American Hartford Gold Review (2022)

American Hartford Gold has processed over $1 billion in sales through both self-directed “gold IRA” retirement accounts and direct sales of bullion and premium coins to customers across all fifty states.

In our reasonable amount of experience, we've come to understand that a huge number of clients and transactions increases the chance of dissatisfaction and bad reviews on various sites across the internet. Prominently, this happens with a lot of gold IRA companies that place a heavy emphasis on bullion distribution in their day-to-day.

American Hartford Gold noticeably stands out in this regard. While companies don't commonly disclose how much they've processed, it's not uncommon to see those who process massive amounts of transactions share the number.

$1 billion is a lot of transactions and a lot of customers. 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 reviews are practically spotless.

The bullion offering is great, there are some eye-catching promotions and even eye-catching celebrity endorsements. Before we delve into all of those, let's see what the company is about. 

About American Hartford

It's not that common to hear the words "family-owned" in the description of precious metals IRAs companies. American Hartford not only has this label, but they also come off as one big family from a single look at their company photo. All of the employees are posing with comfortable looks on their faces, including a dog. Getting a dog to stand still like that already tells us these guys are pros.

The two people in the front are the company's President, Scott Gerlis, and the CEO, Sanford Mann. Both share some interesting details about them, as well as their views that translate well to this kind of company. For starters, Gerlis tells us that his family was into numismatics. As we get to how the website's products are structured, this won't be difficult to believe. Bullion coins are paid a lot of attention to, even down to the tiniest product. That's exactly what we like to see.

From what we've unearthed, the dog is Mann's companion. An economist with a background in New York's financial sector, Mann reveals that he and Gerlis like to keep an active professional life. Aside from their position in the company, they seem to be involved in other ventures as well, primarily community-related ones. Gerlis goes a little more in-depth, sharing that he has been involved with multiple retail and real estate projects.

Both the firm's President and the CEO emphasize how important a good approach is, whether that means dedication to one's profession or excellent customer care. Though we'd hardly pick one over the other, we will say that Gerlis' lifelong exposure to physical precious metal investments probably acts as a head start in more ways than one.

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 that proudly recommend American Hartford Gold to their audience. 

Visit the American Hartford Gold website to learn more.

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 AA rating, just short of the highest, and 5 out of 5 stars based on 8 reviews. 3 complaints with a great experience, so to speak. In other words, closed to the customer's liking. ConsumerAffairs gives them 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 101 ratings. Almost all 5-star, 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 1,032 reviews. 90% 5-star and 9% 4-star. For starters, this many reviews indeed affirms that the company is large and has a considerable customer base. 

It also very much affirms that these customers end up feeling satisfied one way or the other. Again, TrustPilot is where negative reviewers tend to pour in first, so having a spotless profile with 1,032 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 and has accredited them, which is difficult to achieve for a lot of companies. Their customer feedback on the site is 4.93/5 stars based on 244 reviews.

So why did we leave the BBB for last? Well, one thing that stands out is the number of complaints, 24 in the last 3 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.

244 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 kind of 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. There is a tint of a friendly tone, more so than the usual people-pleasing way in which companies are addressed. It reinforces the firm's manifesto of customer care and a kind of familiar approach. 

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, partly administered by them and part by their gold IRA custodian, the Equity Trust Company:

• Variable custody and storage fees that American Hartford says are usually under $180
• 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
• $1,500 minimum purchase for bullion inside and outside of an IRA
• $10,000 minimum purchase when making a rollover
• No shipping costs with shipping insurance likewise covered by them

It's not entirely clear if other custodians can be used when opening a retirement account with the company based on the customer's desires, but one imagines this to be the case.

Promotions

Besides the fee waiving for up to three years, another frequent promotion American Hartford Gold offers is free silver. 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.

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. While there are some disputes over this, the company does claim that they'll price match any of their products with those of their competitors. Although we usually make a sizeable deal over no price listing, if this is true, it would explain why they're absent. And it would make for a pretty good offering.

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. That is to say, the size of the safe varies based on the amount of bullion. It's a nice looking safe. We're tempted to make a quip that they've done away with third-party storage because of this, but we'll restrain ourselves.

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.

Buybacks

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.

Related: Request Your Free Gold IRA Guide from American Hartford Gold

American Hartford Gold products

Gold and silver IRAs

As you'd expect, one of their primary products is opening 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 three 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. As we mentioned, there are no prices, likely because of the price-matching thing. 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

Like we said, a coin collector's dream. 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 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 invest in precious metals with the company.

American Hartford Gold review - Verdict

There are many 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 in 2021.

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 magnitude.

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.