Wondering what the best asset to transport value could be, I decided to gather parameters and data on gold, silver and cash to be able to give myself an answer.
The results are somewhat surprising, at least to me, as I never thought of comparing them from this point of view. The following is based on the current market price of gold (90 EUR/g) and silver (1.00 EUR/g).
#1. Best value density by volume
Gold has the best value density in terms of volume, starting from a purity of at least 9 carats.
| Asset | EUR/cm³ |
|---|---|
| Gold 9 – 24k | 652-1,739 |
| Banknote 10 – 500 EUR | 12-381 |
| Silver 1000 | 10.5 |
| 5 EUR banknote | 7 |
#2. Best value density by mass
Cash has the best value density in terms of mass, but only banknotes worth at least 100 EUR.
| Asset | EUR/g |
|---|---|
| 100 – 500 EUR banknote | 93-424 |
| 18 – 24k Gold | 68-90 |
| 50 EUR banknote | 50 |
| Gold 9 – 15k | 34-56 |
| 5 – 20 EUR banknote | 7-23 |
| Silver 1000 | 1 |
In case you were wondering… yes, the 50 EUR banknote of the first series weighs exactly one gram!
#3. Silver does not qualify
Unfortunately for silver, its current low price does not make it an asset capable of storing good value in either mass or volume compared to gold and cash.
It is just a little more space-saving than the 5 EUR note, but this difference is so small that it is not worth it.
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