A 30-year-old entrepreneur who began his working life sweeping floors for £20 a day now heads a gold coin trading business forecasting an £8 million turnover in the current financial year. Harry Thorne, co-founder and CEO of the Bullion Club, has rapidly carved a niche in the UK’s precious metals market, driven by a growing demand for accessible gold investment.
The Bullion Club, based in a Grade II listed mansion in Leatherhead, Surrey, currently employs 11 staff. Thorne’s journey from a school leaver with no qualifications to a successful businessman reflects a broader trend: a shift towards tangible assets as confidence in digital currencies wanes, according to industry observers.
Thorne’s initial exposure to gold came through a consistent, if modest, gift from his grandfather – a single gold coin for each birthday. By the time he reached 21, the accumulated collection provided a £16,000 deposit for his first flat in Epsom. “That was lesson one. Gold preserves wealth,” Thorne told GB News. This experience stands in stark contrast to a subsequent £1,000 investment in cryptocurrency, which he lost entirely. “At the time it felt devastating. But it taught me something priceless. Crypto can be up and down like a yo-yo. Gold behaves very differently.”
Thorne formally entered the gold market in 2022, initially trading through a contact in London’s historic Hatton Garden jewellery quarter before taking sole ownership and rebranding the business as the Bullion Club. The company focuses on independently graded, sealed Royal Mint sovereigns and britannias – UK legal tender coins that benefit from a capital gains tax (CGT) exemption for British investors.
Entry to the Bullion Club begins around £2,500, positioning it as an accessible investment option comparable to an Individual Savings Account (ISA) contribution. “I spent years watching people being pushed into products they didn’t fully understand,” Thorne explained. “Bullion Club came from a simple idea: make it easier to own real, verifiable, high-quality gold in a way that’s clear and transparent. We focus on assets that stand on their own merit, not a sales story.”
The Bullion Club’s success comes amid a period of heightened geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty, contributing to a surge in gold prices. The price of gold skyrocketed as 2025 came to an end, according to market analysts.
Despite the recent price increases, Thorne believes a broader structural shift is underway, driven by factors beyond short-term market fluctuations. “We’re seeing demand influenced by longer-term themes like diversification, confidence in fiat currencies, and institutional/central-bank interest, not just a single news cycle. Notably, 2025 saw record levels of gold demand and extensive new highs in the gold price.”
Thorne remains cautious about the cryptocurrency market, warning retail investors to exercise vigilance. “They can be highly fragmented and sentiment-driven. Price can be whipsawed by liquidations or thin liquidity. There’s also operational and counterparty risk that many people don’t fully understand.” He advises potential investors to prioritize clarity and seek independent financial advice.
The company’s focus on UK legal tender coins and the associated CGT exemption is a key draw for investors, particularly those in higher tax brackets. Thorne emphasizes the importance of recognisability, liquidity, and independent grading in building trust with clients. “Clients like recognisability, liquidity and independent grading,” Thorne says. “They want clarity on what they’re buying. More people want tangible, understandable assets alongside traditional portfolios. And when clients understand the proposition, they refer others.”