Thinking about setting up a gold legacy for my kids? Any thoughts on how to do it right?

• •Been chewing on something a lot lately and wanted to toss it out to the hive mind here.
• •My background's in steel, so I've always understood commodities and how they hold their value, especially during uncertain times.
• •Gold just feels like the ultimate safe haven, and I want that stability for my family long-term.

Been chewing on something a lot lately and wanted to toss it out to the hive mind here. I’ve been stacking gold for a while now, mostly in my IRA (got a decent chunk, probably north of $350k diversified across a few things right now, but a good portion of that is physical gold and silver in the IRA). My kids are still young, but I'm looking further down the road, probably 20-30 years out, and thinking about how to pass on some of this wealth in a smart way. My background's in steel, so I've always understood commodities and how they hold their value, especially during uncertain times. Gold just feels like the ultimate safe haven, and I want that stability for my family long-term.

My initial thought was just to direct some of my IRA assets to them or set up some kind of trust, specifically for tangible assets like coins and bars. I've got a decent collection of American Gold Eagles, some Canadian Maples, and a few pre-33 Saint-Gaudens that I picked up over the years. I know IRAs have specific rules about beneficiaries, but what about setting up a separate fund or even just a safe deposit box with physical gold intended for them outside the IRA structure? The goal isn't just to give them money, but to give them a real, tangible asset that's less susceptible to inflation or market crashes like we've seen before. I remember the '08 crash hitting some folks I knew hard, even down here in Birmingham, and gold was a huge buffer for me.

Has anyone here gone through the process of leaving physical gold directly to their children or grandchildren? What were the tax implications you ran into, both federal and state (I'm in Alabama, so that's a factor)? Also, how did you handle the actual transfer? Did you just gift it over time to stay under the annual exclusion, or did you explore trusts or other legal structures? I'm picturing something that gives them a solid foundation, a real asset they can hold, not just numbers on a screen.

I’m particularly interested in hearing about any pitfalls or unexpected challenges. Are there any specific types of gold (bullion vs. numismatic, for example) that are easier or harder to transfer or are treated differently for tax purposes? And any recommendations for legal or financial advisors who specialize in this kind of legacy planning for physical assets? Love to hear any experiences or advice you guys might have.