FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER

Transcription

1 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER How to use gold and silver coins to protect your net worth and hedge against the inevitable decline and possible destruction of the value of the U.S. dollar.

2 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER It was then I knew the cold, hard facts of life. Porter Wagoner 1967 In 1967, Country & Western star Porter Wagoner sang about the cold, hard facts of life. He was of course talking about a love triangle. But today, there are some cold, hard facts of financial life that have nothing to do with love or triangles, but everything to do with your net worth. We re not going to sugar coat it. When it comes to money, when it comes to your net worth, when it comes to your financial survival you have to deal with reality. You have to know the cold, hard facts, and you have to deal with them. Failure to deal with financial reality, failure to deal with the cold, hard facts is financial suicide! Today, when it comes to your net worth when it comes to your financial survival the most important fact of American financial life is During the past 50 years, the value of the U.S. dollar has declined consistently over the long term and the value of the U.S. dollar will absolutely continue to decline! There is now no doubt whatsoever that the U.S. dollar has declined in value over the long term. There is also no doubt whatsoever that the value of the U.S. dollar will continue to decline. It s systemic, engrained in our financial system, and deeply engrained in our political system. How you deal with this financial reality will determine your financial future. THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES! A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul George Bernard Shaw In France, in 1960 there was a 100 to 1 devaluation of the French Franc. With the stroke of a pen, it took 100 old francs to make 1 new franc. I remember being in France in 1966 and you could still use old francs to buy stuff. The merchants had price signs with the initials nf on them. So an item might be priced at 20nf, for example. That meant if you wanted to buy the item, you had to give the merchant either 20 new francs or 2,000 old francs. The United States has also had a major devaluation since But it has been a much more insidious, deceitful devaluation. It has been a long term, consistent devaluation. We believe the devaluation has been about 30 to 1. And we can t think of a single significant item that hasn t increased in dollar denominated price at least ten to one. Food, real estate, a gallon of gas, a first class stamp (3 cents in 1960), stock prices, art, gold & silver (up 35 times since 1960), and rare coins (up over 35 times since 1960) are all up at least 10 times their 1960 price. And you don t have to use 1960 as a bench mark. The same devaluation (on an annual percentage basis) is evident if you use 1970, or

3 1990, or even If you look at any long term period, you will see a consistent devaluation of the value of the U.S. dollar. As we said, it s systemic and engrained. And what about the future? We ve all read plenty of facts that don t bode well for the future. Here are just a few we ve come across lately. 1. In 2010 the U.S. government is projected to issue almost as much new debt as the rest of the governments of the world combined. 2. It is being projected that the U.S. government will have a budget deficit of approximately 1.6 trillion dollars in Total U.S. government debt is now up to 90 percent of gross domestic product 4. Total credit market debt in the United States, including government, corporate and personal debt, has reached 360 percent of GDP 5. Two university professors recently calculated that the combined unfunded pension liability for all 50 U.S. states is 3.2 trillion dollars 6. U.S. government-provided benefits (including Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs) rose to a record high during the first three months of million Americans are now on food stamps, which represents a new all-time record. But things look like they are going to get even worse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting that enrollment in the food stamp program will exceed 43 million Americans in According to the Tax Foundation's Microsimulation Model, to erase the 2010 U.S. budget deficit, the U.S. Congress would have to multiply each tax rate by 2.4. Thus, the 10 percent rate would be 24 percent, the 15 percent rate would be 36 percent, and the 35 percent rate would have to be 85 percent." And that doesn't include the tax hits necessary to pay off the debt...about $300,000 for every person in America The bottom line is that it is mathematically impossible for the U.S. government to pay its debts and obligations without inflating the Dollar, and no politician can do anything to change the course of the Dollar. It s systemic and engrained!

4 WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS The rest of the world clearly thinks the value of the dollar will continue to go down. And the rest of the world is dumping dollars and buying gold. In 2009, the International Monetary fund wanted to sell 200 metric tons of gold. The Government of India bought all 200 tons for $6.7 billion (a little over $1,000 per ounce, so they ve already made a dollar denominated profit!) India was basically saying, OK, you take these dollars, we ll take the gold. Many Central Banks (but not of course the U.S. Central Bank) are now net buyers of gold. China and Russia have been especially aggressive in gold buying in the past few years. In Europe, they have a much different view about gold and paper money. One French coin dealer recently said to us, Our government has been screwing us for over 400 years. We have a different attitude about gold than you do. And indeed, most banks in Europe buy and sell gold. When s the last time you walked into your local Bank of America branch and bought some gold? Europeans buy gold. Asians buy gold. People in the Middle East, India, Vietnam they buy and hold gold. The rest of the world thinks gold is money! GOLD AND SILVER COINS FOR FINANCIAL SURVIVAL We don t think there s anything we can do to change the system. We do, however, know what we can do to protect ourselves and our family. Like Europeans and Asians, we think the best strategy for financial survival during the long term decline and possible destruction of the value of the U.S. dollar is to buy and hold gold and silver. There are lots of ways to have a position in gold and silver. If you re a super traditionalist who s addicted to equities, you can buy stock in gold and silver mining companies. If you re a risk taker, you can buy gold and silver contracts on the commodity exchanges. If you re a trusting kind of person, you can buy ETFs or warehouse gold and silver. But we re old school coin dealers and we want to see and touch our gold and silver. We trust our fellow man (to a certain extent), but we want to control our gold and silver. We think the best way to own gold and silver is to buy and hold physical coins. We know that some very wealthy Americans are now moving money offshore, getting rid of debt, and restructuring their lives. We aren t experts in taxes, or having assets offshore, or debt. But we are coin experts and we have been buying and selling gold and silver coins (and rare coins) for over 40 years. We know how the markets work and we know the best coins to buy. We want to pass on the information to you, so we re going to present a quick analysis of how the gold and silver coin market works. And we will follow that with some recommended gold and silver coin portfolios. Our analysis and recommendations are based on a strategy of financial survival during the continued decline in value of the U.S. dollar. You might call it survival numismatics. We call it, financial survival coins.

5 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL COINS People have been buying and selling coins for over 2000 years. (Wealthy Romans collected Greek coins.) And there has been an active coin market in the United States since the Civil War. But we re not talking about collecting coins. We re concerned with financial survival. We re concerned with protecting our net worth from the inevitable decline in the value of the U.S. dollar. With that in mind, let s talk about best gold and silver coins for financial survival. Straight Gold & Silver Bullion Coins The simplest way to buy gold and silver coins is to buy modern bullion coins. Many of the mints of the world, including the U.S. Mint, are currently producing gold and silver coins that are sold as bullion items at a very small premium over their bullion value. The lowest premiums are for one ounce gold coins and that s what we recommend. One ounce gold coins are traded world-wide. They are easy to understand and they are extremely liquid. The world may view the price of gold in terms of their own currency, but the unit of choice is one ounce. There are many different one ounce coins you can buy. We recommend the one ounce U.S. Gold Eagle. These coins are traded world-wide and the markets are extremely large on both the buy and sell side. Most importantly, the spread between the buy and sell price is miniscule, the smallest spread of any bullion coin of any size or metal. For gold, there is one other coin worth considering. Nearly all currently minted gold coins are 90% gold. There are two, the Canadian Maple Leaf and the U.S. Gold Buffalo, that are 99.99% gold. They are much softer than the 90% coins and consequently mark up fairly easy. But they are basically pure gold and that makes them quite popular, especially in Asia. We recommend the one ounce U.S. Gold Buffalo. They have a large market and buy sell/spreads are small. There are many other one ounce gold coins. But we see no reason why you should buy South African Krugerrands, Austrian Philharmonics, etc. We also see no reason to buy fractional gold coins of less than one ounce size. And a word of warning is appropriate here. Some gold coin dealers will try to switch you into the quarter ounce traditional world coins such as the Swiss 20 Francs, French 20 Francs, and English Gold Sovereign. It s literally the old bait and switch routine. These coins are not rare by any meaning of the word. They are strictly sold for their bullion value and there is no reason to pay 30% or 40% over bullion for them.

6 For silver bullion coins, the concept is the same as with gold coins. We recommend the one ounce U.S. Silver Eagle. Again, they are easy to understand and the markets are very large and extremely liquid. Silver Eagles come from the U.S. Mint in tubes of 20 coins inside 500 coin Monster Boxes (as they are known in the trade). Note that only authorized distributors can buy silver and gold eagles directly from the Mint. The 20 coin tubes are quite handy for handling and storage, and the 500 coin, i.e. 500 ounce Monster Boxes are a thing of beauty for anyone who believes in gold and silver. Vintage Gold & Silver Bullion Coins There are vintage U.S. gold coins (pre-1933) and silver coins (pre-1965) that sell for a very small premium over their bullion value. They are an excellent way to hold gold and silver as financial survival coins. They are also an anti-confiscation hedge. We think it s unlikely that gold ownership will be made illegal in this country, but there is some chance it could happen. The last time gold ownership was illegal in the United States ( ), holding vintage gold and silver coins was not illegal. Even FDR, with all his power at the height of the Depression, did not make vintage coin ownership illegal. The vintage gold and silver coins that sell for very small premiums over their bullion content are as follows: $20 Liberties circa (in circulated condition). These coins have.9765 ounces of gold. They are the largest regular issue United States gold coins and they were one of the bullion coins of choice for international trade and transactions (along with the English Sovereign, French 20 francs, and Swiss 20 Francs) from roughly 1880 thru about 1970 or so. These coins trade in the grades of Very Fine to Extremely Fine (VF to XF) and have just a little bit of wear. They currently sell for somewhere between 12% and 15% over their bullion content. But you aren t really overpaying for bullion since when it s time to sell, they bring considerably over their bullion price. And note that current premiums (12% to 15%) are very low as traditionally the premium has usually been more like 20%.

7 $20 St. Gaudens circa (in Uncirculated condition). The $20 St. Gaudens is one of the world s most famous coins. It didn t see a lot of circulation at the time of issue as it was used mostly for international trade and interbank payments. Consequently most survivors are in lower grade Uncirculated condition (known as Commercial Uncs in the trade). Like the circulated $20 Liberties, they are currently selling for 15% or so over their bullion content and they are great financial survival coins. Pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver coins. Between 1794 and 1964, U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars were 90% silver. But in the early 1960s, years of government deficit spending and inflation had eroded the value of the U.S. dollar to such an extent that the silver in the coins was worth more than the face value of the coins. It was nothing like the deficit spending and inflation we ve been subject to since, but it was definitely a minor preview of things to come. In 1965, the 90% silver coins were replaced by the copper-nickel coins we have today. The 90% pre-1965 silver coins have traded for a premium over face value a gradually increasing premium since Today, pre % silver coins sell for just a few percentage points over their silver melt value. It doesn t matter whether they are dimes, quarters, or half dollars, as long as they are pre- 1965, there is a big liquid market and they work great as financial survival coins to 1935 silver dollars. Silver dollars were minted in the U.S. between 1794 and The 1878 to 1921 Morgan dollars and 1921 to 1935 Peace dollars were minted by the hundreds of millions and many millions of them survive today. Like the 90% silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars, circulated examples of the 90% silver 1878 to 1935

8 dollars trade at a small premium to their silver melt value. These coins basically trade in three groups; the 1878 to 1904 Morgan dollars, the 1921 Morgan dollars, and the 1922 to 1935 Peace dollar (the 1921 Peace dollar is a rare date). There is a small difference in the price; the 1878 to 1904 Morgans sell for a little more. Semi-Numismatic Gold Coins There is a very large market for higher grade vintage U.S. gold coins, the so-called semi-numismatic gold coins. The most heavily traded semi-numismatic gold coins are the $20 St. Gaudens (circa ) and the $20 Liberty (circa ). The semi-numismatic grades most frequently traded are MS62 to MS65. That s Average Uncirculated MS62, Choice Uncirculated MS63, Near Gem Uncirculated MS64, and Gem Uncirculated MS65. As you might expect, the lower the grade, the lower the premium over the gold melt value. The coin we like the best at the present moment is the MS63 $20 St. Gaudens. For semi-numismatic gold, it s all about the premium. And the premium can fluctuate a lot. Smart gold coin buyers watch the premiums very closely. In fact, a few of the largest gold coin wholesalers play the premium with coin shorts and gold hedges. When premiums are low for a certain grade, they will load up on the coins and short gold on the commodity exchanges. When premiums are high, they will get into situations where they are short the coins (by advance selling to retailers for future delivery) and they will go long gold on the commodity exchanges. In terms of their actual gold position, they are flat, but they are speculating on the rise or fall of the coin premiums. We like MS63 $20 St. Gaudens now because premiums are at a 10 year low. Premiums often decrease when gold bullion prices run up sharply as it usually takes a little while for the coins to catch up. Right now, MS63 $20 St. Gaudens (PCGS graded for highest quality assurance and most resale value) are a little over 20%. In the past 10 years, the premium has usually fluctuated between 35% and 65% so we have a very unusual situation right now. Unfortunately, this low premium scenario probably won t last that long, but while it does, we like the PCGS graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens best of all the semi-numismatic gold coins. Note that you can also buy the $2.5, $5 and $10 pre-1933 semi-numismatic gold coins, but right now you get the most bang for your buck with the twenties, especially the MS63 $20 St. Gaudens.

9 Classic Gold & Silver Coin Rarities Rare gold and silver coins are a fantastic form of concentrated wealth. You can put five or ten coins in a briefcase and literally take hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars anywhere in the world. There s a huge rare coin market in the United States. There is a centuries old, very vibrant and large rare coin market in Europe. And there is a rapidly growing, very exciting rare coin market in Asia. In the United States, the rare coin market is about $5 billion a year (and that excludes all the bullion coins sold and all the coin items the U.S. Mint sells to collectors). In Europe, there is a huge market for all rare coins of the world, including United States coins. Interestingly, there are approximately $200 million worth of U.S. gold coins imported from Europe to the United States each year. And European coin auctions regularly feature U.S. coins. The center of the European market is Paris, with major centers also in London, Zurich, and Berlin, and good action in most major cities. In Asia, there has been an active market in Tokyo and Hong Kong for decades. And now markets are rapidly opening up in mainland China and demand is huge. What are the rare U.S. coins that are high demand, very liquid items world-wide? Which U.S. coins can you put in a briefcase and take to Paris, Hong Kong, or New York or L.A. for that matter? The right coins for concentrated wealth survival and transfer are the classic gold and silver rarities, the high demand, very well-known long term rarities of the U.S. coin market. We have identified 22 gold coins (and coin types) and 18 silver coins that are the cream of the classic coin rarity crop. You can get a copy of the list of all 40 coins by request from our office, or you can call us and we can talk about them with you. These classic gold and silver rarities sell for as little as $2,000 to $4,000 per coin and as much as $300,000 to $400,000. Most of them are in the $10,000 to $100,000 per coin price range. Here are two examples of fantastic, high demand classic rarities. The 1795 $5 and 1795 $10 gold pieces were the first gold coins struck by the newly United States. For the 1795 $10, a mere 5,583 coins were originally minted. Of those, probably 300 to 500 survive today. Also note that in 1834 the gold content of U.S. coins was lowered slightly (our first devaluation and a preview of things to come!) so most of the pre-1834 gold coins hit the melting pot. Today, the 1795 $10 is a super high demand, incredibly well-known coin world-wide. An Almost Uncirculated example (say a PCGS graded AU55) goes for about $75,000. For a classic silver rarity, check out the 1836 Gobrecht silver dollar. Silver dollars were struck between 1794 and 1803, but the weren t struck between 1804 and The 1836 Gobrecht design silver dollar was the first silver dollar struck in 33 years and only 1600 were originally made. The currently sell for about $75,000 in the very high grade of PR64. Below is a price history of these two great coins and note that the price histories of the other classic gold and silver coin rarities are similar.

10 1795 $10 AU $75, $26, $17, $2, Gobrecht silver dollar, PR $75, $37, $35, $1,900 Ultra Rarities If your net worth is extremely large, U.S. coin Ultra Rarities are a fantastic way to have a portion of your assets diversified into concentrated wealth survival and transfer coins. The concept is the same as discussed above with Classic Gold & Silver Coin Rarities except the Ultra Rarities are million dollar coins, and one of them is a nickel coin. There are about twenty Ultra rarities you could buy, stick in a briefcase and go anywhere in the U.S., Europe or Asia and have very saleable multi-million dollar asset. A perfect example of a gold million dollar coin Ultra Rarity is the 1907 Extremely High Relief $20 St. Gaudens. This coin was designed by the world-renown sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens at the personal request of President Theodore Roosevelt. And they are one of the most beautiful coins ever made. A mere 22 coins were made and about 18 to 20 survive today. They were all saved with special care and survivors grade very high. The last sale we know about was a January, 2007 auction where a PCGS graded PR68 brought $1,840,000. Let s use that as today s price and look at the price history.

11 1907 Extremely High Relief $20 St. Gaudens, PR $1,840, $1,100, $425, $60, Liberty Nickel And note that all U.S. coin Ultra Rarities have the same spectacular price histories. And they don t even have to be gold or silver. The most famous U.S. coin is the 1913 Liberty nickel. There were only five made. Today, two are in museums and three are privately held. Here are some actual historical sales for this world famous coin rarity. It was the first coin to sell for $100,000 and also the first coin to sell for $1,000,000. January, 2010 $3,737,500 (auction) March, 2001 $1,840,000 (auction) May, 1996 $1,485,000 (auction, the first million dollar coin) October, 1993 $962,500 (auction) January, 1985 $385,000 (auction, the Dr. Jerry Buss coin) 1972 $100,000 (private sale) 1967 $46,000 (auction) 1954 $3,750 (auction, the King Farouk coin) 1943 $1,000 (private sale) 1941 $500 (private sale) Owners of 1913 Liberty nickels have included L.A. Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and King Farouk of Egypt. So when we say world-renown when talking about Ultra Rarities, we really mean world-renown. You obviously have to be very wealthy to participate in the Ultra Rarity market, but these world-renown coins are definitely a great long term store of value.

12 RECOMMENDED FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER PORTFOLIOS What are the right gold and silver coins for you to buy? It all depends on your personal situation, the amount of money you want to spend on gold and silver, and your comfort level with the various types of coins. Those are personal decisions for you to make. Below are our recommended portfolios of various sizes and various types of financial survival coins. Of course, you could just keep it simple and buy all Gold Eagles and/or Silver Eagles, but below are what diversified gold and silver survival coin portfolios would look like. $10,000 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER COIN PORTFOLIO For the smallest financial survival gold & silver coin portfolio that makes sense, i.e. a $10,000 portfolio, you should stick to the basics. So for $10,000 you should do half gold and half silver. You could do it two different ways, depending on how you feel. Option 1 - $10,000 Gold & Silver Bullion Coin Portfolio $5,000 in Gold Eagles $5,000 in Silver Eagles Option 2 - $10,000 Vintage Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio $5,000 in U.S. $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $5,000 in 90% U.S. silver coins or silver dollars $25,000 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER COIN PORTFOLIO At $25,000 you have a little more room and a few more options, but you will still be building a financial survival gold & silver coin portfolio using the most basic coins. Option 1 - $25,000 Gold & Silver Bullion and Vintage Coin Portfolio $10,000 in Gold Eagles $5,000 in Silver Eagles $5,000 in $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $5,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars

13 Option 2 - $25,000 Vintage Gold and Silver Coin Portfolio $15,000 in $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars Option 3 - $25,000 Vintage Gold and Silver Coin and Semi-Numismatic Coin Portfolio: $5,000 to $10,000 in $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $5,000 to $10,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars $5,000 to $10,000 in PCGS graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens. $50,000 FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER COIN PORTFOLIO With a $50,000 financial survival gold and silver financial survival portfolio you have more options and some decisions to make regarding your approach. Option 1 - $50,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, Non-Numismatic $5,000 to $10,000 in Gold Eagles $5,000 to $10,000 in Silver Eagles $10,000 to $20,000 in $20 Liberties and $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 to $20,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars Option 2 - $50,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Semi-Numismatics $5,000 to $10,000 in Gold Eagles $5,000 in Silver Eagles $5,000 to $15,000 in $20 Liberties and $20 St. Gaudens $5,000 to $15,000 in 90% silver or silver dollars $10,000 to $20,000 in PCGS Graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens

14 Option 3 - $50,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Classic Gold & Silver Rarities $5,000 to $10,000 in Gold Eagles or $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $5,000 to $10,000 in Silver Eagles or 90% silver coins or silver dollars $10,000 to $20,000 in PCGS graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 to $20,000 in Classic Gold and Silver Coin Rarities $100,000+ FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER COIN PORTFOLIO With a financial survival gold and silver coin portfolio of $100,000 and up there are several different approaches you can take and the decision is obviously based on your personal situation and feelings. You have a lot of options. Give us a call! Here s what a $200,000 portfolio might look like; Option 1 $200,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, Non-Numismatic $25,000 to $100,000 in Gold Eagles $10,000 to $25,000 in Silver Eagles $25,000 to $100,000 in $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 to $25,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars Option 2 - $200,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Semi-Numismatics $10,000 to $25,000 in Gold Eagles $10,000 to $20,000 in Silver Eagles $25,000 to $100,000 in $20 Liberties and $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 to $25,000 in 90% silver or silver dollars $25,000 to $50,000 in PCGS Graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens Option 3 - $200,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Classic Gold & Silver Rarities $25,000 to $100,000 in Gold Eagles or $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $10,000 to $25,000 in Silver Eagles or 90% silver coins or silver dollars $25,000 to $50,000 in PCGS graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens $25,000 to $100,000 in Classic Gold and Silver Coin Rarities

15 $1,000,000+ FINANCIAL SURVIVAL GOLD & SILVER COIN PORTFOLIO For multi-millionaires and billionaires who want to use gold and silver coins, the options are obviously quite numerous. Below is what a million dollar gold and silver survival coin portfolio might look like; Option 1 - $1,000,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, Non-Numismatic $200,000 to $400,000 in Gold Eagles $100,000 to $200,000 in Silver Eagles $200,000 to $400,000 in $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $100,000 to $200,000 in 90% silver coins or silver dollars That s a lot of silver! Better have a place to store it. Option 2 - $1,000,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Semi-Numismatics $100,000 to $300,000 in Gold Eagles $50,000 to $200,000 in Silver Eagles $100,000 to $300,000 in $20 Liberties and $20 St. Gaudens $50,000 to $200,000 in 90% silver or silver dollars $100,000 to $250,000 in PCGS Graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens. Option 3 - $1,000,000 Gold & Silver Coin Portfolio, with Classic Gold & Silver Rarities $100,000 to $400,000 in Gold Eagles or $20 Liberties or $20 St. Gaudens $50,000 to $200,000 in Silver Eagles or 90% silver coins or silver dollars $100,000 to $250,000 in PCGS graded MS63 $20 St. Gaudens $200,000 to $400,000 in Classic Gold and Silver Coin Rarities GOLD & SILVER COINS for financial survival Call Today!

16 In CA Fax: P.O. Box 6220 Newport Beach, CA /