Affiliate disclosure: White Metal Resources holds an affiliate relationship with Augusta Precious Metals and may earn a commission when you open an account through the Augusta links on this page. We hold no affiliate relationship with American Hartford Gold. This never changes what you pay or what we write. We are not financial or tax advisors. Consult a licensed advisor before making retirement decisions.
Last updated: July 30, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial
Quick answer: Augusta Precious Metals prints a real annual fee range in dollars on its gold IRA page (75 to 150 dollar custodian, 100 to 150 dollar storage) and names Equity Trust Company and Delaware Depository as counterparties. American Hartford Gold publishes neither: its fee URL returns 404 and neither its custodian nor its depository is named on the public IRA page (both firms live-checked July 2026).
Short on time? The essentials
- Both firms are Los Angeles area precious-metals dealers. Augusta operates from Beverly Hills with a second office in Casper, Wyoming. American Hartford Gold operates from 11755 Wilshire Boulevard, 11th Floor in Los Angeles (source: augustapreciousmetals.com and americanhartfordgold.com About page, live-checked July 2026).
- Fee disclosure gap. Augusta publishes annual custodian and storage ranges on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not: the URL /gold-ira-fees/ returns a 404 template.
- Counterparty disclosure gap. Augusta names Equity Trust Company as custodian and Delaware Depository as storage partner on its public IRA page. American Hartford Gold names neither on its IRA landing page.
- White-metals coverage. Neither firm sells a dedicated Platinum IRA or Palladium IRA product on its public site as of July 2026. Both cite platinum and palladium only in generic IRS-eligibility copy. American Hartford Gold serves platinum and palladium 404s on its catalog URLs.
- Silver coverage. Both firms run a dedicated silver product line. Augusta has a Silver IRA product page. American Hartford Gold has a silver catalog page with an IRA-approved filter.
- Minimums. Augusta publishes a 50,000 dollar recommended opening balance on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not publish a minimum in prose on the IRA landing page.
- Third-party ratings. Augusta self-displays an A plus BBB rating and an AAA Business Consumer Alliance rating. American Hartford Gold displays a BBB accredited-business logo. The live BBB profiles for both firms sat behind an anti-automation challenge during this session; verify at bbb.org before you fund.
- Regulator footprint. Both firms return zero SEC EDGAR filings, which is the expected result for a physical coin and bar dealer.
- Endorsement style. Augusta cites Money magazine editorial recognition every year since 2022. American Hartford Gold cites an exclusive endorsement from Bill O'Reilly and multiple Inc. 5000 appearances.
- Sales structure. Augusta describes its floor as salaried, not commissioned. American Hartford Gold does not describe its floor compensation on the public site.
This side by side compares Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold on the fields that matter to a national reader weighing a self-directed IRA in gold, silver, or one of the white metals.
Every figure below either points at what each company publishes on its own site, live-checked in July 2026, or at a public federal record. Where a company does not disclose a figure, we mark the row as not disclosed rather than fill the gap from second-hand sources.
One thing to be direct about before the comparison starts. Augusta is the one company White Metal Resources holds an affiliate relationship with. We disclose it here, at the top, and in the schema. We hold no affiliate relationship with American Hartford Gold and receive no compensation if you contact that firm. The two guardrails on the review that follows are what each firm publishes and what the neutral federal record says. Nothing else.
How the two firms differ in one paragraph
The gap between these two dealers is not about the metal itself. Federal rules under 26 U.S.C. Section 408(m) apply the same fineness thresholds and the same nonbank-trustee requirement to every IRA account regardless of dealer. The gap sits at the level of what each firm chooses to put in public writing before you pick up the phone.
Augusta publishes an annual custodian range, an annual storage range, the custodian name, the depository name, and a recommended opening balance on its own gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold publishes none of these on its IRA landing page.
Its fee URL returns a 404 template, its custodian is not named on the public page, and its depository is not named either. Both firms sell gold and silver IRAs. Neither sells a dedicated Platinum or Palladium IRA product as of July 2026.
Weighing Augusta as a shortlist option? Start with the free checklist.
Augusta lets a qualifying reader with 50,000 dollars or more in eligible retirement savings request a free written company checklist and a one on one web conference with Director of Education Devlyn Steele before any paperwork begins. That is the on ramp we route serious Augusta inquiries through, because it puts the fee ranges, the custodian name, and the depository name into a written packet you can compare against any competing firm.
Partner link. We may earn a commission if you open an account. No cost to you. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Consult a licensed advisor before any retirement decision.
Fee transparency: what each firm actually prints
Fee transparency is the single largest wedge between these two firms on the public record. Read this section first, and treat everything below it as detail.
Augusta. The gold IRA page on augustapreciousmetals.com prints an annual custodian range of 75 to 150 dollars and an annual storage range of 100 to 150 dollars. The page names the custodian (Equity Trust Company) and the depository (Delaware Depository) so a reader can price the vendor cost against those two firms' own public schedules.
The dealer spread on any specific coin is not a fixed public number and must be requested in writing from a specialist. On the same page, Augusta warns against spreads above roughly 5 percent and cites a 25 percent spread as an example of a mark up to refuse (source: augustapreciousmetals.com, live-checked July 2026).
American Hartford Gold. No fee dollars are printed on the public IRA landing page. The URL a shopper would try first, /gold-ira-fees/, returns a 404 Page not found template (verified via live check, July 2026).
The IRA educational copy on the /precious-metals-ira/ page correctly names the categories a customer will pay: initial setup, regular maintenance, storage, and transaction fees. It reminds readers to review the fee structure of the custodian and depository. Those are the right questions to ask. The dollar answers are only available on a specialist call.
For a national reader trying to price two IRAs side by side, that gap has one practical consequence. You can bracket the Augusta account at roughly 175 to 300 dollars a year in fixed vendor cost before any coin transaction, using only the public site. You cannot bracket the American Hartford Gold account at all without a specialist call, because the dollars are not on the page.
Minimums: 50,000 versus not disclosed
Augusta publishes a recommended opening balance of 50,000 dollars on its gold IRA page. That figure is the operational gate to the free one on one web conference with Devlyn Steele and, in practice, to the retail relationship. It is not a hard federal minimum. Federal rules under 26 U.S.C. Section 408 impose no dollar floor on any self-directed IRA. Augusta chooses the 50,000 dollar number as a company threshold and prints it publicly.
American Hartford Gold does not publish a minimum-funding threshold in prose on its home page or its IRA landing page in a form we could pull with a scripted fetch.
Third-party comparison sites frequently cite a figure in the low five figures, but those numbers are second-hand and worth confirming with a specialist rather than treating as company-verified. Ask a specialist for the minimum by rollover balance and by first metal purchase (both figures) so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
For a saver with less than 50,000 dollars to move, that missing disclosure has a real cost. It removes the ability to filter Augusta out or in before the call. American Hartford Gold may accept the smaller account, or the specialist may quote a threshold on the phone that rules it out. You will not know until you ask.
Custodian and depository, named or not named
A precious-metals IRA is a three-party arrangement. The dealer sells you the coins. A federally approved trustee holds legal title to the account. A private vault holds physical custody of the metal. Each of the three has its own fee schedule and its own compliance record. Reading only the dealer page misses two thirds of your annual cost.
Augusta. Names Equity Trust Company as the custodian on its own gold IRA page. Names Delaware Depository as the storage partner on the same page. Both are established, IRS-approved counterparties. That two-firm disclosure lets you cross-check the Equity Trust fee schedule at trustetc.com and the Delaware Depository storage terms on that firm's own site before any Augusta paperwork moves.
American Hartford Gold. The custodian name is not on the IRA landing page. The depository name is not on the IRA landing page either. Both have to come from a specialist call. Once you have the custodian name in writing, verify its BBB record and read its own fee schedule separately. Once you have the depository name, ask whether storage is segregated or commingled, and what the annual gap is between the two options.
The missing counterparty names on the American Hartford Gold public site are not, on their own, a reason to rule the firm out. Every compliant dealer works with a real custodian and a real depository somewhere in the chain. It is a reason to slow down until you have both names in writing on a signed schedule, and to check each firm's separate record before you sign a transfer form.
Silver, platinum, and palladium: two narrow menus
This is the section that decides most white-metals inquiries at either firm before any other consideration.
Silver, both firms. Both dealers run a dedicated silver product line. Augusta has a Silver IRA page on the same navigation footing as its Gold IRA page, using the same custodian and depository. American Hartford Gold has a /catalog-silver/ page titled "Buy Premium Silver Coins and Bars" with an IRA-approved products filter that flags silver coins and bars meeting the federal .999 fineness rule. Silver is a first-class product at both companies.
Platinum, both firms. Neither firm sells a dedicated Platinum IRA product on the public site as of July 2026. Augusta references platinum only in generic IRS-eligibility copy on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold serves a 404 Page not found template on its /catalog-platinum/ URL.
If platinum is part of your intended allocation, ask each firm directly on the intake call whether platinum can be sourced against your account and at what dealer spread. IRA-eligible platinum must be at least .9995 fine under 26 U.S.C. Section 408(m).
Palladium, both firms. Same story. Neither firm publishes a dedicated Palladium IRA product page. Augusta names palladium among the four IRS-eligible metals in generic educational copy. American Hartford Gold's /catalog-palladium/ URL returns a 404 template. IRA-eligible palladium must be at least .9995 fine under federal rules. A portfolio built primarily on palladium is not a match for either firm's visible public product line without a bespoke sourcing conversation.
The honest read is that both firms are gold and silver specialists with limited public white-metals coverage. Augusta is more transparent about that limit (it is written into the product-page structure of the site) while American Hartford Gold shows it through 404 responses at the URLs a shopper would try. See our white metals IRA primer, platinum IRA guide, and palladium IRA guide for how each metal behaves inside a retirement account.
Public record: BBB, SEC, and third-party endorsement
Four separate public sources tell you different things about a precious-metals dealer. Read them in sequence, not in isolation, and give the regulatory records more weight than the marketing signals.
Better Business Bureau. Augusta self-displays an A plus BBB rating on its home page and gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold displays a BBB accredited-business logo in its site marketing. The live bbb.org profiles for both firms returned an anti-automation Cloudflare challenge during this session, so the current letter rating and complaint volume could not be re-verified through a scripted fetch for either firm. Verify each profile directly at bbb.org before you fund an account with either dealer.
Business Consumer Alliance. Augusta cites an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not cite a BCA rating in the site copy we could pull. A private consumer-rating body is a signal, not a regulatory license, and either firm's rating should be verified on bcaonline.org before you rely on it.
SEC EDGAR. A full-text search on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR system returned zero filings for either "Augusta Precious Metals" or "American Hartford Gold" as of July 2026 (source: efts.sec.gov). Zero SEC filings is the expected result for a state-regulated physical coin and bar dealer.
The SEC oversees securities issuers and registered investment advisers, categories that do not include a straight metals merchant. Read the identical result for both firms as neutral, not as a red flag against either one.
Third-party endorsement. Augusta cites Money magazine editorial recognition as Best Overall Gold IRA Company every year since 2022. American Hartford Gold cites an exclusive endorsement from Bill O'Reilly on its About page and multiple high-ranking appearances on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. Both categories of recognition are private and neither substitutes for a fee schedule, a named custodian, or a current BBB record. Weigh each as one input, not the deciding factor.
How each firm sells: salaried education versus celebrity marketing
The two firms use noticeably different sales-motion language on their public sites, and that language often shapes what the intake call feels like.
Augusta describes its sales floor as salaried rather than commissioned. It routes serious prospects through a free one on one web conference with Devlyn Steele, its Director of Education, before any coin discussion happens. The pitch verbs used across the site are Learn, Talk, Decide. That structure suits a reader who wants a longer intake and a real education layer between the phone rep and the paperwork.
American Hartford Gold does not describe its floor compensation on the public site. The public marketing footprint leans on brand-name endorsement (Bill O'Reilly, Rick Harrison) and on published growth-list appearances. The IRA landing page focuses on gold and silver product education. That style suits a reader who values a widely recognized brand name and is comfortable getting the fee schedule, minimum, custodian name, and depository name on a phone call rather than from the website.
Neither style is inherently better. The Augusta approach forces a slower intake and a specific gatekeeper. The American Hartford Gold approach depends more heavily on what the individual specialist chooses to put in writing after the initial contact. Both are consistent with a compliant self-directed IRA sale under 26 U.S.C. Section 408.
Augusta vs American Hartford Gold at a glance
| Criterion | Augusta Precious Metals | American Hartford Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | 8484 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 515, Beverly Hills, CA. Second office in Casper, WY. | 11755 Wilshire Boulevard, 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA. |
| Annual custodian fee | 75 to 150 dollars a year, printed on the gold IRA page. | Not published. /gold-ira-fees/ URL returns 404. |
| Annual storage fee | 100 to 150 dollars a year, printed on the gold IRA page. | Not published on IRA landing page. |
| Dealer spread | Not a fixed public figure. Site warns against spreads above roughly 5 percent. | Not a fixed public figure. No spread guidance on the public IRA page. |
| Recommended minimum | 50,000 dollars, printed on the gold IRA page. | Not stated in prose on the home or IRA landing page. |
| Custodian named | Equity Trust Company, named on the gold IRA page. | Not named on IRA landing page. |
| Depository named | Delaware Depository, named on the gold IRA page. | Not named on IRA landing page. |
| Silver IRA product | Yes, dedicated Silver IRA page on IRA nav. | Yes, /catalog-silver/ with an IRA-approved filter. |
| Platinum IRA product | Not offered as a dedicated Augusta product. | /catalog-platinum/ returns a 404 template. |
| Palladium IRA product | Not offered as a dedicated Augusta product. | /catalog-palladium/ returns a 404 template. |
Sources: augustapreciousmetals.com gold IRA and silver IRA pages; americanhartfordgold.com home, About, /precious-metals-ira/, catalog and fee URLs; efts.sec.gov full text search. All live-checked July 2026. Federal rules per 26 U.S.C. Section 408 and IRS Publication 590-B.
Fee drag on a 100,000 dollar rollover
Since only Augusta prints annual fee dollars on the public site, the honest way to compare the two firms on cost is to bracket the Augusta number and then ask American Hartford Gold for its own written schedule. The calculator below lets you run any annual fee schedule against your balance, so you can compare Augusta's published bracket against whatever number a competing specialist quotes.
Precious metals IRAs charge mostly flat dollar fees (setup, annual custodian, storage). Flat fees take a much bigger bite out of a small account than a large one. Enter your numbers to see the drag. Estimate only. Fee amounts vary by provider and are often not published; enter figures you confirm in writing. This tool ignores metal price changes and the dealer spread, which also affect returns. Not financial advice.Precious metals IRA fee-drag calculator
Pros and cons of each firm
Where Augusta looks visibly stronger
- Prints an annual custodian range and an annual storage range on the public gold IRA page, both in dollars. Rare in this sector.
- Names both counterparties on the same page: Equity Trust Company and Delaware Depository. Both are IRS-approved.
- Runs a dedicated Silver IRA page on the same nav footing as the gold page.
- Publishes a recommended minimum (50,000 dollars) so a smaller saver can rule the firm out or in from the site alone.
- Uses a salaried, non-commissioned sales structure and states so publicly. Removes the per-sale coin-upsell incentive at the specialist stage.
- Warns readers against dealer spreads above roughly 5 percent on its own site.
Where Augusta looks weaker
- Requires a 50,000 dollar operational minimum that rules out smaller rollovers and contribution-based IRAs.
- Fees are ranges rather than single flat numbers. Useful as a bracket, not a substitute for a written schedule.
- No dedicated Platinum or Palladium IRA product on the public site. Both metals appear only in generic IRS-eligibility copy.
Where American Hartford Gold looks visibly stronger
- Widely recognized brand with a stable public marketing footprint. Easy to research and cross-check in second-hand sources.
- Silver is a first-class product with a dedicated catalog page and an IRA-approved filter.
- Publishes a buyback commitment on the home page as an explicit service line.
- Headquarters address, phone, and email are published in plain text on the site, making paperwork verification straightforward.
Where American Hartford Gold looks weaker
- Fee schedule is not on the public site. The /gold-ira-fees/ URL returns 404.
- Custodian is not named on the IRA landing page.
- Depository is not named on the IRA landing page.
- Recommended minimum is not stated on the home or IRA landing page in prose we could pull with a scripted fetch.
- Platinum and palladium catalog URLs both return 404 templates. Neither has a dedicated IRA product page.
- Buyback bid formula is not published. Ask for the typical bid as a percentage below daily spot in writing.
Which reader each firm fits
Augusta fits a saver rolling 50,000 dollars or more from an eligible retirement account into a gold or silver IRA. This reader values a longer education intake, a named custodian and depository, and one of the few published fee ranges in the sector.
If your accountant and your advisor are already in the loop, the Learn Talk Decide flow adds structure. If they are not, the flow forces you to acquire structure before you sign. Augusta fits less well for a portfolio built primarily on platinum or palladium, for savers with less than 50,000 dollars to move, and for readers who want a single flat fee rather than a range.
American Hartford Gold fits a saver who wants a gold or silver IRA with a widely recognized brand name. This reader is comfortable getting the fee schedule and account minimum on a phone call rather than from a public page, and treats a heavy marketing footprint as a credibility signal.
It fits less well for a reader who wants every fee published on the website before making contact. Same story for a portfolio built primarily around platinum or palladium in a dedicated product line, or for a reader who wants a written education packet and a fully published fee schedule as the baseline before speaking with a salesperson.
For readers whose preferences do not match either firm, our precious-metals IRA companies list is the place to compare firms side by side, and our dealer selection checklist lays out the written criteria we run against every firm.
When any precious-metals IRA is the wrong move
An honest side by side has to flag when the whole product category is a poor fit, not only when one firm beats the other. If any of the following describes your situation, slow down and consult a licensed advisor before choosing between dealers at all.
- You may need the cash within a few years. Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium can move sharply in short periods, and selling means crossing the dealer spread again on the way out. Before age 59.5, a distribution without a qualifying exception carries a 10 percent federal additional tax on top of ordinary income tax (source: IRS Publication 590-B). Nobody can predict where metal prices will go over any given holding period.
- Your total retirement balance is small. Fixed annual fees plus the dealer spread punish small accounts hardest, because the same dollar cost is a much larger percentage of a smaller balance. That is the operational reason Augusta prints a 50,000 dollar minimum on its own site.
- You do not have other retirement savings yet. A physical-metal IRA belongs alongside a broader base of retirement savings, not in place of one. A diversified plan works better than a single-asset bet.
- You are chasing a guaranteed return. Any pitch that promises specific target prices or guaranteed gains is the pattern federal regulators have historically acted on, not an opportunity (source: SEC investor.gov).
- You have not talked to your accountant. A rollover has tax reporting steps that flow through Form 5498 and, if the rollover misses the 60 day deadline, through Form 1099-R as a taxable distribution. Consult your tax advisor for your specific situation before any dollars move.
Questions readers ask most about the two firms
Is Augusta or American Hartford Gold cheaper?
Nobody can answer that from the public sites alone. Augusta publishes an annual custodian range of 75 to 150 dollars and an annual storage range of 100 to 150 dollars on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not publish its fees on the site (the /gold-ira-fees/ URL returns 404).
Ask American Hartford Gold for the full written schedule and compare it against the Augusta bracket. The dealer spread on the coin, not the fixed annual fees, is the largest single lifetime cost at either firm.
Do either Augusta or American Hartford Gold offer a Platinum IRA?
Not as a dedicated public product line at either firm as of July 2026. Augusta references platinum only in generic IRS-eligibility copy on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold serves a 404 template on /catalog-platinum/.
If platinum is part of your allocation, ask each specialist directly whether platinum can be sourced against your account and at what dealer spread. Get the answer in writing before you fund the account. IRA-eligible platinum must be at least .9995 fine under 26 U.S.C. Section 408(m).
Do either firm offer a Palladium IRA?
Same answer as platinum. Neither firm publishes a dedicated Palladium IRA product page. Augusta names palladium in generic IRS-eligibility copy. American Hartford Gold serves a 404 template on /catalog-palladium/. IRA-eligible palladium must be at least .9995 fine. A portfolio built primarily on palladium is not a match for either firm's visible public product line without a bespoke sourcing conversation on the specialist call.
Which firm has a lower minimum investment?
Augusta publishes a recommended opening balance of 50,000 dollars on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not publish a minimum in prose on its home page or IRA landing page. Third-party sites frequently cite a low five-figure figure for American Hartford Gold, but the authoritative source is a specialist. Ask for the minimum by rollover balance and by first metal purchase (both figures), and get the answer in writing before you commit.
Who is the custodian at each firm?
Augusta names Equity Trust Company as the custodian on its own gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not name a custodian on its IRA landing page. Every self-directed precious-metals IRA legally requires an IRS-approved trustee that holds title to the metal and files the annual tax paperwork. Ask American Hartford Gold which custodian your account will sit with, and check that firm's own record and complaint history separately.
Where does each firm store IRA metals?
Augusta names Delaware Depository as the storage partner on its gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold does not name a depository on its IRA landing page. Home storage of IRA metal is not allowed under federal law (source: IRS collectibles issue snapshot). Ask each firm whether the quoted storage fee covers segregated storage, commingled storage, or both, and what the annual gap is.
Are the BBB ratings comparable?
Both firms display BBB signals on their public sites. Augusta cites an A plus BBB rating on its home page and gold IRA page. American Hartford Gold displays a BBB accredited-business logo in its site marketing. The live bbb.org profiles for both firms returned an anti-automation challenge during this session, so exact current ratings and complaint volumes should be verified directly at bbb.org before you fund either account.
Does either firm have SEC filings?
No. SEC EDGAR full-text search returned zero filings for either "Augusta Precious Metals" or "American Hartford Gold" as of July 2026 (source: efts.sec.gov). Zero SEC filings is the expected result for a state-regulated physical coin and bar dealer. The SEC oversees securities issuers and registered investment advisers, categories that do not include a straight metals merchant. Read the identical result as neutral, not as a mark against either firm.
Is Augusta’s Money magazine claim comparable to American Hartford Gold’s Inc. 5000 appearances?
Both are private third-party recognitions rather than regulatory endorsements. Augusta's Money magazine Best Overall Gold IRA Company recognition refers to the gold IRA product. American Hartford Gold's Inc. 5000 appearances refer to company revenue growth. Neither substitutes for a written fee schedule, a named custodian, or a current BBB record. Weigh each as one signal alongside the paperwork checklist, not the deciding factor.
Which firm is better for a white-metals investor?
For silver, both firms qualify: each runs a dedicated silver product line under the standard federal .999 fineness rule. For platinum and palladium, neither firm publishes a dedicated IRA product page, so both require a bespoke sourcing conversation with a specialist. If your allocation leans heavily on platinum-group metals, our precious-metals IRA companies list highlights firms that publish a broader white-metals menu than either Augusta or American Hartford Gold.
If Augusta made your shortlist, this is the free next step.
Augusta's free company checklist and one on one web conference with Devlyn Steele is the on ramp we route qualifying Augusta inquiries through. It runs before any paperwork, before any spread quote, and before any wire is discussed. The 50,000 dollar recommended balance is the threshold. If your rollover clears that number and you want the fee ranges, the custodian name, and the depository name in a written packet you can compare against any competing firm, this is where to start.
Get the Augusta company checklist
Partner link. We may earn a commission if you open an account. No cost to you. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Consult a licensed advisor before any retirement decision.
Sources
- Augusta Precious Metals, gold IRA product page. URL: augustapreciousmetals.com/gold-ira/. Live-checked July 2026. Cited for the published custodian and storage ranges, the Equity Trust Company custodian name, the Delaware Depository storage name, the 50,000 dollar recommended minimum, the A plus BBB claim, the AAA BCA claim, the Money magazine editorial-recognition claim, the 5 percent spread reference, and the 25 percent spread refuse example.
- Augusta Precious Metals, silver IRA product page. URL: augustapreciousmetals.com/silver-ira/. Live-checked July 2026. Dedicated Silver IRA product confirmation; same custodian and depository as the gold page.
- American Hartford Gold, home page. URL: americanhartfordgold.com. Live-checked July 2026. Leading Gold and Silver Specialists positioning; Los Angeles headquarters; buyback commitment graphic; BBB accredited-business logo.
- American Hartford Gold, About page. URL: americanhartfordgold.com/about-us/. Live-checked July 2026. Sanford Mann as founder; exclusive Bill O'Reilly endorsement; Rick Harrison feature; Inc. 5000 multi-year appearances claim.
- American Hartford Gold, Precious Metals IRA page. URL: americanhartfordgold.com/precious-metals-ira/. Live-checked July 2026. IRA landing titled Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver; fee categories named without dollar amounts; IRS fineness rules referenced.
- American Hartford Gold, catalog URLs. Silver page live at /catalog-silver/. Platinum URL /catalog-platinum/ returned a 404 Page not found template. Palladium URL /catalog-palladium/ returned a 404 Page not found template. All live-checked July 2026.
- American Hartford Gold, fee-schedule URL. URL: americanhartfordgold.com/gold-ira-fees/. Live-checked July 2026. Returned a 404 Page not found template.
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGAR full-text search. URL: efts.sec.gov Augusta search and efts.sec.gov American Hartford Gold search. Both live-checked July 2026. Zero filings returned for each firm, consistent with a physical precious-metals dealer.
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 26 U.S.C. Section 408. URL: law.cornell.edu 26 USC 408. Checked July 2026. Federal IRA fineness minimums under subsection (m) and the nonbank-trustee framework under subsection (n).
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements. URL: irs.gov Publication 590-A. Checked July 2026. Rollover and direct-transfer mechanics; 60 day rule; 20 percent mandatory withholding on qualified plan distributions.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements. URL: irs.gov Publication 590-B. Checked July 2026. Early-distribution 10 percent additional tax and Required Minimum Distribution rules.
- Internal Revenue Service, Investments in Collectibles issue snapshot. URL: irs.gov collectibles issue snapshot. Checked July 2026. Home-storage prohibition; IRS-approved trustee requirement.
- Securities and Exchange Commission, investor bulletin on precious metals. URL: investor.gov precious metals. Checked July 2026. Regulatory overview of physical-metal investment risks.
- Better Business Bureau, business ratings framework. URL: bbb.org grade overview. Checked July 2026. Interpretive framework for the letter-rating claims on both firms' sites.
