Tuesday 3rd October 2005 AD
"A TRIBUTE TO OUR ESTEEMED SWISS BANKER"

Our valued readers are well acquainted with the views and thinking of our "Esteemed Swiss Banker", Mr. Ferdinand Lips, most recently featured in our series "Conclusions of a Swiss Banker".

This week, Anglo Far-East Co. joins together with the conservative gold community, monetary historians, sound-money advocates and his friends, colleagues and associates world-wide to mourn his passing away. Mr. Lips peacefully passed away last Thursday evening 29th September from complications after a routine back-surgery he had three weeks ago following his accident in the Swiss mountains this summer.

Last month while making plans for an upcoming Zurich lunch meeting, I was chatting with Ferdinand's offsider, Jean-Pierre Schumacher. "It has been an absolute privilege to have Ferdi as my mentor, advisor and personal friend," admitted JP.

Ferdinand Lips has a long and impressive career in finance and banking stretching over 4 decades, having served as co-founder and Managing Director of Rothchild Bank AG, Zurich and latter opening his own bank, Bank Lips, Zurich.

Mr. Lips was a founding member of the Swiss Association of Security Analysts and is a trustee of FAME, Foundation for the Advancement of Monetary Education, New York. He served on the board of numerous world-leading gold companies as well as writing and lecturing on gold, finance and monetary economics for many years.

Jean-Pierre wrote of his friend, "Ferdi's mission was to teach the world about "sound money" - the economic basis for a peaceful, stable world. This could only be achieved by a return to the Gold-Standard. He became known as the "Pope of gold"! His book Gold Wars was the weapon. It was translated into German. The Japanese version is about to be released. Translations into French, Russian and Arabic are planned."

For those interested or involved in the monumental struggle for a return to a system of sound monetary and economic values, our Esteemed Swiss Banker was an inspiration to all. However there was one thing more important as JP points out, "He was also a loving father of two daughters and grandfather of two girls that made him very proud. He often told me that keeping the family together was the most important thing in life. Because "family" meant so much to him, he was also a big supporter of the "Pestalozzi" children village foundation in Switzerland."

In today's world of professional bankers and moneymen, Mr. Lips was a lone voice crying in the wilderness and a revolutionary thinker, but more than that, he was a Godly and family man who upheld traditional ethics and standards, a rarity today.

Mr. Ferdinand Lips, our Esteemed Swiss Banker will be missed.

Best Regards - Philip Judge pjudge@anglofareast.com