Man’s £2,400 package disappeared in the post and he got £20 compensation

Jeffrey Cross and his wife were planning on using the proceeds to help pay for their house-moving fees

A retired couple who had saved up sovereign coins for decades have lost out on more than £2,400 after their package got lost in the post. Jeffrey Cross and his wife are currently moving house and were counting on the money to help with the fees.

Jeffrey, 71, a retired builder from Tonna near Neath, has bought many sovereign coins from The Royal Mint over the years as a way of investing money. Through their buyback scheme you can send the coins back to them and receive the cash instead.

Jeffrey said: “They’ve always been my way of saving money. Whenever I get surplus money I save by buying royal sovereigns.”

On The Royal Mint website it states: “Through our easy, safe, and secure online process The Royal Mint will buy your bullion coins and bars at a competitive rate based on live precious metal prices.”

It adds you can “sell your precious metals with confidence” and you receive a quote, send your items, they go through a quality inspection, and you then receive the funds.

Jeffrey’s coins, which he bought 20 years ago, had been valued at £2,411. He sent them on March 5, 2025, as a second class signed for package which he said was recommended by the people in the Post Office. Stay informed on everything Neath Port Talbot by signing up to our newsletter here.

After living in Tonna for around 40 years Jeffrey is down-sizing and moving to Aberavon Beach. Him and his wife have two sons, who are in their 40s, and five grandchildren.

He said: “I’ve been buying coins over the years for investment for the children but because we’re selling the house we needed the funds for the fees so we thought we’d reluctantly cash the coins in.

“We’re pensioners now and that money meant so much to us and we’re trying to get these funds together just to make our future better by down-sizing. It’s just so frustrating.

“My wife posted it second class signed for and I waited about four or five days and I checked my Royal Mint account and nothing had gone in and I phoned them up and they said they hadn’t received the package.”

Because Jeffrey sent his coins second class he has been told he can have £20 compensation to cover postage costs.

He added: “We’ve sent those coins in good faith and in the manner Royal Mint has asked us to do and I don’t know where they are.”

People invest in sovereigns because they are a reliable way to invest in something that will maintain its market value and the items are exempt from both VAT and capital gains tax (CGT).

In response the Royal Mint said: “For our buyback service The Royal Mint provides customers with clear guidance including that it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure safe delivery and appropriate insurance of items during transit. This information is clearly stated on our selling form.

“In situations where items may be lost in transit we advise customers to contact their chosen postal or courier service directly to resolve any transit issues and process any necessary claims.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We take the safe and timely delivery of mail very seriously and in the rare cases where something goes missing we do everything we can to investigate and locate it.

“Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we were unable to recover the item on this occasion. The customer’s complaint was carefully reviewed by our customer services team and escalated to the postal review panel who provided a full response with their findings on Tuesday, May 13.”