[pjc50]

You can buy small quantities of coins off dealers for a very modest spread plus the cost of insured postage. I have a few sovereigns at the back of a drawer from the 2008 crisis which have basically held their value. There's no magic to it, it's just a nice shiny object.

Converting back to cash at a reasonable rate is probably a lot harder.

(UK note: new gold is subject to VAT. Buy used.)