1042 Bullion Dealers
179 Nominations
30 Finalists
26,957 Verified Votes
And The Winners Are…
In a year of ingenious puppy-related marketing, voter bribes prizes, aggressive campaigns and ludicrously close voting, the 2018 Bullion Dealer Of The Year vote saw it’s fiercest competition yet – and for the first time ever… a tie!
We added 12 new countries in 2017, so the 2018 vote introduced a new Rest of World category with Indian giants competing with offshore specialists from Singapore to the Caribbean.
The 2018 finals saw even tighter voting security, with three layers of vote legitimacy detection and a further manual check on red flags, meaning we can now spot over-zealous self-voting (or even Russian vote rigging) from 100 yards.
And if shared podiums, furious competition, cute puppies, self-voting, 12 new countries and record prize draw entries weren’t enough, the UK saw freak winter weather close our offices for 5 days at our busiest time of year. It’s certainly been fun!
So here they are – 2018’s deserving winners:
Bullion.Directory would like to thank both teams for all the help provided throughout.
Regal Assets take International Bullion Dealer Of The Year 2018
Offshore vaulting specialists Regal Assets win our international category in a year that saw Regal Assets rank top 3 in the USA and Canada, and share a joint win in the UAE with last year’s International winners Istanbul Gold Refinery.
I’ve dealt with Regal Assets on and off for several years now and it’s hard to think of a harder working group of people with more determination to “do the impossible”.
I’m not surprised they’ve done so well in Dubai and their hugely successful expansion into all these new markets shows that sometimes having an impossible dream and a willingness to do at least ten times more than the next guy is “all” it takes.
Alan Macallister
Director, Bullion.Directory
Thanks to 2017’s expansion into the Canadian retirement market and by catering to the affluent offshore investor via Dubai, Regal have become a major player in their tightly niched areas of operation.
Late 2017 also saw Regal offering vaulted cryptocurrencies alongside their well-known gold brokerage services, with the company obtaining the first ever cryptocurrency trading license in the Middle East. While some were concerned this was too much growth all at once, it looks like CEO Tyler Gallagher’s extensive reworking of the company’s product offering has worked out well, with the vaulted crypto service sitting nicely alongside their metals vaulting services.
Selling all services globally and with plans to open further brokerage floors in countries beyond the USA, Canada and Dubai, Regal are transforming from a US-focussed gold retirement company to a truly international player.
And all this at a time when the precious metals retail market continues to contract…
Congratulations to Regal on what is a well deserved win!
Blackpool’s Chard take 29.1% of the UK vote
UK winners in 2015, 2016 & 2017 – Chard have somehow pulled off their fourth victory in a row!
Four years is a truly impressive streak for a family business.
But 2018 was not a walk in the park for the “Chardians” – there were several times they lost their lead to another family-run company, Devon’s Bleyer Bullion – and to the UK’s biggest online bullion dealers Bullion by Post.
For most of the final week, Bullion by Post looked certain to win and had pulled ahead by a large margin after solidly consistent voting, but the final two days saw Bleyer unleash their secret weapon on social media. Cute puppies. Licking bullion bars.
Chard meanwhile went on a social media rampage with some incredible support from the Blackpool and Lancashire community, seeking out every possible vote in the last few days and registering almost 200 votes in the final 12 hours.
It’s this local community support and loyal customer base that’s seen the 2018 UK vote pivot entirely away from the big London bullion dealers with The North, Devon and Ireland taking ALL top 5 places.
With the top three spots enjoying over 75% of the vote at close, another Birmingham company – Sutton Coldfield’s family-owned Atkinsons Bullion took 4th with 11.5% helping give a resounding overall victory of 68% – to The North!
Surely not a fifth win in 2019? Nominations start in November…
UK Vote Results 2018
We are over the moon! This year’s finalists were all worthy contenders.
Compared to the industry’s giants we are a fairly small company and our turnover and customer base is a fraction of two of our rivals. However, the fantastic support from our loyal customers has ensured that the title stays in Blackpool.
We have spent the last 50 years building up a huge library of numismatic information which attracts investors and collectors from all over the world.
Chard probably have the widest range of bullion in the UK and recently introduced the UK’s Cheapest Silver Coin to the delight of our customers – and to celebrate, our customers will be able to buy any quantity at the lowest quantity break for a limited period!
We’re going to be shouting the news from the top of Blackpool Tower! The future is gold on The Golden Mile!”
Lawrence Chard – Director, Chard 1964 Ltd.
Fisher Precious Metals take the top US spot with 31.5% of the vote
Family-owned Fisher Precious Metals push last year’s winners to second place with a 0.6% lead.
Winning by the narrowest of margins Gold IRA and Offshore Gold experts Fisher pipped industry giants American Bullion to the top spot by only 46 votes from a total 7,697.
Ramping up support from loyal customers and even from other precious metals dealers, Fisher managed to hold onto their lead for all but a few hours of the vote, despite American Bullion’s massive gains in the final week of voting.
Both companies went on to command 62.4% of the total US vote.
Had American Bullion matched their 2017 tally of 2,530 votes it would have seen a 2nd victory for the Los Angeles company.
All 5 finalists share the highly competitive gold retirement niche and the US vote saw record volume being up almost 1000 votes on 2017, with past title winners Regal Assets in third with 16.7% of the vote, Goldco on 13.2% and first-time finalists Advantage Gold with 7.6% and 588 votes.
For 2018 Regal Assets were not only fighting for the USA, but new markets in Canada and the Middle East amassing a total of 3470 votes across the three categories.
We’re absolutely delighted for Fisher Precious Metals and deeply impressed at the support they garnered both from their clients and other precious metals companies – a sure sign that they’re doing something very right in an industry which saw more than its fair of wrong in 2017.
First the UK and now the US – Family businesses are taking over!
USA Vote Results 2018
We are truly honored to have achieved this distinction in a fiercely competitive and unregulated industry.
Beginning over 25 years ago as individual investors, we understand and remain committed to providing our clients a safe and educational precious metals investing environment.
Competitive pricing, our 100% Authenticity Guarantee, superior service and a commitment to educating clients on effectively buying and selling has allowed us to gain the long-term loyalty of our clients nationwide.”
John Fisher – President, Fisher Precious Metals
Silver Gold Bull wins again in 2018 with 33.6% of the Canadian vote
The North American behemoths Silver Gold Bull make 2018 a Canadian Three-in-a-Row
Last year we asked if Silver Gold Bull could match Chard’s hat trick – and they have!
For 2018’s vote, the now global metals dealer matched it’s 2017 performance, winning once again by a wide margin with 10% more votes than Regal Assets Canada in second place.
Silver Gold Bull’s continued aggressive discounting and price match guarantee, coupled with an excellent track record in customer service sees continued market share expansion and strong voting performance. Much like the UK’s Chard, now onto on their 4th win, Silver Gold Bull appear unstoppable.
With their first time in the Canadian draw, newcomers Regal take second place, despite having only entered the Canadian market mid-2017. With strong performance in the preliminaries and a solid 22.6% of the overall vote will they upset SGB’s dominance in 2019?
2015 winners Cache Metals were only 139 votes behind Regal in third place after an initial avalanche of votes in the first two weeks.
SprottMoney took 4th with 14.6% and global phenomenon Kitco 5th spot and 12.3% of the vote.
Does a fourth win in 2019 seem inevitable? Only your vote can change things!
Canadian Vote Results 2017
Bullion Capital breaks all records with an astonishing 55.6% of the Australian vote
Digital exchange Bullion Capital wins Australia’s top spot for a 2nd time and over half the vote!
And although the 1-2-3 spots exactly echo 2017 with The Perth Mint in second and past victors ABC Bullion in the third spot, we’re still just looking at the actual shape of the results with mouths agape.
We’ve checked the votes – we’ve double and triple checked the votes and these results are 100% legitimate.
So how does one company earn such a large slice of the Australian market’s vote? The truth is Bullion Capital is now a massive global company – the trading exchange of choice for much of Australasia and beyond and the engine behind a growing number of white-label precious metals exchanges, both retail and trade.
Further to winning the Australian national category for a second time, Bullion Capital won Digital Exchange of the Year for a third – a category open to all listed companies who offer allocated physical gold/silver trading and investment through a digital platform, website or app.
Company COO Edward Stanley-Cary cited investment value and technological advantage being behind their specialist category win, saying:
Clients clearly understand the value of utilizing an exchange. That they are not just dealing with single buyer or seller. Our technology ensures our clients always get the best prices when they buy or sell their gold/silver”
With an ever-expanding global reach and customer base of Bullion Capital does anyone else stand a chance?
Australian Vote Results 2018
Bullion Capital is delighted to win for the 2nd year running especially against such fierce competition
On behalf of the whole team at Bullion Capital, we want to thank you for your support and votes
Lets hope 2018 is a Golden year”
Edward Stanley-Cary – Chief Operating Officer, Bullion Capital
Regal Assets DMCC and IGR Precious Metals tie for first place in Dubai
Some votes are close, but with 30.6% of the Emirati vote apiece we’ve seen our first ever draw.
Nothing is every normal in Dubai. The Dubai market takes a commodity that’s already unregulated and turns it up to 11 – and so our UAE vote is always one of the most “interesting” to run.
2018 was no exception and the UAE preliminaries and finals took up the majority of our resources throughout the vote – and what a vote!
After FOUR recounts, multiple checks and double-checks we had a winner, or to be more precise TWO winners – Regal Assets DMCC, the offshore subsidiary of USA gold brokers Regal Assets and IGR Precious Metals, the Dubai subsidiary of Turkish refinery giant İstanbul Altın Rafinerisi.
Each taking 30.6% of the vote, Regal on 1,632 and IGR on 1,629 from a total of 5,329 the two companies dominated, sharing an impressive 61.2% of the UAE public vote ahead of another giant of the Middle East precious metals market, Emirates Gold with 957 votes.
Gold Standard DMCC won an respectable 697 votes for the 4th spot, with the 5th finalist Al Etihad Gold on 424 votes.
Who’ll win UAE and Dubai next year? 2019 is anyone’s guess!
UAE Vote Results 2017
We are honored to serve the international community for all their precious metals and digital asset needs.
It’s truly an honor to have won in our first year’s operation in such a competitive market as Dubai and I’m so grateful to our loyal customers for taking time out of their busy schedules to vote for us.
This is great news, especially coupled with our being granted a licence to legally sell cryptos to the international community – we are so excited to serve the growing demand for precious metals and cryptos in the UAE and globally”
Tyler Gallagher – CEO, Regal Assets
We truly value the feedback we receive from our customers and we are incredibly humbled to be awarded this title.
On behalf of everyone at IGR in the Dubai and globally, thank you once again for your support. We look forward continuing strengthening our relationships in 2018.”
Anna Dinzler – Managing Director, IGR Precious Metals DMCC
BullionStar wins the title in our inaugural Rest of World vote with 32.6%
Singapore-based BullionStar takes a third of the global vote spanning 12 country categories.
Based in Singapore and catering to the local, global and offshore storage markets, BullionStar’s reach is phenomenal thanks to it’s low prices, high levels of customer care and now legendary precious metals analysis and market coverage.
Despite placing 4th in our preliminary vote (10%) and being up against giants of the Indian bullion market and Japanese producers working on a truly industrial scale, BullionStar was able to attain 32.6% of the final vote pulling ahead of preliminary winners India’s RiddiSiddhi Bullions on 28.4%
With Tanaka Gold in 3rd spot (18.1%) BullionIndia in 4th (13.1%) and Mitsubishi’s Goldpark on 7.9% it’s clear that BullionStar has a powerful reach to motivated and loyal customers.
For 2019 we’ll be separating the RoW category into individual regions as our directory expands further into these 12 new countries – so BullionStar are actually the first, last and only Rest of World winners!
If Singapore gets it’s own category it’s a fair bet who’ll win…
Rest of World Vote Results 2018
We’re delighted to have been voted the #1 Bullion Dealer of the Year 2018! This award bears testament to our success inbreaking new ground by introducing modern technology into the age-old precious metals industry
At BullionStar, we offer customers a way to efficiently handle and control their physical bullion holdings online 24/7 combining a state of the art online platform with a centrally located one-stop retail shop and bullion vault.
With the renowned researchers, Ronan Manly and Koos Jansen on our team, we may however be best known to the precious metals community thanks to our original research and analysis covering the precious metals markets around the world.
BullionStar has been growing tremendously over the last few years despite the precious industry consolidating as a whole and we’re pleased that this success has been recognized by being voted the #1 Bullion Dealer of 2018.”
Torgny Persson – CEO of BullionStar
2018 International and Specialist Category Winners
Specialist Category winners are decided based upon the main public vote, combining the total vote with country-based percentage, overall percentage and business classification.
Overall Vote – Top 10
| Dealer | Loc. | Votes | Tot. % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher PM | | 2425 | 9.0 |
| American Bullion | | 2379 | 8.8 |
| Chard | | 1965 | 7.3 |
| Bullion by Post | | 1889 | 7.0 |
| Bullion Capital | | 1746 | 6.5 |
| Regal Assets Dubai | | 1632 | 6.1 |
| IGR Precious Metals | | 1629 | 6.0 |
| Bleyer Bullion | | 1548 | 5.7 |
| Regal Assets USA | | 1289 | 4.8 |
| GoldCo | | 1017 | 3.8 |
Country Percentage – Top 10
| Dealer | Loc. | Loc. % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion Capital | | 55.6 | |
| Silver Gold Bull | | 33.6 | |
| BullionStar |  | 32.6 | |
| Fisher PM | | 31.5 | |
| American Bullion | | 30.9 | |
| Regal Assets Dubai | | 30.6 | |
| IGR Precious Metals | | 30.6 | |
| Chard | | 29.1 | |
| RiddiSiddhi Bullions |  | 28.4 | |
| Bullion by Post | | 27.9 | |
| *All results manually verified | |||
Entry to these specialist categories is automatic, however to qualify dealers should be active in the particular category class, be nominated for, and become finalists in the main public vote. In classes with no finalists or fewer than three finalists, companies will be entered based on their performance in the preliminary nominee vote. Winners are decided wholly based on voting volume, country percentage and global percentage+.
Gold: Chard
Silver
Bullion by Post
Bronze
Bleyer Bullion
Gold: IGR
Silver
ABC
Bronze
The Perth Mint
Gold: Bullion Capital
Silver
Goldcore
Bronze
Bullion Vault
Gold: Chard
Silver
Bleyer Bullion
Bronze
Atkinsons Bullion
Gold: Fisher Precious Metals
Silver
American Bullion
Bronze
Regal Assets
Gold: Regal Assets Dubai
Silver
BullionStar
Bronze
Fisher PM
The prize draw winner has been notified
+Specialist Category Procedure: From 2016, to best ensure fairness in the speciality category results, these results are decided based upon the main public vote. The decision process is math-based using a combination of global vote percentage and country percentage, to allow for the differential between countries with a higher overall voting volume and those with a lower overall volume – that is if the vote for “Refineries” was an open public vote, refineries located in the USA, for example, would have an unfair advantage over refineries in a country with a smaller overall market. By using global and local percentages this creates a more level playing field where a smaller company with a loyal customer base in a smaller market can compete with a larger company in a larger country. Although not perfect – especially in categories with few participants – we believe it offers more transparency and fairness than any other method.
Individual categories are based upon our directory listing categories. Taking sites with an e-commerce function for example, winners are selected by looking at all e-commerce enabled companies in the global and country percentage tables for the vote. Those with the best performance in a combination of the two score higher than those with lower figures. In thinner categories – that is categories with lower overall competition volume – it may occur that there are not enough companies in the various category top 5s to allow for three winners. In these cases, results for the preliminary nomination vote will also be taken into account.
Material provided on the Bullion.Directory website is strictly for informational purposes only. The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. No information on this website is intended as investment, tax or legal advice and must not be relied upon as such. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Precious metals carry risk and investors requiring advice should always consult a properly qualified advisor. Bullion.Directory, it's staff or affiliates do not accept any liability for loss, damages, or loss of profit resulting from readers investment decisions.
