The claim classification system
Every claim on Vetted Bullion belongs to one of nine classes, and the class determines the evidence we require, the language we use, and how often we re-verify it:
| Class | Evidence required | Review cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Stable fact | Primary source (mint, government, exchange, standards body) | Annual |
| Time-sensitive fact | Primary source + source date + retrieval date | Quarterly / on change |
| Market data | Named feed, timestamp, cadence, delay disclosure — not yet published on this site | Per cadence |
| Dealer-specific information | Dealer’s published policy, attributed and dated | Quarterly |
| Regulatory / tax information | Official source + jurisdiction + date + professional-consultation qualifier | Semi-annual |
| Editorial analysis | Reasoning shown, inputs cited | On input change |
| General education | Established references | Annual |
| Opinion | Labeled as such | — |
| Commercial recommendation | Vetted Standard evaluation + relationship disclosure | Quarterly |
Source hierarchy
In descending order of authority: government agencies and regulators; sovereign mints; tax authorities (jurisdiction-bounded); established exchanges and benchmark administrators; recognized industry organizations; audited public information; primary dealer published policies; peer-reviewed research. We never cite low-quality affiliate content as primary evidence, and dealer-provided information is always attributed rather than treated as independently verified.
Language discipline
Time-bounded claims say “as of [date].” Attributed claims say “according to [source].” Variable things say so: “dealer policies may vary,” “premiums change with market conditions, product availability, order size, and dealer pricing.” And everything on this site carries the same floor: this is general educational information, not individualized financial advice.
What we will not publish
Live prices without infrastructure and delay disclosure; scores without a documented, consistently applied, reviewable rubric; superlatives without reproducible comparisons; certainty where none exists.
The evaluation framework built on this evidence model is The Vetted Standard™.