Silver and gold are sold by the troy ounce, which is about 10% heavier than the “regular” (avoirdupois) once commonly used in the US. So in an apples-to-apples comparison, silver’s current price (about $18/troy ounce) is $16.40 per “regular” ounce. Gold ($1,500/troy ounce) runs about $1350.
Your house is probably the most expensive thing you own, but on a cost per ounce basis, it’s quite a bargain. At around 90 pounds per square foot, a one-story, 1500 square foot home that sells for $350,000 costs about 16¢ an ounce, barely 1% the price of silver.
How about a Rolls Royce? A Rolls Ghost costs nearly as much as a house, and at 5,500 pounds, it costs a lot more by the ounce. $3.55, to be precise. More than a house, but way less than silver. And a $75,000 Lincoln Navigator luxury SUV only brings about 82¢ an ounce.
Of course you can’t eat a house or a car, nor are you likely to eat silver—OK, a little silver or gold won’t hurt you, but why?
But here are some things you can eat that cost more than silver. Some are nearly as expensive as gold:
Saffron: up to $700/oz.
Saffron comes from the stigma of crocus flowers. Each flower only has six stigmas, each of which must be cut carefully by hand from individual crocus flowers, dried, and fermented before sale making it the world’s most expensive and fraudulently marketed spice. But no, despite wild claims, it’s not more expensive than gold. Only half as much.
Truffles: $45-$400/oz. Or more
These exotic mushrooms are difficult to cultivate and are often harvested wild using trained pigs or dogs. They grow among the roots of certain trees and are highly prized in haute cuisine worldwide. More common black truffles run about $45 for an ounce and an ounce of rarer white truffles will set you around $400, even more for exotic varieties.
Caviar: $75/oz. and up. Way up.
We all know caviar is fish eggs, but these are special eggs. True caviar comes from sturgeon in the Black and Caspian seas. Good quality caviar runs around $75 an ounce but can range all the way up to over $1,000 per ounce or more for Diamond Beluga caviar that is hand-massaged from the roe of 60-100-year-old sturgeon. They are prized for their large size, firmness, and creamy taste.
Black Ivory Coffee: $50/oz.
Made from undigested beans gathered from the droppings of elephants in Thailand, this exotic brew tops even the storied Kopi luwak ($32/oz.). Black Ivory coffee is very smooth with a floral, chocolaty aroma and tastes like a chocolate malt with a hint of cherry. Known as civet coffee, Kopi luwak supposedly has a unique sweet taste when the beans are roasted and brewed.
Vanilla: $17/oz.
The tiny black specs you see sometimes in ice cream and other confections are seeds scraped by hand from the dried and cured beans of three species of orchids that grow in tropical areas of the world. Just barely more expensive than silver.
Other famously expensive food like Wagyu beef are pricey at their normal serving sizes, but even a $150 16 oz. steak only costs a little over $9 an ounce.
Eating your assets is a bad strategy. You’ll get more benefit from having some affordable precious metals in your collection or portfolio. The Great American Coin Company® offers gold and silver bullion in all types and sizes from under one gram to 100 ounces. Some bullion coins like American Gold and Silver Eagles have added value as collectors’ items. While they may cost a little more to buy, their collectability typically adds value beyond their bullion price. That collectability premium tends to grow with time independently of metal prices, too. Visit our website for complete details and prices.
