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Most precious metals dealers spend heavily on marketing, brand development, and national advertising. Colorado Gold has spent nearly fifty years doing almost none of that — and building a customer base anyway.
Founded in 1977 by Don Stott, Colorado Gold is a family-run bullion broker headquartered in Montrose, Colorado. It is now operated by Don’s three children: Melissa, David, and Morgen — each working from home offices in different states. The company carries gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. It publishes prices on its website, refuses to sell rare coins, and takes a deliberately hands-off stance on IRA custodian recommendations — leaving that choice entirely to the investor.
That model is either refreshingly old-school or insufficiently hand-holding, depending on what you need from a precious metals dealer. This review examines what Colorado Gold actually offers, what the IRA arrangement looks like in practice, and where investors should think carefully before treating this as their primary dealer.
If you are still early in your research, you may also want to read our guides to precious metals investing, Gold IRA rollover pros and cons, and where Gold IRA metals should be stored, so you can judge Colorado Gold in the right context.
First, Get Noble Gold’s Free 2026 Guide
Colorado Gold takes an unusually hands-off approach to IRA setup — which means the groundwork is on you. Noble Gold’s free guide is an efficient way to understand how Gold IRAs are structured, where fees tend to appear, and what questions to ask any custodian before you open an account.
Quick Company Snapshot
| Company | Colorado Gold |
| Phone | (888) 786-8822 |
| Address | 222 S 5th St, Montrose, CO 81401 |
| Website | www.coloradogold.com |
| Founded | 1977 |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| IRA Custodians | New Direction IRA, Strata Trust Company (customer’s choice; no compensation received) |
| Preferred Depository | None — customer selects their own |
| Rare Coins | Not carried — by deliberate policy |
Why Colorado Gold Won’t Sell You a Rare Coin — and Why That Matters
Colorado Gold is unusually direct about this: it does not sell rare coins, not because they lack appeal, but because the company believes they are “not a good investment.” That’s a stronger stance than most dealers take, and it reflects a clear consumer-protection mindset rather than a sales tactic.
Rare and numismatic coins typically come with significant markups above their underlying metal value. Because of those higher margins, many dealers are incentivized to promote them — sometimes to buyers who don’t fully grasp the difference between owning a commodity and purchasing a collectible. Colorado Gold has chosen to stay out of that model entirely.
For investors, the implication is straightforward: the entire catalog consists of investment-grade bullion. There’s no pressure to move into higher-margin products, and pricing stays close to spot. Just as importantly, prices are published directly on the website — a level of transparency that’s still rare in this industry and makes it much easier to compare costs before making contact.
The Catalog: What’s Available and at What Price Transparency
Colorado Gold carries several products across gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. The catalog is intentionally focused — no rare coins, no collectibles, no high-markup specialty items. All four metals are currently stocked, including palladium, which was listed as unavailable in earlier reference data but is currently in stock as a 1 oz Valcambi Palladium Bar.
IRA-Eligible Gold
- Gold American Buffalo
- Gold Austrian Philharmonic
- Gold Canadian Maple Leaf
- Gold Krugerrand (various sizes)
- Gold Australian Kangaroo
- Gold bars from recognized refiners
IRA-Eligible Silver
- Silver American Eagle
- Silver Canadian Maple Leaf
- Silver bars and rounds
- 90% junk silver bags
IRA-Eligible Platinum
- Platinum American Eagle
- Platinum Austrian Philharmonic
- Platinum bars (Credit Suisse and others; check current stock)
Palladium
- 1 oz Valcambi Palladium Bar. Verify availability before placing an order, as palladium inventory can fluctuate.
Prices are displayed on the website for most products, updated in relation to live spot prices. This level of transparency is genuinely unusual among precious metals dealers and allows buyers to do meaningful comparison shopping before calling.
My Quick Verdict
A good fit if: you want a straightforward bullion dealer with published pricing, a nearly fifty-year track record, and zero upsell pressure — and you are comfortable selecting your own IRA custodian and depository.
A weaker fit if: you want a dealer that guides you through every step of the IRA process, recommends a depository, or offers a concierge-style rollover experience.
My take: Colorado Gold is a legitimate, well-reviewed dealer with an honest operating model. The intentional separation from custodian and depository relationships is both a strength (no conflicts of interest) and a burden (more research falls to you). Include it on your comparison list, but do not treat it as your only call.
The IRA Arrangement: Independent by Design
For precious metals IRAs, Colorado Gold takes a deliberately hands-off approach. The company will execute buy and sell transactions within the IRA, arrange shipment to the depository, and coordinate settlement through the custodian. What it does not do is recommend a specific custodian or depository, nor does it accept compensation from any of them.
This is stated clearly on its IRA page: Colorado Gold does not endorse any custodian and is not paid by them. The choice is left entirely to the investor. The company does provide links to two custodians it has worked with — New Direction IRA and STRATA Trust Company — but these are presented as references, not recommendations.
This model has a specific implication: you need to do your own custodian research before you can open an IRA through Colorado Gold. That is more legwork than dealers who walk you through the custodian selection and onboarding process. The benefit is the absence of any financial relationship between Colorado Gold and the custodian — there is no incentive to steer you toward a more expensive arrangement.
For context on how to evaluate custodians independently, our guides on self-directed IRAs and top self-directed IRA companies cover the key criteria.
Why We Recommend Noble Gold Investments First
Colorado Gold’s hands-off IRA model means the custodian and depository research falls to you. Noble Gold Investments, our #1 rated company for 2026, handles that process directly and offers a free guide that explains how IRA structures work, what storage costs look like, and what questions to ask before you commit.
What a Nearly Fifty-Year Track Record Actually Signals
👍 Published prices – an absolute rarity in the sector
The vast majority of precious metals dealers require a phone call to get information about the price of any product. Colorado Gold publishes its prices on the company website according to live spot prices. That is one feature alone which enables potential buyers to make truly informed choices and perform actual comparisons based not merely on ratings but on actual prices.
👍 No custodian compensation – clear conflict of interest position
It is quite common among dealers to have some financial relationships with recommended custodians influencing their choice. Colorado Gold explicitly claims that it gets no remuneration from any custodian. That is a significant fact as most firms do not mention it so clearly.
👍 BBB A+ rating and no complaints over the last three years
The fact of having an A+ rating and no complaints over the past three years in a firm established in 1977 means something. This is definitely not a company which gets good reviews due to marketing tricks. They get it because of consistent delivery through tens of thousands of transactions made.
👍 No rare/numismatic coins – just bullion
The refusal to sell rare or numismatic coins is a significant benefit for consumers because the reason for it is stated clearly. Rare coins are not a decent investment as per the statement. And that is what you expect in such an industry where profit margins on numismatic coins are noticeably higher than those on bullion.
Pros and Cons of the Independent Dealer
👎 IRA setup is up to you
Colorado Gold will not guide you throughout the entire IRA setup process. You will have to search for an appropriate custodian and depository on your own, open an account, deposit funds, and instruct Colorado Gold to buy metals from it. This may be challenging for inexperienced investors.
👎 Small range of products compared to competitors
Seven-fourth products is a limited choice rather than an extensive one. Investors seeking various kinds of bullion bars and coins produced in different mints will not see much variation here since the focus is placed elsewhere in the company.
👎 Lack of depository partnership = lack of storage guidance
Colorado Gold ships bullion bars directly to the depository chosen by you, as the company does not cooperate with any depositories. Thus, it does not help you choose one, negotiate its rates, or explain what segregation and pooling mean in practice. These actions should be done by you.
👎 Physical metals yield nothing
Unlike stocks and bonds, metals do not pay dividends or interests. They also do not compound in value. Metals play defense in a portfolio, meaning that they act as a hedge against inflation and currency depreciation. Use metals in accordance with their purpose.
Where Colorado Gold Sits Relative to the Field
Colorado Gold is unusual in the context of how most precious metals dealers operate today. It is not competing on brand recognition, education programs, or IRA concierge services. It is competing on price, longevity, and operational integrity. For comparison:
- Augusta Precious Metals — premium positioning; exceptional investor education; full IRA guidance
- Goldco — high brand visibility; guided rollover experience
- American Hartford Gold — competitive promotional offers; full IRA service model
- Noble Gold Investments — our #1 rated company for 2026; strong rollover support and free guide
- SchiffGold — similar bullion-only philosophy; broader storage options; more IRA guidance
For investors willing to do the custodian legwork themselves, Colorado Gold’s pricing transparency and unconflicted model may produce a lower total cost than some of the full-service alternatives. For investors who want to be guided through the process, the full-service dealers are likely better fits.
Five Things to Nail Down Before You Place an Order
- Which custodian are you planning to use, and have you confirmed their full fee schedule for the account size you are funding?
- Which depository will your custodian use, and what are the annual storage fees for segregated versus pooled storage?
- What is Colorado Gold’s current sell-side spread, and how quickly does a sell order settle back to cash in the IRA?
- Are the specific products you want to purchase confirmed as IRA-eligible before the order is placed?
- Is palladium currently in stock in the weight and format you want, and what is today’s price?
Final Verdict
Colorado Gold is one of the most straightforward dealers in our review series. It publishes prices. It refuses to sell rare coins. It discloses that it receives no compensation from custodians. It has maintained an A+ BBB rating for nearly fifty years. Those are not small things in an industry where opacity and upselling are common.
What it does not offer is the guided, hand-holding IRA experience that many retirement investors want. If you need a dealer to recommend a custodian, walk you through depository selection, and manage the paperwork flow, Colorado Gold is not built for that. If you are a self-directed buyer who knows what you want and values price transparency over concierge service, it may well be one of the best-priced, most trustworthy options in the market.
Where it lands: Colorado Gold earns a spot on any serious bullion buyer’s shortlist — with the clear caveat that the IRA setup process is more independent than most dealers. Research your custodian first, compare Colorado Gold’s prices directly against at least two competitors, and confirm current palladium availability before ordering.
Compare Before You Commit: Start With Our #1 Rated Company
Colorado Gold is a legitimate, low-markup dealer. But its hands-off IRA model means you need to do more groundwork than with some competitors. Noble Gold Investments is our top-rated company for 2026 and offers a free guide that covers the full IRA setup process, storage options, and cost comparison framework.
Colorado Gold is a family-run precious metals investment broker founded in 1977. Headquartered in Montrose, Colorado, the company offers a good selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins and bars. The catalog contains a decent selection of some of the popular IRA-eligible bullion products. Colorado Gold stipulates that it has no partnership with any IRA custodian or depository company, with that decision being left to the individual customer. However, it does state that in the past it has worked with Equity Trust Company, Strata Trust Company, The Entrust Group, and, New Direction Trust Company. Presently, the company appears to be out of stock of available palladium products.
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Mohammed Saqib is a finance professional and CFA Level II Candidate with a Master of Finance from Wilfrid Laurier University. He specializes in financial content covering equities, alternative assets, precious metals, and capital markets.
