Good news first, and it is genuinely good.
When you sell gold inside an IRA, you owe nothing. No capital gains tax. No collectibles rate. No 1099-B. No line on your tax return. The IRS does not watch what happens inside a retirement account, only what crosses the boundary.
So the coins become cash, the cash sits in your IRA, and nothing is reported to anyone.
Now the part people are not expecting.
The number you receive is often meaningfully less than you assumed, and the reason has nothing to do with taxes. It is the spread, and for anyone who bought premium or proof coins, the spread is where the story gets uncomfortable.
Let's walk through what actually happens, in order.