Custodian hunt for my Metals IRA – any recs?

• •Diving into this Gold IRA setup and trying to figure out which custodian to go with.
• •I've always had a decent allocation, but ramping it up now for the long haul.
• •What are folks' experiences with different custodians, especially those with larger accounts?

Diving into this Gold IRA setup and trying to figure out which custodian to go with. Got a pretty significant chunk of change, thinking about moving around $1.5M - $2M initially into precious metals (mostly gold and some silver, obviously). Been out of the Wall Street rat race for a few years now, and the family office has been suggesting more inflation hedges, which, frankly, given how things are looking, makes a lot of sense. So, metals it is. I've always had a decent allocation, but ramping it up now for the long haul.

I've obviously looked into some of the bigger players like Equity Trust and Strata Trust Company, but it feels like there's always a catch or a fee structure that pops up later. What are folks' experiences with different custodians, especially those with larger accounts? Are there any boutique firms out there that offer a more personalized touch without nickel-and-diming you for every little thing? I’m based in NYC, so while proximity isn’t crucial for an IRA, knowing they understand sophisticated investor needs from a reputable firm would be a plus.

My biggest concern is really about fees and the ease of liquidity if I ever need to take distributions. I don't want to get stuck in some administrative quagmire just because I chose the cheapest option upfront. Any recommendations based on actual, positive experiences would be incredibly helpful. Are there specific questions I should be asking when interviewing these custodians that you found particularly insightful?