[1] Goldline traced its formation to a Deak & Co. subsidiary created in 1960, a firm that in the late 1970s was the largest storefront gold retailer and later went into bankruptcy in the 1980s.

[5][10][11][12] In 1984, Deak & Co. faced allegations from the President's Commission on Organized Crime that they laundered money for Latin American drug traffickers, facilitated the Lockheed bribery scandals, and smuggled currency from the Philippines.

[18][19] In 1986, the foreign exchange and gold business was sold to Australia's Martin Properties Ltd. (later renamed Deak Morgan[20]) for $12 million.

[29][30] Two years later, Goldline moved its headquarters and trading floor across Santa Monica, California to offices at the Water Garden complex.

Former Director of the United States Mint and Democratic Congressman Jay W. Johnson was Goldline's television spokesperson from June 2009 until his death in October of that same year.

[40] In 2009, Goldline incorrectly labeled Glenn Beck as a "paid spokesman" on its website which raised concerns with his employer, Fox News, which prohibits such a relationship; they later corrected it to "radio sponsor".

The late night satirical television program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has skewered the relationship,[41] and in 2010 some alleged that there is a conflict of interest which both Beck and Goldline deny.

[42][43] In 2010, then Congressman New York Representative Anthony Weiner criticized the advertising relationship between Goldline and certain conservative commentators calling it an “unholy alliance”.

[57] The Roosevelt order resulted in only one failed prosecution, and the dollar is no longer backed by gold thereby putting into question why the government would again ask for its surrender.

[61][62] When asked about this by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's Good Morning America,[63] Scott Carter, the Executive Vice President of Goldline, said he didn't know if the government would again "confiscate" bullion but some saw a parallel between 2010 and 1933.

The Missouri Secretary of State Securities Division investigated and alleged that the company's agent was acting as an unregistered investment advisor, but the consent order did not judge whether the accusation was true or false.

[40][43][69] In September 2010, the Subcommittee on Energy, Commerce and Consumer Protection held a hearing on proposed legislation by then Congressman Anthony Weiner regarding mandatory disclosures for the sale of coins and precious metals.

The Chairman of the Committee on Energy, Commerce and Consumer Protection attended as an ex officio member and stated at the outset of the hearing, “I also don't think it's appropriate to hold a hearing because this is a substance that's being advertised on Glenn Beck or Rachel Maddow or anybody else.” Carter testified regarding Goldline's sales practices and client policies as well as concerns about the proposed legislation.

Goldline had indicated that Rep. Weiner's office never contacted them directly to discuss the matter when creating its report and ignored an offer to tour their facility.

Glenn Beck, a frequent spokesman for Goldline, claimed Weiner was using McCarthy-like attacks and accused him of assailing Goldine at the request of the Barack Obama administration, and Mark Levin called him “a grandstanding leftist."

ABC News reported that 100 customers from around the country had complained that the two firms misled them or that they received a different item than the one purchased.

[60] Goldline has claimed that collectibles have a greater markup due to their relative rarity, costs of shipping and handling, paying the sales staff, and the company's compliance department.

[75] Additionally, they claimed customers were given complete information before purchasing, "pricing is transparent," "fees and commissions are disclosed in writing," and all complaints are investigated.