American Hartford Gold Review (2024)

American Hartford Gold has processed over $2 billion in sales through both self-directed gold IRA retirement accounts and direct sales of precious metals to U.S. customers.

Founded in 2015, the gold IRA dealer is one of the larger companies we've reviewed on our site. How do they stack up against the competition?

We'll dive into their fees, promotions, storage and custodial options, online complaints, and more... Let's get started. 

Executive Review

For those without time for the entire American Hartford Gold review, here's a quick punch list of what you need to know.

Here's what we like about the company:

What we don't like about American Hartford Gold:

If you're considering purchasing bullion bars and coins for your IRA, you should consider working with American Hartford Gold.

Click here to request more information today.

About American Hartford

Founded in 2015, the 'family owned' precious metals company has achieved top rankings in Inc 5000's fastest growing companies list, four years in a row. The company has completed billions of dollars in transactions, and managed to maintain a stellar reputation with customers in the process. 

At the helm of American Hartford Gold, a distinguished executive team leads with a commitment to excellence, integrity, and customer satisfaction. 

This team's collective expertise in the precious metals industry underscores the company's standing as a premier destination for Americans looking to secure their savings with physical gold and silver.

Sanford Mann, Chief Executive Officer

Sanford Mann's leadership as CEO is characterized by a steadfast dedication to customer education and transparency, a philosophy ingrained in him from a young age.

Under his guidance, American Hartford Gold has achieved an A+ customer satisfaction rating and emerged as one of the nation's fastest-growing precious metals dealers. Sanford's journey from a farm family upbringing to a seasoned financial executive in New York City, and finally to an entrepreneur in Santa Monica, reflects his deep-rooted work ethic and commitment to community.

A graduate of Connecticut State University with a degree in Economics, Sanford envisions each customer as part of the extended American Hartford Gold family, ensuring a personal touch in all business dealings. Beyond the office, he is an active volunteer, a passionate dog lover, and a proponent of an active lifestyle.

Scott Gerlis, Executive Chairman

Scott Gerlis, the Executive Chairman and co-founder of American Hartford Gold, brings a life-long passion for precious metals, inherited from his father, Harold, a dedicated coin collector.

This passion, combined with over a decade of retail gold and silver experience, fuels his mission to educate individuals on protecting their retirement savings through investments in precious metals.

A Los Angeles native, Scott's business acumen extends beyond American Hartford Gold to successful ventures in retail and real estate, reflecting his broad expertise and commitment to the community.

Max Baecker, President

As President, Max Baecker's role is pivotal in steering American Hartford Gold towards its mission of ensuring clients' long-term financial security through expert guidance in precious metal markets and products.

Max oversees the daily operations and administration of the company, leading a team dedicated to delivering top-notch service and valuable information to clients.

Under his leadership, the company has facilitated the delivery of billions of dollars in precious metals to gold buyers across the U.S., testament to the trust and satisfaction customers place in American Hartford Gold.

Together, Sanford Mann, Scott Gerlis, and Max Baecker embody the core values of American Hartford Gold, prioritizing customer education, ethical business practices, and a commitment to excellence.

Their collective experience and leadership ensure that American Hartford Gold remains a trusted partner for buyers seeking to safeguard their financial future with precious metals.

Bill O’Reilly and Rudy Giuliani Endorsements

In our American Hartford Gold review, the company has managed to land high profile endorsement deals with respected conservative personalities over the years. Commentator and TV host Bill O’Reilly, politician and lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and reality television personality Rick Harrison are just a few names that proudly endorse American Hartford Gold to their audience. 

Visit the American Hartford Gold website to learn more.

$2 Billion in Gold Sales

In our reasonable amount of experience, we've come to understand that a large volume of sales transactions increases the chance of dissatisfaction and bad reviews on various sites across the internet. 

American Hartford Gold noticeably stands out in this regard. If you're completing $2 billion in customer transactions, surely, there's going to be a lot of disgruntled ones? 

Not the case. Somehow, American Hartford has avoided the issues that high volume precious metals companies with busy day-to-days encounter. The company's online reputation is overall highly positive.

Let's take a look at American Hartford Gold reviews online.

American Hartford Gold Reviews

Although it's custom for us to start off with the Better Business Bureau, we'll leave it last this time around. Why? Because that's the only website that has any negative feedback. And that amount is minimal and far from something that raises concerns.

American Hartford Gold reviews are excellent on pretty much every website, so let's start with the Business Consumer Alliance (BCA). They have an AAA rating (highest possible) and 5 out of 5 stars based on 9 reviews.

2 complaints filed in the last three years, and documentation that American Hartford Gold responded to these complaints and "made adjustments" to please the customer in both instances. 

ConsumerAffairs gives them 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 701 ratings. 77% are 5-star reviews, a few 4-star, and one or two 3-stars seem to have snuck in.

Their TrustPilot profile, the site that generally seems to attract negative reviews with the greatest ease, is by far the strongest. 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 1,215 reviews. 92% 5-star and 7% 4-star. For starters, this many reviews indeed affirms that the company is large and has a considerable customer base. 

Having a spotless profile with 1,215 reviews is a rarity for any company. Precious metals dealerships can be a messy business, so it's all the more impressive.

What of the Better Business Bureau? The BBB gives them an A+ rating. Their customer feedback on the site is 4.89/5 stars based on 522 reviews.

So why did we leave the BBB for last? Well, one thing that stands out is the number of complaints, 36 in the last three years. It's among the larger we've seen out of any company we've reviewed. However, a few important points need to be made here.

522 reviews on BBB is also among the largest we've seen, often by a wide margin. Some companies will have less than ten reviews here, obviously making it easier to avoid a complaint. The complaints themselves, while voicing various dissatisfactions, aren't quite as bad as some we've seen where customers give you a "they ruined my life" story.

Furthermore, what stands out is the manner in which the American Hartford Gold representative replies to these complaints. They are friendly and responsive to any review, more so than the usual people-pleasing way in which companies are addressed. It reinforces the company's manifesto of putting the customer first. 

Related: How to Buy and Store Gold and Silver with Your 401(k) or IRA

American Hartford Fees, Promotions and Storage

Here is their bare-bones fee structure, assuming you decide to work with their preferred gold IRA custodian and storage depository:

• Storage and custodial fees should total around $200-$250 annually 
• The aforementioned is waived for the first year in precious metal IRAs with minimum purchases over $50,000, and for the first three years in those with purchases over $100,000
• $5,000 minimum for cash purchases outside of an IRA
• $10,000 minimum purchase for new IRA customers
• No shipping costs with shipping insurance likewise covered by them

Note: American Hartford Gold has preferred storage and custodial partners they regularly do business with. But the company is flexible and can work with any self-directed IRA custodian or private storage depository of your choosing.

We delve more into storage options below.

Promotions

Besides the fee waiving for up to three years, another frequent promotion American Hartford Gold offers is free silver to new accounts. These seem to vary, ranging from a free silver coin that one can get when signing up to their website to several thousands of dollars worth of silver bullion on certain qualifying purchases.

Be sure to ask about this or any other ongoing promotions and incentives for new customers.

Request more information from American Hartford Gold Group

The silver coin was actually the cause of some of the complaints, which almost have an amusing tone to them, all things considered. Someone issued a complaint over not receiving the silver coin on BBB, and the company going to some lengths to describe the situation and stating that they're willing to give that silver coin. Not bad for someone with over $1 billion in transactions.

Perhaps it's also best to fit their price-match guarantee in this section. American Hartford Gold claims that they'll price match any of their products with those of their competitors. Similar to other gold IRA companies, American Hartford Gold's website lacks pricing information on specific products. 

It is, however, encouraging to know they'll price match any competitor. Make sure to always contact 2-3 gold IRA dealers and make them compete for your business. Compare all pricing and fees before making a decision.

Then we get to the safe. Based on how much you've ordered, the company is offering to send you a safe worth up to $699. This is an excellent offer as any gold or silver bug could use a safe to securely store coins held in your personal collection.  

Any gold or silver purchases for your IRA must be held in an IRS-approved depository. This safe would only benefit gold buyers with a personal collection in their home. 

See our warning against "home storage" gold IRAs here.

Gold IRA Storage

The company has excellent storage options, with customers being able to choose between the Delaware Depository, International Depository Services (IDS), and Brinks. These three have facilities in Delaware, Nevada, Texas, Salt Lake City, New York and Los Angeles. The more states the customer is able to choose from when deciding where to store their IRA bullion, the better, and this is quite a robust list.

Buyback Program

Their buyback program has some good and some bad to it. Obviously, having a buyback program to begin with is a plus. American Hartford's, however, isn't all-inclusive or "no questions asked", which means that they assess each case individually.

But if you're eligible, they’re able to buyback your precious metals with no fees involved. Based on reviews, we'd say customers are eligible more often than not.

Request Your Free Gold IRA Guide from American Hartford Gold

American Hartford Gold Products

Gold and Silver IRAs

As you'd expect, their primary service is opening and facilitating precious metal IRAs. While their website reveals a focus on gold and silver, we’ve confirmed with a company rep that their accounts can hold IRA-eligible gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products..

Based on everything we've seen, having a precious metals IRA with American Hartford Gold Group gives one plenty of peace of mind. It’s easy to get someone on the phone, and customers overwhelmingly praise their representatives, custody, storage and hands-off approach.

We won't go into too much detail about their gold IRAs past what we've already covered, as you probably know how precious metal IRAs work if you've been reading our site.

American Hartford's website does outline the various kinds of retirement plans and IRAs that can be rolled over, which covers pretty much everything in the category.

Their overall estimate for how long it will take to get your new IRA up and running is within seen days, which is fairly quick and generally among the quickest out of any company in the retirement precious metals industry.

Gold Bullion 

Because we like detailed product listings, we're going to go into some detail over what can be found in their inventory. Here are the gold coins available for purchase on their website:

• American Gold Eagle, bullion and proof, 1oz, 1/2oz, 1/4oz and 1/10oz
• American Buffalo, 1oz
• American 1984 Olympic Commemorative coin
• Canadian Maple Leaf, 1oz
• Canadian Buffalo, Canadian Polar Bear and many more Canadian animals, various denominations
• Australian Wildlife, 1/4oz
• Austrian Philharmonic, no denominations listed
• South African Krugerrand, 1oz
• Saint Helena, 1/4oz
• Numerous 18th and 19th century gold coins

Despite the absence of some prominent "standard" IRA-eligible coins, this product listing will nonetheless make many coin collectors interested in the company. The numismatics section is the largest we've seen out of any precious metals IRA dealer.

There are two options for gold bars, the Sunshine Mint 1oz and the Valcambi CombiBar, both very popular products.

Related: Visit American Hartford Gold Group's Website for More Information

Silver Bullion 

As is the case with their gold product offering, their silver products are exceptionally well-detailed, to the point that they don't even group "junk silver" coins together. Rather, they list them separately so that customers know exactly what's about up-front. These are the silver coins currently available:

• American Silver Eagle, bullion and proof, 1oz
• America the Beautiful, 5oz
• Canadian Maple Silver Leaf, 1oz
• Even more Canadian animals in silver varieties, if you can believe it
• Australian Wildlife Silver, 2oz
• South African Krugerrand, 1oz
• Austrian Philharmonic Silver, 1oz
• Various pre-1964 circulated coins in a category named that
• Various "junk silver" coins, individually listed, including some brilliant quality ones

There are also 1oz rounds and many silver bars in different weights and from different manufacturers, though the mints aren't always listed up-front here. The lightest silver bar available appears to be 10oz.

If you’re interested in specific gold and silver coins or other physical precious metals not listed above, discuss it with your account representative. American Hartford Gold Group can source a wide range of products for your self-directed IRA or cash purchase. 

An account rep can also advise on IRA-eligibility of any specific products for your precious metals retirement account.

Request more information from the American Hartford Gold website to learn more about how to buy precious metals with the company.

American Hartford Gold Alternatives

As a gold buyer, you shouldn't just call and buy gold from the first ad that pops up on your television, right? It's smart to compare two or three dealers before deciding which gold IRA company is best.

Below are a few other highly rated gold IRA companies. Each dealer below also has an A+ with the BBB, overwhelmingly 5-star reviews on sites like TrustPilot and TrustLink, and each dealer below has been in business for over 10 years. 

Augusta Precious Metals: Founded in 2012, this company offers a unique one-on-one web conference for all prospects. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the gold IRA rollover process.

Birch Gold: One of the larger gold IRA companies, Birch has been in business for over 20 years. They've facilitated billions of dollars in gold IRA transactions and can make the entire process simple and easy.

Goldco: Trusted by celebrities like Sean Hannity and Chuck Norris, Goldco is another top rated company that you can feel good about calling for your gold IRA needs. Ask about their current incentives for new accounts.

If you've already made up your mind to call American Hartford Gold, it still can't hurt to compare them with one or more of their competitors. Get pricing and fees in writing, and let them know you're pitting them up against each other. 

American Hartford Gold review - Verdict

There are other things about this company that we haven't mentioned, but you can only fit so many accolades in a single review. They've been featured prominently and positively in various outlets.

They have numerous celebrity endorsements, with Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, as perhaps the most famous one, and have been featured on the INC 5000 list for financial services..

As for our verdict, what we've laid out pretty much speaks for itself. A huge number of positive reviews that are either spotless or remedied to the customer's liking. A product listing that might be called remarkable for a company in this sector. Perhaps most importantly, no loss of that friendly approach to the customer despite the company's obvious considerable size and volume of purchases.

Some of the accolades go as far as to call this company the best in the precious metals IRA sector. We have to leave a little wiggle room in that regard, but without a doubt, they're a contender for the spot.