Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange Review

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Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange has built a notable presence in the Twin Cities precious metals market since opening its doors on April 30, 2018.

With two physical locations, one in St. Louis Park and one in St. Cloud, the business caters to collectors, investors, and everyday sellers who want a local alternative to online dealers.

 Founded by William E. Zastrow, the company has accumulated a 4.9-star average across customer review platforms and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau a rating that reflects zero complaints on file since the BBB opened its file on the business in May 2022.

Key Takeaways

• Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange operates two Minnesota locations and holds a BBB A+ rating with zero complaints on record.
• The company buys and sells gold, silver, rare coins, currency, and jewelry with a stated goal of the smallest markup in the industry.
• Customer reviews consistently highlight transparent pricing, no-pressure service, and knowledgeable staff.

Who Is Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange?

The business launched in 2018, which makes it relatively young compared to some Twin Cities competitors. Twin Cities Gold & Silver, for example, has operated for over 40 years in the same general market.

That age gap matters to some buyers who equate longevity with reliability. What Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange lacks in decades, it appears to compensate for through reputation management and a clear focus on customer experience.

The company describes itself as a numismatics-focused dealer, meaning it goes beyond simple spot-price transactions.

Numismatics covers the study and collection of coins, currency, and related objects, and dealers with this focus tend to attract serious collectors alongside the more casual seller who found a box of old coins in a deceased relative's attic.

Locations and Hours

The St. Louis Park location sits in the western Twin Cities suburbs, accessible from the broader Minneapolis metro area.

The St. Cloud location extends the company's reach to central Minnesota, a market with less competition from dedicated precious metals dealers. Both locations are closed on Sundays.

What They Buy and Sell

The product range is fairly broad for a business of this size. Most local coin shops in Minnesota stick to a narrower niche, but Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange covers several categories:

On the buying side, the company positions itself as a destination for people looking to sell inherited collections, old jewelry, or accumulated bullion.

The pitch is straightforward: bring your items in, get an assessment, and walk out with a fair offer. Customers report the appraisal process is explained clearly, which matters in a market where sellers often come in without knowing the current spot price of gold or silver.

As of May 2025, gold was trading above $3,200 per troy ounce and silver above $32 per troy ounce both near multi-year highs.

That environment has driven more casual sellers into local shops, and dealers that handle volume well without cutting corners on appraisals tend to benefit most from these cycles.

Pricing and Markup Structure

Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange publicly claims to offer "the smallest markup in the industry." That's a bold statement, and one that's difficult to independently verify without systematic price testing across multiple dealers.

What can be confirmed from customer feedback is that buyers report competitive premiums on silver bullion that are generally reasonable relative to spot price, and sellers say they receive offers that match or exceed what their own research suggested they'd get.

In the Twin Cities precious metals market, the main competitors include:

Each of these shops has its own pricing approach. The honest takeaway is that a serious buyer or seller should always get at least two quotes.

Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange's pricing reputation holds up across reviews, but no single dealer should be treated as the definitive market price.

The Local Market Context

Minnesota does not exempt precious metals from sales tax the way several other states do. That has a practical effect on in-state retail transactions, and buyers who purchase bullion locally will factor this into total acquisition cost.

It's worth understanding the tax treatment of any purchase before completing a transaction, regardless of which dealer you use.

The Twin Cities metro area has a dense enough concentration of dealers that competition keeps pricing reasonably honest.

St. Cloud, by contrast, has fewer options, which may give Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange a stronger value proposition at that location simply by virtue of being one of the few dedicated dealers in the area.

Precious metals demand in Minnesota has tracked national trends. The post-2020 surge in retail investor interest in physical gold and silver pushed foot traffic into local coin shops across the country, and that trend continued into 2024 and 2025 as gold approached and then exceeded $3,000 per ounce.

Dealers who handled that influx professionally saw their reputations improve quickly. Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange's review volume and ratings suggest it benefited from this period.

Customer Experience: What Reviews Actually Say

The St. Cloud location has 37 customer reviews with a 4.9-star average. The St. Louis Park location has accumulated over 110 reviews across multiple platforms. The themes that appear most consistently across those reviews:

There are occasional mentions of pricing discrepancies on specific items, which is common in any shop that handles a wide range of products.

A dealer who offers consistently fair prices on bullion may not always match expectations on niche collectibles, and vice versa. No pattern of systematic undervaluing appears in the review record.

Trust Signals and Business Standing

The BBB A+ rating with zero complaints is the most concrete trust signal available for this business.

The rating does not mean the company is BBB accredited accreditation is a voluntary paid program but the A+ grade itself reflects the Bureau's assessment of the business based on factors including complaint history, time in business, and business practices.

The company's business details are publicly registered, ownership is transparent (William E. Zastrow, owner), and the physical storefronts are verifiable and accessible.

These are baseline requirements that anyone evaluating a precious metals dealer should confirm before doing business.

One thing worth noting: the company's Yelp listing references "nearly 50 years of experience," which conflicts with the documented founding date of April 30, 2018.

 That discrepancy likely reflects the staff's individual experience in the industry rather than the company's operating history. Buyers should read those kinds of claims carefully and weight them accordingly.

Who This Dealer Works Best For

Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange fits a specific type of customer well. If the following describes the situation, this shop is worth visiting:

The shop is less optimized for buyers looking for deeply specialized numismatic inventory.

For graded rare coins with NGC or PCGS certification, larger dealers like Twin Cities Gold & Silver or American Rare Coins may have broader selection.

 Minnesota Gold and Silver Exchange's strength is in accessible, transparent transactions across a general range of precious metals products.