Bob Chapman Interview March 2012, Silver Vigilante Exclusive
Many people hear about numismatics as a way to hedge against the political risk of corruption inherent in all markets, however it is clear that numismatics are oftentimes unreasonably priced. For those individuals worried about government confiscation of gold and silver, instead of numismatics, could platinum and palladium serve a similar purpose?
Numismatics and mint state graded numismatics are usually overpriced because of the commissions charged by dealers anywhere from 6% to 50%. This is particularly true in circulated numismatics – putting that aside the premium on mint state numismatic coins are close to their lowest level in 35 years. In the markets from 78 to 1980 we saw tremendous gains in numismatics and mint state guarantees did not exist at that time. Today, if purchased intelligently the mint state coins are a good buy. The same could be true of regular numismatics. I have never been an advocate of platinum or palladium. They are too strongly tied to commercial usage.
From the Second World War to the big silver run-up in the late seventies and early eighties, which I suspect altered the psychology in and around the silver market, how did people view silver?
In the early 60s before the changes to clad in 1965 we had already purchased what we could with the funds available all of the junk silver we could. Thus, we were in the silver play long before most people knew about it and many of our clients were instructed by us to do what we had done with the coins in addition to purchasing gold and silver shares.
In the late 70s far more Americans bought silver then are buying silver today and had not the US government manipulated the market they all would have made a great deal of money. I tell investors to use 30 to 50 percent of their funds, dependent on the suitability, in gold and silver bullion coins and the remainder in shares.
Zbigniew Brzezinski suggested overtly in his book, “Between Two Ages,” that the counter-culture movement in the mid-to-late sixties was totalitarian and communistic. Do you agree with this interpretation? How does the counter-culture of today differ, if at all?
Yes I agree with Brzezinski – it was he and others who created the situation. Today, communism, socialist and national socialism have all been tied in together. It is the intention of the Illuminist to bring that together into world government.Today’s culture is only somewhat different. The implied results will be relatively the same.
what brings joy to your life?
Being alive brings joy to my life and with that being able to help other people to understand what is really going on.
