When sending demonetized coins via Royal Mail 2nd Class Signed For (UK), would I be compensated for them if lost in the post?
There's two issues here:
#1 Specifically, the old £1 coin will no longer be legal tender from Sunday midnight, and therefor would not be considered 'money' according to Royal Mail's own definition if I understand correctly. I have tried asking Royal Mail about this but the guy I was talking to didn't seem to know what he was talking about since he contradicted himself! First he said that it wouldn't be liable to compensation because it would not be legal tender and therefor worthless. Then when I asked him, if I had a receipt for how much I sold it for on Ebay and could therefor prove it's value, could I get compensated for that? He said, no, because it is still legal tender because banks still accept it! Personally I think that is BS because according to the Royal Mint, banks are under no obligation to accept it, although most will at least for a limited period of time, and they may charge a fee, so it's not guaranteed.
#2 They do not compensate for jewellery, and they define as jewellery '...jewellery includes: any precious metal that has been manufactured in such a way as to add value to the raw material, including coins used for ornament'. The coins I am talking about would not be made of precious metals, nor are they 'proof' coins finished to a high spec, or commemorative or limited edition. Rather these are coins that have been in circulation, have been demonetized, but worth more than their face value due to their rarity - say, up to £20.