Extinguishing the Torch, from Sea to Shining Sea, & Your Chance to Medal

As the Olympics wind down and the torch is extinguished on Sunday, we'll always remember the most decorated Olympic champion of all time in Michael Phelps and look forward to more amazing feats in Tokyo from his heir apparent Katie Ledecky. Many thanks also to Ashton Eaton, Simone Manuel, Maya DiRado, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Usain Bolt, and all of the Olympic athletes from every corner of our globe for the wonderful memories. These games remind us with all the ties to the hundredth of a second how similar we all are despite the differences that make us each uniquely fabulous. Kudos also to Brazil for hosting these memorable games despite blindsiding blows from mother nature and a teetering world economy.

We have had a wonderful Summer, traveling with my family to Virginia and the Carolinas for a welcomed beach vacation and historic tours that took us back in time to the birth of our country. Colonial Williamsburg is a reminder of what is able to be accomplished once the seeds of liberty are planted and our countrymen become united in the pursuit of a common cause. Monticello is a living celebration of the life of our incredibly brilliant, forever curious, and world renowned and respected 3rd President. From his personal library of over 1000 books to his basement cellars, smokehouse and kitchen where food and drink inspired from his travels to France were prepared, to his magnificent estate grounds and gardens and the artifacts that he collected from a lifetime of travel and even to the quirky clock at the entrance to his house with the hole in the floor so the counter weight could fall enough to turn all of the days of the week; it all reflects the spirit of Thomas Jefferson. He was dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, developing interpersonal relationships and in drafting documents and doctrines that were formative in the early years of our nation including The Declaration of Independence. He also enjoyed the fruits of his success and shared it with family, friends, diplomats and dignitaries during a time when social and political networking or just throwing a party wan't as easy as emails or evites and driving to the grocery story or calling the caterer. As our Minister to France and later the first Secretary of State in George Washington's administration, Thomas Jefferson helped build our early relationship with France and it was this ally of our young country that would later gift us the Statue of Liberty which has proudly stood in New York harbor since 1886 and in her likeness, lady liberty has adorned the money of those times. Life in Colonial America was much more primitive than many of us could imagine living in, but it was also a time when a strong conviction to and a willingness to fight for those beliefs which we still hold sacred changed our history. It was an era when there were more handshakes than likes, more authentic national heroes and virtuous leaders than aloof, paid for and incompetent ones, and when our money was gold and silver, not a paper promise and a prayer that the enormous monetizing debt machine from which it spews doesn't implode.

Our travels also took us to throughout much of the mighty and majestic state of Alaska as my daughter collected more junior ranger badges from some of the crown jewels of our beloved National Park System. We were awed by the engineering marvel of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and drove alongside it for hundreds of miles. We also visited an old gold mine and walked among old mining machines from over 100 years ago that were pretty impressive engineering feats in their own rights, now idled and rusting in Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. During the Alaska gold rush miners flocked from the lower forty-eight by the thousands, mostly during the late 1890s, giving up their livelihoods and in many cases their lives, and endured great hardships to stake their claim in hopes of a better future for their families, though most failed. Back then failure in such endeavors for many meant poverty, hunger and an early death before a broad social safety net was first cast as part of FDR's New Deal in 1933 while our country was in the grips of The Great Depression. It was the same year that FDR also signed Executive Order 6102 making it illegal for US citizens to own gold bullion and forced its sale to the government at the then fixed price of 20.67/oz. The next year, after the vaults of Ft. Knox were filled, he also signed The Gold Reserve Act of 1934 changing the fixed value of gold to $35, thereby devaluing the US dollar by almost 70% and completing the theft of the wealth of his people. Alaska's landscape though majestic, is dotted with ghost towns and other remnant reminders left over from the exploitation and ultimately the depletion of many of her natural resources over several boom and bust cycles, beginning with Russian fur traders in the 1700s that took the sea otter to the brink of extinction.

For now we are finished exploring and are ready to get back to work. We have plans to add 24 carat rhenium rings and meteorite crosses to our budding jewelry business. This Fall our next batches of indium and lutetium ingots will be ready and we'll be adding 1 kg tellurium bars to our rare metal bullion family of products. More molybdenum and tungsten will also soon be available. 

Finally (and god bless you for reading all of this!) we would like you also to have a chance to "medal" this Olympic Summer and own something rare. From now until the unofficial end of our favorite season (midnight on Labor Day, September 5th) use coupon code SUMMER2016 at checkout for 10% off any of our products and get your favorite metal or metals. We also kindly suggest as Thomas Jefferson did routinely, that you take the time to gather your family and friends around your table for a good meal and a nice bottle of wine (or two). Saving some provisions and precious metals in a safe place for a rainy day also seems prudent in these uncertain times. Our travels from sea to shining sea were as refreshing as they were enlightening and with the knowledge gleaned from our steps back in time where we saw first evidence of how people lived, what inspired them and how they persevered through many great challenges of their time, we are focused more than ever as we chart our course into the future. We were also reminded how precious and limited our natural resources are and how much effort our forefathers spent to secure them in the pursuit of a better life. In particular our precious metals resources are authentically rare and cannot just be produced or printed with a few mouse clicks like the paper currency we can still use to buy them. They therefore have enduring value that cannot be inflated away so in the long run it does not matter how negative the bias of the mainstream media nor how much the deep pocket entities manipulate prices for their own benefit in the hugely leveraged COMEX. Just consider such things an opportunity that allows you to keep stacking.

We hope you too enjoyed and were inspired in this Olympic Summer of 2016. We also hope you take the chance to swap out some of that fiat currency for something rare and with inherent value before the next wealth grab is complete.

 


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