The price of gold is soaring. Something to delight owners of old jewelry, coins and other ingots. Which for some turn to specialized shops.
Valérie Richard – Today at 06:30
Gold fascinates. Has always fascinated. Better, the precious metal beyond its ornamental use has become over time a safe haven. And this is even more true in times of crisis admits Agnès Pajor, head for more than 11 years of Négoc’Or, rue Stanislas in Nancy. “Since the covid and the war in Ukraine, its course has not stopped climbing”.
At €56,000 per kilo, it is close to its historic record. What makes the businesses of the stores specialized in the sale and the repurchase of gold like that of Agnès Pajor which remains however discreet on the movements of its turnover. “I would say that right now there is a good balance between buyers who want to invest and sellers who need money. In short, supply satisfies demand.
In the hit parade of what we offer him the most? Jewelry of course. “There was a fashion for huge gold bracelets and ornaments in the 1970s. Their owners, now retired, gladly gave them up in this period of inflation. We also have people who come to sell the family jewels of their deceased parents and grandparents. And they are surprised at the sums offered.
The parts also hold the rope. Foreign and French currencies. Depending on the condition, the owner of a Napoleon can expect to get up to 270 €. “I also have people who come to see me with silver coins.” A 5-franc coin can be worth €4. “Treasures” found after a death are not uncommon. “Many customers tell me that they have found coins in a piggy bank”.
Dental gold too…
More unusual but true, not a week goes by, according to Agnès Pajor, without someone coming to offer her teeth. “Sometimes they are still in the customer’s mouth,” adds his employee, pouting. The shopkeeper explains that she is choosy and refuses almost systematically, including when the teeth are no longer attached to the jaw: “very often, it’s not rich gold”.
“After a visual check, I systematically test the batches that are submitted to me with acid or a spectrometer, a metal analyzer”, confides for his part, Philippe Grandpré, the boss of the Agence Alsacienne de l’Or. and Numismatics. The “oldest” Nancy brand in the sector. “And the first in Lorraine, we have existed for 30 years”.
Philippe Grandpré has been the manager of the Agence Alsacienne de l’Or and numismatics for 12 years. Photo Valerie Richard
He has been in charge for 12 years. “What we are buying at the moment is often stocks built up during the 30 glorious years,” he continues. “True, it’s a good time to sell. Since the year 2000, gold has almost never been so high”. He pulls out old invoices from the 90s, shows that the value of the ingot then fluctuated between 60,000 and 64,000 Francs, or €9,000. “Those who invested at that time made a nice capital gain”. Even if the State uses the passage with a TMP (tax on precious metals) at 11.5%. “Gold often passes from one pocket to another in inheritances”, therefore under the radar of the tax administration which, thanks to this tax, recovers part of its due. “As a result, taxes and brokerage deducted, the seller of an ingot will have between 47,000 and 48,000 €”.
If the surge in prices makes some people happy, does it not drive others away? Should investors not wait a bit? “I can’t read crystal balls or coffee grounds… Anyway, gold has a reputation as a safe haven because it escapes inflation. Our clients are people who want to diversify their wealth. They turn some of their liquidity into gold to pass it on during their lifetime. »
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