2023 Bullion Dealer of the Year Public Vote: The Results
36,285 verified votes for 72 shortlisted companies and 36 finalists
It's been an extraordinary year's vote, with both a record turnout of voters and a record number of prize draw entries.
Extraordinary too, as it's the first time we've had to disqualify a finalist, replacing them with a shortlisted company - and then extending the vote by two weeks.
Extraordinary that despite some 36,285 votes being cast, we have a category where all that separates silver and bronze medalists - are a staggering FOUR votes!
But it's all over now. The votes have been checked and verified, counted, and re-counted - and now we can say...
Who won the public vote in 2023?
36,285 Votes
total verified votes in 2023
14,079 Voters
total individual voters in 2023
7,473 Entries
entries in the 2023 prize draw
The Bullion.Directory Bullion Dealer of the Year public vote is managed by Opinion Stage and all vote results are fully verified by independent third-parties.
OVERALL WINNER
AUGUSTA PRECIOUS METALS - 2023 Bullion Dealer of the Year
It was a tough final, featuring multiple past winners - but APM took an early lead and was able to maintain poll position to the end despite intense competition, for a first-time win!
With 3,072 of 11,497 verified votes, Augusta Precious Metals are 2023's top prize-winners.
- Company specializes in tax-advantaged gold investments held inside retirement accounts
- 2022 & 2023 Money magazine: "Best Overall Gold IRA Company." Investopedia: "Most Transparent."
- Thousands of 5-star reviews across all major consumer boards and zero complaints on BBB in over 11 years of business
- APM is a major player in the fight against corrupt business activities within the gold market
- Provides a wide range of educational materials, videos, guides and a regular webinar series.
Augusta Precious Metals have been in our top-5 for what seems like years, so it's fantastic to see them finally take not just Bullion Dealer of the Year, but two other category wins too! They're not a huge company, certainly not on the scale of some of their competition, but clearly they have many loyal and happy customers who have come out in force to vote. Alison Macdonald - Bullion.Directory
SILVER MEDAL
BRONZE MEDALBullion Dealer of the Year 2023: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
Augusta Precious Metals 3,072
Birch Gold Group 1,704
Goldco 2,566
Money Metals Exchange 2,474
Share of Vote
For the first two weeks it looked like we would be seeing Augusta Precious Metals, American Hartford and Birch Gold on the podium, but very strong voting from both Goldco and Money Metals Exchange in the final 10 days saw the end result being a photo-finish between the IRA specialists and E-commerce favorites, with only 0.8% (92 votes) separating silver and bronze medalists.
But this 0.8% seems a gaping chasm compared to the mere 0.2% (23 votes) between Birch Gold and American Hartford in 4th and 5th place!
Overall the main Bullion Dealer of the Year vote saw 12,789 votes cast, with 1,292 votes (10.1%) discounted due to duplicate voting - leaving 11,497 verified votes. On average voters in the main category voted for 2 additional categories and strong voting in this main category can be seen reflected in other categories where companies have been in multiple votes.
E-COMMERCE
Money Metals Exchange - Best Gold E-Commerce Company
In an online world where order values can be in 5 or 6 figures, trust and transparency are central. Past Bullion Dealers of the Year Money Metals Exchange win on both counts.
With a third of the entire category vote - 2,384 voters would seem to agree!
- Well-designed and easy to use e-store filled to capacity with both precious metals and investor information
- Offers a true one-stop-shop for metals investors offering a full suite of services over and above retail, from storage to retirement accounts
- An investor's all-rounder - quality products, great value and no hype
- Excellent blog, analysis and opinion pieces show employees believe passionately in what they sell
- Key members of the sound money campaign, Money Metals are on a mission to educate all Americans on the merits of metals as money.
It was 2015, not long after Bullion.Directory was formed, we held our first Bullion Dealer of the Year and Money Metals Exchange took that first gold. Since then we've had nothing but good experiences with the company, they're among the best in the industry and we're all delighted to see them take a well-deserved win. Alan Macallister - Bullion.Directory
Best E-Commerce Company 2023: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
BullionStar US 1,257
JM Bullion 2,260
Money Metals Exchange 2,384
Silver Gold Bull 1,108
Share of Vote
Much like the main Bullion Dealer of the Year vote, there was an early strong contender we had assumed would take the winner's podium only to be overtaken in the final week - and a photo finish - this time between winners Money Metals Exchange with 2,384 votes and JM Bullion with 2,260.
BullionStar US were our favorites to win after a massive initial lead in the first weeks of the vote, finishing with a Bronze medal and 1,257 votes - a great achievement for a new US operation, but hardly surprising given that Singapore giants BullionStar are past Bullion Dealers of the Year. Other past winners Silver Gold Bull were in 4th and BGASC in fifth with still strong numbers - a sure indicator as to just how competitive this category is.
Overall the category saw 7,327 votes cast, and 104 votes (1.4%) discounted due to duplicate voting - leaving 7,223 verified votes. With voters able to vote across multiple categories, JM Bullion's large share of the vote had a very clear impact in the far smaller numismatics vote below...
NUMISMATICS
JM Bullion - Best Coin & Numismatics Company
Landslide victory doesn't even begin to describe the win JM Bullion achieved in the Numismatics category - taking well over half of the public vote - a staggering 54.7%!
In a category with 3,144 verified votes, there were an incredible 1,720 in JM's favor.
- Huge selection of collectible, commemorative, proof and certified coins in stock
- Regular special deals unavailable elsewhere thanks to economies of scale and low-threshold for free shipping
- A+ BBB rating, with multiple thousand 5-star ratings and reviews across all major consumer protection sites
- Strongly focused on education with numerous buyer's guides and a highly entertaining blog
- Part of the vast A-Mark business empire - meaning JM Bullion is going to be around for a long time.
I'm in no way surprised JM Bullion won this category given the massive inventory of coins they carry, the low premiums they charge on both collectibles and regular bullion - and of course the ease with which purchases can be made and shipped all across America. While they'll never be able to offer the kind of 1-on-1 care you'll receive at a local coin shop, they get as close to it as the internet will allow along with all of it's advantages. Alice Walker - Bullion.Directory
Best Numismatics Company 2023: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
Gainesville Coins 374
JM Bullion 1,720
Miles Franklin 264
Provident Metals 129
Share of Vote
JM Bullion already enjoyed 43.3% of the public vote after only 5 days and then proceeded to not only hold, but grow their lead over the following weeks finishing with 54.7% and 1,720 votes from 3,144.
One of America's precious metals giants, JM Bullion always do well in Bullion Dealer of Year and in 2023 when on average voters would typically place votes in 3 categories, this has been hugely beneficial to the company. 76% of their E-Commerce voters went on to vote in the numismatics category making a win in this typically smaller category all but inevitable...
However considering JM Bullion owns both 2nd place BGASC and Provident Metals in the fifth spot, their actual share of the vote was closer to 80%!
Overall the category saw 3,212 votes cast with 68 votes (2.1%) discounted due to duplicate voting - leaving 3,144 verified votes.
GOLD RETIREMENT
Augusta Precious Metals - Best Gold Retirement Specialists
This highly competitive category is always 'interesting' but in a vote where we saw a finalist disqualified it's been quite the year! Amongst this chaos, winners APM have led since the start.
With 2,174 votes from 8,052 - Augusta Precious Metals add a second cup to their cabinet.
- A small team of dedicated professionals giving a 1-on-1 white glove service to all of their customers
- Unique onboarding webinar for all new Gold IRA customers and regular updates after purchases
- Zero complaints on BBB or other major consumer review sites
- 2022 & 2023 Money magazine: "Best Overall Gold IRA Company." Investopedia: "Most Transparent."
- Excellent in-depth look at news and analysis of the markets provided in weekly online report.
Augusta Precious Metals only came onto my radar a few years ago. For context I'd once worked for another Gold IRA company and let's just say I was appalled at what I saw and heard to such a degree I almost quit precious metals altogether. APM and the company's CEO Isaac Nuriani in particular, gave me back my faith that these companies can actually have true integrity, transparency, honesty and a deep commitment to doing only what's best for their customers. Alan Macallister - Bullion.Directory
Best Gold Retirement Specialists 2023: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
Augusta Precious Metals 2,174
Birch Gold Group 1,578
Goldco 1,901
Noble Gold 1,521
Share of Vote
In semi-finals dominated by American Hartford Gold, it seemed a foregone conclusion that they would take the final too - but the rest of the Gold IRA market had something to say about that! Taking a week-one lead, Augusta Precious Metals shot past American Hartford with Birch Gold and Goldco also seeing strong voting.
We commented in week one about 3-time winner Goldco's potential tortoise and hare tactics and we were absolutely correct with the company gaining well over 1000 votes in the final week, ending a very close second.
The true heroes of this category are Noble Gold, being substituted half way through the vote and still finishing a mere 57 votes from a medal position.
Overall the category saw 9,416 votes cast with 976 votes (10.4%) discounted due to duplicate voting and 388 votes removed due to disqualification - leaving 8,052 verified votes.
HIGH NET WORTH
Augusta Precious Metals - Best High Net Worth Specialists
First-timer APM's THIRD win in 2023, HNW specialists is a smaller but significant niche within the retail gold market, with hot competition for traditionally big spending customers.
And with only 42 votes between APM and 3-time winners Goldco it was ridiculously close!
- Offers levels of transparency and trust typically lacking in their particular field of operations
- A focus wholly on tax-advantaged portfolio diversification
- Unique on-boarding process with a Harvard-trained metals expert
- Expected high standards of service and customer care catering to a market used to the exceptional
- Company is actively trying to improve overall trust and integrity within the whole gold retirement market
Consistently one of our top-rated gold dealers across the board, I think Augusta have a particular edge when it comes to working with High Net Worth clients. Their transparency and trust levels are second to none, as evidenced by their slew of trust awards. Their white-glove processes for high value transactions are the best in market by a significant margin.Alice Walker - Bullion.Directory
Best High Net Worth Specialists: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
Augusta Precious Metals 1,247
Birch Gold Group 765
Goldco 1,205
JM Bullion 329
Share of Vote
In week one it seemed American Hartford Gold and Birch Gold Group had left everyone for dead, taking a very strong position early on. They both continued with this lead well into the second week, before being overtaken by APM. A late surge from Goldco saw nearly 1,000 votes in the final week of the public vote, with the past winner finishing a mere 1% behind winners Augusta.
If Goldco was a close second in the Retirement category, this was closer than close with only 42 votes between 3-time champion and this year's winner.
The battle for bronze was equally close at 1% with Birch Gold Group taking the spot from AHG by just 43 votes.
Overall the category saw 4,770 votes cast with 502 votes (10.5%) discounted due to duplicate voting - leaving 4,268 verified votes.
NEWS & ANALYSIS
Monetary Metals - Best News and Analysis Provider
This always looked like a bout between Money Metals and Monetary Metals, the latter taking the win with 26.4% of the vote - but BullionStar US claimed silver by a staggering 4 votes!
Finishing with a comfortable 3.2% lead, Keith Weiner's Monetary Metals gets the gold.
- Top-tier analysis from precious metals legend Keith Weiner and team
- A notable absence of sales-pitch within articles despite the company offering a unique and beneficial service
- In-depth precious metals research and market commentary
- Regular free podcasts with industry insiders and useful PDF guides
- Content is wholly free from the hype and fear-mongering common in a niche focused on 'real money'
- Quality over quantity time and time again
When Monetary Metals approached us last year and asked if we'd consider republishing some of their analysis on our news pages, I'll not lie - I did a little dance around the office! I don't use the word legendary often but for once I'll dust it off and say that Mr Weiner and his take on metals investments is that very thing: Legendary. Alison Macdonald - Bullion.Directory
Best News & Analysis 2023: Voting Breakdown
Votes Cast
Birch Gold Group 267
BullionStar US 487
Monetary Metals 554
Money Metals Exchange 483
Share of Vote
In the News and Analysis semi-finals, there was a fierce battle between Money Metals Exchange and Monetary Metals - and this continued into the final vote, with both companies overtaking one another almost daily in what was a two-horse race.
So it was quite the surprise in the final week to see news and analysis giants BullionStar surge to join the close-run race.
In the end a mere 71 votes lay between gold and bronze places, with only FOUR votes between 2nd and 3rd spot leading to very careful multiple re-examination of voting records!
Overall the category saw 2,139 votes cast with 38 votes (1.8%) discounted due to duplicate voting - leaving 2,101 verified votes.
