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Dear Subscriber,
When Singapore removed GST (taxes) on IPM bullion last October it suddenly became possible to import and store bullion tax free in Singapore proper, arguably the best jurisdiction in case of a repeat of US gold nationalizations, without the need for bonded vaults.
With over 70,000 troy ounces of silver and gold owned by Silver Bullion in our secured offices / depository, DUX bullion testing, advanced inventory control systems and being situated right next to one of Singapore's most important vaults, it made perfect sense to process storage parcels ourselves. We have branded the new service S.T.A.R.+ Storage
S.T.A.R.+ Storage is the culmination of four years of hard work bringing together a fantastic team of people, establishing a great reputation with supplier and regulatory agencies, optimizing inventory auditing and control systems and quite literally getting our hands dirty by delivering close to 1.5 million ounces of physical bullion.
We are even hiring a dedicated materials engineer to help establish DUX as the premier non-destructive bullion testing methodology and, as a SBMA (Singapore Bullion Market Association) bullion dealer, these efforts have now caught the attention of major international news agencies.
All of this has been made possible only through the support of you - our customers - who share our concerns about the future and together we are turning Singapore into one of the most important bullion storage locations worlwide.
Wishing you all a great new year
Gregor J. Gregersen
In this newsletter:
- Silver Bullion Pte Ltd in the News on the BBC, Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal
- S.T.A.R.+ Storage featuring lower storage costs, new storage locations, in house parcel processing and optional DUX Testing
- 2012 Koala Special 10 oz and kilo coins priced well below Perth Mint retail prices
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| Silver Bullion Pte Ltd in the News: |
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Silver, Singapore and Silver Bullion Pte Ltd have received considerable international coverage in the last few months. This is timely coverage as the "fiscal cliff" debacle in the US and similar situations in Japan and Europe are slowly raising the average investor's awareness with regard to the unprecedented scale of their fiscal and unfunded liability shortcomings.
Notwithstanding the catastrophic fiscal situation and unlimited quantitative easing (currency printing) policies very few investors have actually purchased physical bullion. This was re-confirmed to me at a recent WallStreet Journal organized panel debate on precious metals where, as a panel member, I asked who among the audience owned physical bullion. It was telling that even within this select group of sophisticated investors less than 5% owned any physical gold or silver.
Interestingly, almost everybody at the event agreed that it makes sense to own physical precious metals - as a safety net against financial distress and the eroding value of major currencies - but very few people have acted even with this understanding. Physical supplies are currently abundant so take advantage while you can. We will face shortages of physical bullion again, once demand increases and mainstream investors start to act.
Recent news and Silver Bullion Pte Ltd:
 - BBC World News - Silver gains popularity among investors amid economy fears
 - News - Silver Vaults Stuffed Means Price Rising 30% in ’13: Commodities
 - Market News - Singapore Has Golden Ambitions
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| Silver Bullion Pte Ltd - The New S.T.A.R.+ Storage Option |
Physical bullion storage is about understanding counterparty risk as your holdings are meant to withstand severe financial crises and potential bullion nationalizations. If you are worried about a repeat of April 5th 1933 for example, - when possession of gold bullion in the US by any individual, partnership, association or corporation was criminalized - then it makes good sense to check how exposed your bullion holdings are to potential US restrictions or nationalizations.
Keep in mind that bullion dealers are normally resellers that outsource storage to third party vault operators and that every reseller and vault provider has Force Majeure clauses in their contract that could leave you with little recourse in case of a forced nationalization.
Few bullion dealers provide you with detailed storage information. Silver Bullion Pte Ltd is quite unique because we hold large inventories ourselves, offer unprecedented transparency of our inventories and tell you exactly - by physical parcel, not quantity - where and how bullion is stored. Furthermore we ensure that both ourselves and our storage counterparties have as little US regulatory exposure as possible and, if requested, you can have a detailed DUX Test Report by parcel. |
S.T.A.R.+ Gold bullion is stored, with full liability protection, in the principal Certis Cisco (Singapore Auxiliary Police) vault which also holds Singapore dollar notes on behalf of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. As a purely Singaporean entity with no US exposure we believe that Certis Cisco's vault is the ultimate gold storage solution in case of a repeat of the 1933 US gold nationalizations. Note that the vault is, unlike safe deposit boxes, not accessible directly by customers as only auxiliary police and auditors have access.
S.T.A.R.+ Silver is stored, due to space constraints as silver requires 80 times more space - being 1/50th the price of gold and occupying 80% more space by weight - separately in Silver Bullion Pte Ltd owned storage racks at nearby Ferrari Logistics. Ferrari Logistics is a major logistics provider for the branded luxury goods industry in Europe and Asia with very limited US exposure. All S.T.A.R.+ Silver Bullion are accorded full liability protection through Lloyd’s of London.
The first shipment of 1.2 tons of silver and 570 ounces of gold have been stored in S.T.A.R.+ and a separate parcel ownership list is now available for S.T.A.R.+ Customers.
With S.T.A.R.+ we are also introducing new mini parcels containing five Perth Mint kilo bars. This is about a third the size of a standard silver bullion parcel and allows for more ordering flexibility. |
 A Sample S.T.A.R.+ Gold Parcel  S.T.A.R.+ Silver Parcels |
Lastly, as part of S.T.A.R.+ we have also greatly reduced storage rates as follows:
- Gold 10 oz yearly rate from: 199 SGD to 98 SGD (more than 50% off)
- Silver 500 oz year rate from: 199 SGD to 138 SGD (more than 30% off)
Note that the above rates are fixed in Singapore dollars, thus storage charges will decrease as a percentage of bullion value, as the value of the bullion appreciates. Any unused prepaid storage is refunded upon sale or delivery. Read more on S.T.A.R.+ Storage. |
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| Discounted 2012 Koala Bullion Coins (10 oz and 1 KG) |
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The kookaburra special we held last month has been very popular. As the year 2012 has come to a close we were able to secure at a discounted rate a substantial number 2012 Koala coins shipped directly from the Perth Mint, allowing us to follow us with a very attractive special.
We have reduced premiums on 2012 Perth mint 10 oz and 1 kg Koala Perth Mint coins (local pickup only, not for storage). These coins are priced well below mint retail bullion prices and will be so until the 15th of February or until supplies last. About 9000+ oz (280 kg) of these coins have already arrived so you can take immediate delivery. Pre-orders on these coins are no longer available as production of 2012 coins had ceased in favor of 2013 coins.
About these coins: The Perth Mint Koala silver bullion coins are official legal tender of Australia. The finishing, weight and purity are guaranteed by the Perth Mint and Western Australia Government. As with other Perth Mint coins the quality is very good and each coin is individually housed in a plastic casing.
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Silver Koala 2012 Coin - 10 Ounce
The front of the 10 oz coin displays a Koala perched on a branch. The obverse features Queen Elizabeth II.
This coin is discounted well below Perth Mint Retail price until February 15th or until supplies last.
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Silver Koala 2012 Coin - 1 Kilo
The front of the 1 kg coin displays a Koala perched on a branch The obverse features Queen Elizabeth II.
This coin is discounted well below Perth Mint Retail price until February 15th or until supplies last.
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See more products and prices at www.silverbullion.com.sg.
Best Regards
The Silver Bullion Team
Silver Bullion Pte Ltd
Registration Nr: 200907537M
Floor #03-02A Certis CISCO Center II
20 Jalan Afifi, Singapore 409179
Singapore
Phone: (65) 6100-3040
Fax: (65) 6826-4022
Email: [email protected]
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Information provided here should not be considered as advice or as an offer or enticement to buy, sell or trade. The contents of this publication, including any opinions and analysis, are strictly intended for educational use. Opinions expressed in bylined articles are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Silver Bullion Pte Ltd.
Silver Bullion Pte Ltd. makes no warranties, whether expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information provided or for eventual results obtained by using the information. In no case shall Silver Bullion Pte Ltd. be liable for direct, indirect, or incidental damages resulting from the use of the information.
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Silver Maple Leafs - 2012 availability is decreasing in favor of 2013 edition coins. Maple leafs are the most popular coins in Singapore and we reduced pricing on these both locally and through S.T.A.R. Bullion Storage
Silver American Eagles - The 2012 edition of the coins is now difficult to obtain as production has ceased. The US mint had only starting minting 2013 coins, causing some shipping delays but supplies are expected to catch up by early February. Note that the silver coin is tax exempt in Singapore but the gold American Eagle bullion coin is not.
Johnson Matthey 100 oz Poured Silver Bars - Availability of JM bars is good and bars are available in both S.T.A.R. + Bullion Storage and locally.