Baird & Co., headquartered in London, is the United Kingdom’s leading gold refiner and the sole full-service bullion merchant. Established by Tony Baird in 1967, the company originally focused on numismatic coins but later expanded its offerings to include bullion bars and jewelry. Situated in Hatton Garden, London, Baird & Co. operates from a highly secure 30,000 square-foot refinery in Beckton, with an international branch in Singapore.
The company’s core operations encompass trading in gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium bars, as well as numismatic coins. These products are available in various weights and sizes, catering to private investors, collectors, and institutional clients. In addition to its trading services, Baird and Co. also offer vaulting facilities and specialize in manufacturing alloys for industrial applications.
The company’s founder, Antony Stephen Baird, born in 1942 in Lanarkshire, Scotland, developed an early interest in coin trading when his family moved to London shortly after World War II. However, it wasn’t until 1967, with the introduction of the South African krugerrand, that he fully committed to coin dealing as a career. By the mid-1970s, Tony had established a permanent office in Stratford and regularly traveled to Switzerland to procure large quantities of gold coins. In 1982, the introduction of a 15% VAT on gold coins and the subsequent decline in the UK gold coin market prompted Tony to diversify into other gold-related products, including jewelry manufacturing and gold bars.
Baird & Co. expanded further in 1987 by opening its first branch in Hatton Garden, offering over-the-counter cash trade services. The company relocated to a new refinery in 2008 to support the Olympic Games in Stratford. Despite its growth, Baird & Co. has remained a privately owned entity. Tony Baird passed away on April 12, 2015, leaving behind his wife Lorena and two sons, Alex and Carlos. His funeral, held on September 10, 2015, was attended by several LBMA members.
Baird & Co. has a history of innovation and recognition, becoming one of the first companies to offer precious metal coins and bars online through its website in 1996. It gained membership in the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) in 2000 and has consistently ranked in various prestigious league tables for the fastest-growing private companies in the UK between 2011 and 2013. Notably, in 2012, Baird & Co. introduced the world’s first commercial rhodium investment bar and collaborated with the nation of Tuvalu in 2018 to produce the world’s inaugural legal tender rhodium coin, known as The Tuvalu South Sea Dragon. In 2016, Baird & Co. became an official distributor of The Royal Mint and was honored with the Queen’s Enterprise Award for Business in the international trade category.
After analyzing the comments about Baird & Co in Hatton Garden,
Here is my final recommendation:
Overall, most of the comments are positive and highlight friendly and professional customer service, a variety of investment products in gold and silver, and the ease of opening accounts. Customers praise specific employees like Kara and Tara for their helpfulness and patience. Additionally, the transparency and knowledge of the staff are mentioned, instilling confidence in investors.
However, there are some negative reviews that focus on the lack of response to emails, long waiting times, issues with identity verification, and some problems with the online store. These issues seem to have negatively affected the experience of some customers.
My final recommendation is that Baird & Co appears to be a solid choice for those looking to invest in gold and silver in Hatton Garden. Customer service is mostly praised, and employees like Kara and Tara have left a positive impression on customers. However, it is important to be aware of potential delays in identity verification and issues with the online store, so it is advisable to contact the store directly to clarify any doubts or concerns before making a purchase.