Advisors, lenders & money services
Books and taxes for coin and bullion dealers.
A spread earned buying and selling gold, a rare coin worth more than its melt value, a consignment sale where most of the check belongs to someone else. Your own bookkeeper sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
September made $12,200 on the spread. Gold moved up mid-month, so unsold inventory is worth more on paper, but that gain will not count as income until it actually sells.
- Bullion sale, spread earnedBuy and sell spread
- Consignment sale, coin collectionConsignment commission
- Bullion inventory purchaseInventory purchases
- Coin grading serviceAuthentication fees
- High-value inventory insuranceInsurance
Why your books are different
A coin and bullion dealer's books go wrong in a few particular spots.
A generalist bookkeeper sees a coin sale and calls the full price a profit. Your inventory's paper value moves with the spot market every day, a rare coin can be worth far more than its metal content, and a consignment sale mostly belongs to someone who is not you.
-
1
A rising spot price is not income yet
When gold or silver prices climb, unsold inventory is worth more on paper, but nothing has actually been sold, and counting that paper gain as income overstates profit for metal that has not yet left the shelf.
What we doKeeps unrealized inventory value separate from actual sales, so profit reflects what was truly sold, not what the market did overnight. -
2
Melt value and numismatic value are two different things
A coin can be worth its metal content, or far more if it is rare and collectible, and pricing every coin at melt value alone hides the real margin on a numismatic sale while overstating margin on a pure bullion trade.
What we doTracks bullion sold at spot-based value separately from numismatic coins sold at collector value, so each side of the business shows its real margin. -
3
A consignment sale mostly belongs to the consignor
When a customer's rare coin sells for $3,000 on consignment and the shop keeps a 15 percent commission, counting the full $3,000 as revenue badly overstates what the shop actually earned on that sale.
What we doBooks only the commission earned on a consignment sale as revenue, with the rest tracked as money owed to the consignor. -
4
Grading and authentication fees get lost in general supplies
Sending coins out for grading and authentication is a real cost tied to specific inventory items, and if it lands in a general supplies line, there is no way to see whether the grading actually paid off in a higher resale price.
What we doKeeps grading and authentication fees in their own category, tied to the items sent out, so the cost is visible against what it earned back.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a coin and bullion dealer.
Set up once for how the shop earns its spread and handles inventory that moves with the market. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Buy and sell spreadThe margin earned buying bullion low and selling it at the counter.
- Numismatic salesRare and collectible coin sales priced above melt value.
- Consignment commissionThe percentage kept on a customer's item sold on consignment.
- Appraisal feesFees charged to evaluate a customer's coins or bullion.
Money out
- Inventory purchasesBullion and coins bought for resale, tracked at cost.
- Authentication feesGrading and authentication services for higher-value coins.
- InsuranceCoverage for high-value inventory held on site.
- Vault and securitySafes, alarm monitoring, and security cameras for the shop.
- Market data subscriptionsLive spot price feeds used to price the counter each day.
- LicensingState precious metals dealer registration where required.
What we watch for you
- Spread margin
What the shop actually earns per ounce bought and sold, apart from market moves.
- Numismatic share
How much of sales come from collector coins versus pure bullion trading.
- Inventory turn
How quickly bullion and coins actually sell off the shelf.
- The set-aside
What the shop will owe on realized sales, not on paper gains from spot moves.
Ask Gus
Things coin and bullion dealers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not yet. That is an unrealized gain until the metal actually sells. I keep it separate so your real profit reflects sales, not the market moving overnight.
$450, your commission. The rest belongs to the consignor and gets tracked as money owed to them, not shop income.
Yes. I keep grading costs tied to the specific coins sent out, so you can see whether the grading actually paid off in a higher sale price.
The tax side
The tax side of a coin and bullion dealer.
Most of what matters here is timing gains to actual sales and keeping consignment money separate, since the underlying business tax rules are otherwise routine.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Unsold inventory gains are not taxable yetA rise in spot price increases the paper value of unsold inventory, but nothing is taxable until the metal or coin actually sells and a real gain is realized.
- Consignment proceeds are not the shop's incomeOnly the commission kept on a consignment sale is the shop's revenue. The rest is money owed to the consignor and should not appear as the shop's income.
- Certain bullion sales may carry reporting dutiesSales of some bullion and coin types to the dealer can trigger federal reporting requirements. The accountant reviews which transactions apply, since the rules depend on the specific metal, form, and quantity.
- Spread profit and the S corp questionOnce consignment pass-through amounts are excluded, the shop's real spread and numismatic margin is taxed at 15.3 percent for self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026, worth weighing against an S corp election due March 15.
Deductions coin and bullion dealers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Grading and authentication fees
- Market data subscriptions
- Vault and alarm monitoring
- High-value inventory insurance
- State dealer registration fees
- Security cameras
- Storefront rent
- Point of sale software
- Display cases and safes
- Employee background checks
- Utilities for the location
- Errors and omissions insurance
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A coin and bullion dealer's year, kept every month.
Spot prices move every day of the year, and buying and selling never really stops. Your team keeps the shop's own books current through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Year planned
Tax season often brings sellers looking to cash out bullion, 1099s go out for anyone paid outside payroll, and last year's return gets started.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, counting only what actually sold all year, so a swinging spot price never changed the number due.
- July
Halfway check
Where the shop stands, what it will owe, and whether spread margin is holding steady as prices move.
- October
Before year end
A look at holiday buying season inventory needs and security equipment worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for coin and bullion dealers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions coin and bullion dealer owners ask first.
Gold prices jumped and my inventory is worth more now. Does that count as income?
Not until it actually sells. Gus keeps unrealized gains separate from real sales, so your profit reflects what left the shop, not what the market did.
I sell customer coins on consignment. What counts as my revenue there?
Only your commission. The rest of the sale price belongs to the consignor and is tracked as money owed to them, never as shop income.
Does Gus price my inventory or decide what to buy and sell?
No. Gus and your bookkeeper only keep the shop's own books, what it makes and spends. Pricing and buying decisions stay entirely with you.
I sell both bullion and rare numismatic coins. Can Gus separate those?
Yes. Bullion sold near spot price and numismatic coins sold at collector value stay in separate categories, so each side shows its real margin.
I have some large bullion sales that might need special reporting. Does Gus handle that?
Gus flags large or unusual sales for the accountant, since certain bullion sales carry federal reporting duties that depend on the specific metal and quantity involved.
My books have never separated grading costs from general supplies. Can Gus fix that?
Yes. Send the records you have and Gus sorts it out, so you can finally see whether grading is paying for itself.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in advisors, lenders & money services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Check cashing & small-dollar lenders
- Crypto ATM operators
- Invoice factoring companies
- Pawn shops
- Student loan consultants
- Equipment financing brokers
- Payment processing agents (ISOs)
- SBA loan brokers
- Tax-focused financial planners
- Annuity specialists
- Credit repair companies
- Debt settlement firms
- Fee-only financial planners
- Merchant cash advance brokers
- Wealth managers
- Independent financial advisors (RIAs)
- Retirement planners
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever