(Q) If you had 10 minutes of face to face discussion time with each of your customers, what is the one single idea you would try to teach each one of them about freedom?

(A) hmm, that is a really good question and one that is not easily answered. I don’t believe that ALL customers can be fit into a mold that would relate to something I could convey to them in some generic sense of things. I think freedom is something best left to each individual to determine for themselves. If I could present just one idea, then I guess it would be that.

(Q) Is there an advantage to shopping for one ounce silver bars from your web site, over visiting a local coins shop and buying from them?

(A) I think local dealers have a market that works well and is useful. Our aim is to supply silver bullion products to that market. If you have a local coin shop that also sells bullion then it would be useful to show them our products when you shop there. When a dealer places a large order they can convey the savings on shipping to their customers.

(Q) Are you operating as a Money Service Business? Do you hold any other Federal or State regulatory licenses which permit you to operate?

(A) We are not operating as a money services business as silver is not money according to the law today. Nevertheless, we do understand that the digital silver currency can be used by criminals to further criminal activity if left unchecked, so we have implemented a full anti money laundering program, a customer verification program, employee training and customer education program that serves to keep our system free from fraud. The results of this is thousands of clients and zero fraud. We also do possess a MSB license from the jurisdiction of the USA even though our company is based in Panama. We feel a good anti money laundering program and more importantly a strong anti fraud and anti crime policy is essential to our success and essential to the security of our client’s silver. Our terms of service policy explains all this in greater detail.

(Q) I know that I can buy digital Silver online from at least one other company, GoldMoney, what advantages does the Phoenix Dollar offer over James Turk’s digital product?

(A) James is a wise businessman. His product has its place in the market and is valuable even to our customers. That being said, it has absolutely no resemblance to our product offering. Our focus is on actually holding real silver in your hand where it belongs. We enable the average person, even if not rich, to hold silver in their hand even after someone sends it to you in digital form. This is something that is impossible in other systems.

(Q) Do you ship overseas?

(A) Yes, we ship all over the world to all but a few countries found on the sanctions lists.

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The Phoenix Dollar was created in late 2005. The company is a silver bullion retailer offering their own brand of pure silver bars, disks and even digital silver holdings which is 100% backed by bars in a secure vault.

These accounts are free to open and the Phoenix Dollar community offers some exciting advantages and tools to those who would use the digital silver for online commerce. The digital silver is transferable between anyone operating a Phoenix Dollar Holding and there are several popular independent exchange providers who can assist you with a secondary market transaction. The digital product is exchangeable with other digital currency such as Pecunix.

Any user can easily have their silver balance (as little as one ounce) delivered right to their front door for just a few dollars over the spot price. The physical silver one ounce disks and bars are very beautiful and I happen to own several.

The bars and disks can be used as payment between any person as a method of barter. While some of these items may look like money, its important to note that The Phoenix Silver Bullion Products are NOT “legal tender” and NOT “current money” nor are they endorsed by any sovereign government, country, city or state. While the designs are great, both the silver and paper designs do not look like government issued currency. Paper designs? Yes, the company is soon offering SilverBacks® which is a series of Authentic Paper Silver Certificates. More on that below.

Today I’m interviewing Gordon Hayes designer, creator and operator of the The Phoenix Dollar.

(Q) Can you tell us your current position with the Phoenix Dollar company and how long has it been operating?

(A) I am the President. We opened to the public in October of 2005. The concept was in development for a couple years before that.

(Q) Who came up with the design for the silver bullion products? How about those new silver certificates?

(A) I have two very special artists that I collaborate with who shall remain nameless for security reasons. I create the concepts and they come up with the artwork for them. Sometimes I am able to pick a piece out of their extensive portfolio for certain things and apply them to the silver without any modifications. Having a high caliber art team has enabled us to exceed in designing silver pieces that never fail to win people over for their sheer beauty.

(Q) Out of all the successful businesses you have been involved with over the years, why did you create the Phoenix Dollar? What were your reasons for coming out with a private barter currency backed by silver?

(A) The world simply needs to know that what I am doing is possible. My ultimate goal is to create a currency that actually improves the lives of its owners. This would take a bit of explaining to get across properly, but to summarize, today we have a world that contains all sorts of fiat currencies. Not a single one of them have any real value except that which is derived from the end of a gun. I set out to build a currency that actually protects the wealth of its users, that improves how people interact and do business with one another and that creates more freedom and success in the world. This is the sort of philosophical background information that is not really necessary to know when using the currency. The results of using it speak in subtle ways.

(Q) I have seen the pictures of your new SilverBacks® paper silver certificates which are now on the way. What do these certificates offer users that the bars and disks don’t already provide?

(A) This product conflicts with my personal beliefs to some extent, but its main benefits are that you can carry it in your pocket in quantity without being weighted down so much that you cannot walk. Silver bullion is very heavy and cannot easily be transported in quantity. The SilverBacks® address that problem thus enabling the currency to gain more use in the everyday over the counter market. I expect this product line to be a curiosity in the market for some time, but I am doing it anyway, just in case things rapidly change.

(Q) Your bullion products look fantastic.

(A) Thank you.

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