Individuals will be able to buy three types of gold bullion coins through the site and either have them delivered to their home through an insured postal service or stored by The Royal Mint at a cost of 1.2 per cent a year.
It's an initiative that will be attractive to investors who have previously wanted to buy gold coins but were put off by worries about broker reputation, gold quality, shipping and storage.
The Royal Mint is globally recognised as a reliable source for bullion coins. The quality of its gold is confirmed every year at the Trial of the Pyx, an independent examination by an expert jury to ascertain that the UK coins produced by The Royal Mint are of the correct legal weight, diameter and composition.
Gold bullion coins have VAT-free status. They are also free of capital gains tax as they are considered to be legal tender in the UK.
But before you rush to buy, carefully consider the arguments for and against holding gold.
Proponents say the scarcity premium for gold is set to move the gold price up. Also, they believe gold remains a fundamental monetary instrument in a new economic and currency war - China is trying to back its currency with gold, for example.
Many investors hold gold for maximum security - a hedge against calamity. There is plenty of evidence that the price of gold is correlated with market uncertainty. For example, the gold price soared in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Gold can also be held as a hedge against inflation.
However, detractors will say gold is not an investment because it does not generate an income. It is also notoriously difficult to value and price movements can be unpredictable so it shouldn't be held in a portfolio.
One well-known holder of gold is Sebastian Lyon of Personal Assets Trust (PNL), a member of the IC's Top 100 Funds, who holds 10 per cent of the investment trust's portfolio in gold as "long-term insurance rather than a short-term trade". However, Danny Cox, the head of financial planning at Hargreaves Lansdown, says gold should make up no more than 5 per cent of a typical investor's portfolio.
Rather than holding gold coins or bars, many investors now access gold using exchange traded commodities (ETCs) and this is how Mr Lyon gets his exposure.
For low-cost access to gold, we offer three suggestions in the IC's Top 50 ETFs. Of these, the cheapest option is Source Physical Gold ETC (SGLD). This product aims to provide the performance of the spot gold price through certificates collateralised with gold bullion. Each Gold P-ETC is a certificate which is secured by gold bullion held in JPMorgan Chase Bank's London vaults. SGLD's tracking difference was excellent over the periods we looked at and we felt its transparency was commendable, too. SGLD is traded in US dollars and its total expense ratio is 0.29 per cent - a lot cheaper than the 1.2 per cent that the Royal Mint will charge you in storage fees.
Gold bullion coins on sale from the Royal Mint
| Coin | Price |
| The Sovereign | £185.54 |
| Britannia Gold | £782.47 |
| Lunar Gold | £784.36 |
Source: The Royal Mint, as at 24 September 2014
