to this valuable cycle.
The more carats the jewelry has, the higher the gold content.
More about this in the next question about the meaning of carat.
Both terms have the same meaning, it is used to indicate the fineness of gold.
In Austria, jewelry is mostly made of 14 carat gold (585 gold), which corresponds to a gold content of 58.5%. In more southern countries, for example Italy, you can more often find jewelry made with 750 gold. Here, the gold content is thus 75%, which corresponds to 18 carats. 333 gold has 8 carats, the gold content of the alloy is 33.3%.
More about this under Karat number / Karat.
For this we have summarized 7 valuable tips for you.
In order to achieve the best result for you, you should not be guided solely by the purchase price when choosing a gold dealer. Pay attention to other criteria such as:
- Does the jeweler or precious metal dealer make a reputable impression on you?
- Is the valuation of your pieces free of charge?
- Are there already positive customer opinions on the Internet (e.g. search via Google), based on which you can expect a smooth purchase transaction?
- Do you have a clear view of the scale?
For more helpful tips on recognizing a reputable dealer, check out our 7 tips.
You want to invest in precious metals?
FAQs about the gold sale process
Questions & Answers if you want to buy precious metals.
On this topic we have written a helpful article for you, where you will find the answers to the most common questions: Investing money properly in gold.
If you want to invest in precious metals, we are at your disposal for a free and non-binding consultation before you make your decision. Many customers, apart from the fact that they want to add precious metals to their investments, have often not yet made any precise decisions regarding the details and are happy to take advantage of our advice.
In doing so, we will work with you to determine which investment amount, metal mix and denomination is right for your personal hedging needs.
Since we like to take enough time for you, we ask you to make an appointment in advance. To do so, call our hotline: +43 (0)1 23 50 222
You can buy coins and bars at our two locations in the 9th as well as 22nd district.
| Branch 1090 Vienna
Währinger Str. 48 Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
|
Branch 1220 Vienna
Shopping center K1 Kagraner Platz 1 on the 1st floor 1 hour free parking in the underground garage. |
No. Only from an investment amount of €10.000.- we are legally obliged to collect the data of customers within the framework of the "Provisions for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing §§ 365m-z GewO 1994". These are treated within the framework of the data protection regulations and of course not passed on to third parties or automatically reported, but must be kept for 7 years for any authority queries.
Yes, you can buy gold up to 9,999 euros anonymously.
Only from an investment amount of €10.000.- we are legally obliged to collect the data of customers within the framework of the "Regulations for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing §§ 365m-z GewO 1994". These are treated within the framework of the data protection regulations and of course not passed on to third parties or automatically reported, but must be kept for 7 years for any authority queries.
You can find information from the Federal Ministry here >>>.
Background information on this can also be found in our Gold Knowledge section under Buy Gold Anonymously and Anonymity Limit Lowered to 10,000 Euros!
There must be at least 3 months per purchase (per person) between the renewed anonymous purchase.
No, you can buy as much as you want, provided that the goods are in stock.
Sie können bei uns in bar, mit Kredit- oder Bankomatkarte bezahlen.
We answer the question "to buy gold or not?" with a "yes" to gold as an investment. Together with leading experts, we recommend owning around 10-20% of investment assets in gold. Because: buying gold means investing money safely. Gold has retained its value for thousands of years, whereas money or other forms of investment such as shares unfortunately do not.
For more information, see Why buy gold?
You can find the current prices under precious metal prices.
Gold Knowledge
No! If you buy bars, then be sure to choose Good Delivery bars. These are bars that are produced by certified manufacturers. In Austria, only the "Austrian Mint" holds this certificate, which is awarded by the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) under strict conditions. You can find out more about this under "Good Delivery Bars".
If you want to buy bullion coins for financial security, you should usually choose coins whose motifs have remained unchanged since the first issue: Vienna Philharmonic, Ducat, Krugerrand or Maple Leaf are highly recommended, for example. You can find out more about this in the investment coins article.
A troy ounce is the unit of measurement for precious metals.
Its weight is exactly 31.1034768 g. This refers purely to the precious metal content. Worldwide, the prices for precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, but also palladium, are quoted in US dollars per ounce.
Yes, that is correct. In Austria and the European Union, gold coins and gold bars are exempt from VAT, provided certain legal requirements are met.
Goldbarren sind steuerfrei, wenn sie ein auf dem Goldmarkt akzeptiertes Gewicht besitzen und ihr Feingehalt mindestens 99,5 % beträgt. Goldbarren beispielsweise der Münze Österreich oder Argor Heraeus besitzen einen Feingehalt von 99,9 %.
Gold coins are exempt from VAT if they meet the following four criteria: They must have a fineness of at least 90% and have been minted after 1800. In their country of origin, they must be or have been legal tender (e.g. ducats, Vienna Philharmonic). In addition, the selling price of the coins must not exceed 80% of the market value of their gold content.
Thus, investment gold coins such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Maple Leaf, or Krugerrand are exempt from tax. The same applies to Austrian trade gold coins such as ducats, crowns and guilders. Furthermore, no tax is levied on the 1999 gold issues d. s. 500-S gold "Johann Strauss" and 1000-S gold "Kaiser Karl".
For more information, see "Gold tax-free".
General questions about gold & co.
Opening hours & dates
Our opening hours are:
Branch 1090 Vienna
Währinger Str. 48
Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Branch 1220 Vienna
Shopping center K1
Kagraner Platz 1 on the 1st floor
Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.
No, you do not need an appointment and are welcome to visit us at any time during our opening hours. You can find these under "Contact".
Yes, this is possible. Please contact us by phone 01/23 50 222 to make an appointment.
Gold Knowledge
If the entire gold deposit of the world were to be combined in a cube, it would have a side length of only 20.5 meters.
More about gold deposits.
Due to the financial crisis, the prices of the precious metals platinum and silver have fallen sharply, which is due to the fact that platinum is primarily an industrial metal that is used in catalytic converters in the automotive industry. While the price of gold has increased, the price of platinum has almost halved. Thus, both precious metals are almost at the same level.
Unfortunately, no one can answer this question for you with certainty. Many analysts believe that the price of gold will rise in the long term (10 years or more). However, you should keep in mind that the price of gold is currently, historically speaking, at a very high level.
The global gold deposit ever mined is very small and would fit into a cube with a side length of 20.5 meters. This fact speaks for itself and also for a long-term rising gold price. However, this is purely speculative.
Gold processing
Recycling is the reprocessing of raw materials that have already been used. Recycling is usually more economical and also more environmentally friendly than the new extraction of the respective raw materials. Gold recycling could also be called the forefather of all recycling, since the earth's gold deposits have always been subject to a millennia-old cycle.
Separation means the separation of metals from alloys or ores, by various processes such as electrolysis, amalgamation or ion exchange. The recovery of precious metals from alloys is usually carried out wet-chemically by means of so-called aqua regia separation. In this process, the metal mixture is completely dissolved in a hot, highly concentrated mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid. In the course of an analysis, the elements are then extracted separately, purified and recovered in further processes, and cast into ingots. Thus, almost 95% of all metals can be recovered without polluting the environment.
In the course of the purification processes and during melting, losses of small amounts through evaporation or carryover cannot be avoided even under the most modern methods. A small part is thus lost forever.
The recovery of precious metals is the task of a refinery.
No, unfortunately, despite the most modern technology, losses of valuable materials cannot be completely avoided in the course of the many stages of the cleaning processes, such as melting, separation or electrolysis.
For example, the greatest losses occur during smelting, as all impurities evaporate and foreign materials (papers, plastics, gypsum residues, organic components), stones or some base metals are bound in the slag. However, smaller quantities of precious metal also pass into the waste gases here under appropriate conditions. Depending on the starting material, weight losses of up to 10-20% are possible for gold alloys, and even more for silver alloys. Further losses occur in the course of the analysis process, where further small quantities are lost due to carryover and chemical faulty reactions.
Melting losses occur not only in recycling, but also in jewelry production and even in the manufacture of bars of fine gold. For example, even under the most precise conditions, it is not possible to melt an exactly weighed amount of fine gold granules and then get the exact same amount back as ingots. For precisely these reasons of the limitations of the recycling processes and analysis, investment bars always weigh slightly more than their minting weight.
Drosses are wastes with the lowest precious metal content as they are produced in the course of manufacturing and processing jewelry or other precious metal objects. For example, the residues from the crucible, residues from the filter, ash after each melting, sludge, sweepings, but also blasting sand. These wastes contain a high proportion of nonmetals. For the recovery of precious metals from the dross, a complex and multi-stage process is necessary.
An alloy is a mixture of several metals to change the properties of the main metal. For example, copper causes a red coloration in jewelry, nickel or palladium a white coloration. But also density, hardness and melting point can be changed by mixing other metals. The fineness of the alloy is given in parts per thousand (=thousand parts). "585″ everyone knows as 14 carat and means 585 parts per thousand of this alloy are gold, the rest by-metals.
Gemstones
Diamonds are judged according to the four well-known criteria "4C" - carat, clarity, color and cut. Other criteria such as fluorescence, treatment and international certificate or appraisal are also decisive for the price.
The price is formed on the basis of the international prices of the diamond exchange in Antwerp. Serious information and valuation on diamonds can only be given after a thorough appraisal.
Interesting for us are gemstones from 1 carat (1ct). The decision whether we actually buy the stone is up to our gemologists, who are located in the 9th district.
No, you do not need. We recommend that you send in advance all the information and photos about the piece of jewelry to our Whatsapp 0043 660 50 50 999.
We are interested in purchasing from 1ct per gemstone.
You want to order online?
FAQs about buying in our online store
Please note that prices in the online store are updated every 5 minutes. This is also the case for products that you have already added to your shopping cart. The final price will be fixed as soon as you click on "Payable" order in the checkout.
We ship our goods as insured value EMS or as registered parcels (during the Corona crisis for the time being exclusively by value EMS) via Austrian Post or FEDEX. Within Vienna, delivery can also be made by courier service if desired. Pick-up at one of our branches is also possible.
Yes, the shipment of the goods is fully insured from our side. The shipping of silver is currently limited to max. 4 kilograms / package. Larger quantities will be delivered by messenger in Vienna.
The protocolling of the delivery is only done by the letter carrier's own signature. Alternatively, shipping to a receiving box is also possible. For this reason, for the time being, we do not send by registered parcel, but only by value EMS.
Prices vary from country to country, as they can be divided into different delivery zones. Currently we deliver to the following countries:
Austria:
Within Austria the shipping costs, if the value is less than 10.000 €, are 13,90 €.
Germany: 40,00 €
Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary (zone 2): 49,00 €
Poland, Romania (zone 3): 53,00 €
Belgium, Netherlands (Zone 4): 57,00 €
Croatia (Zone 5): 79,00 €
The shipping costs of registered parcels sometimes also depend on the weight.
The anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism guidelines remain valid on the web. According to the Money Laundering Act, we are obliged as a dealer to comply with the due diligence obligations for our high-value goods (precious metals), to request a copy of identification for purchases over € 10,000, -. This will be requested in a separate e-mail. This ID data will be deleted after 7 years.
Unfortunately no. Pursuant to Section 18 (1) (2) FAGG, there is no right of withdrawal for consumers, since in the case of the purchase of precious metals the distance contract has as its object the delivery of goods, the price of which is subject to the development of rates on the financial markets, over which we have no influence.
Yes, you can. Simply specify which store you prefer.
As soon as the money is on our account, the goods will be shipped to you or you can pick them up. You will receive a separate email from us as soon as your goods are ready for collection.
Please enter your email address in the field below the desired product, then you will be automatically notified as soon as the item is available again.
