Controversial chart.

After the upcoming inflationary era, what is the future of wealth storage? What is the future of currency? Where should you invest your wealth? If you invest in precious metals, which should you choose? The plot shows the elements along with value in $/kg, and world production in B$/year.

World wealth, in trillions of dollars,

Total 400
Stock markets 80
Gold, reserves 10.9
Paper currencies 7
Cryptocurrencies 2.0
Silver, reserves .01
Land, buildings, vehicles, solar cells, wind turbines, etc. ?

Which elements make good currency?

A currency should be uncounterfeitable. In ancient times, gold was the currency of choice because no known substance had a density anywhere close to gold. This ended in 1783 with Scheele's discovery of tungsten, which has the same density as gold.

A currency should have industrial value. For example, the best catalysts are platinum, palladium, and rhodium, and they are hence critical to the chemical industry and to mufflers. They are bank. They will always have value.

A currency should have high value in $/kg, so that it can be carried around.

A currency should be immutable. Gold is immutable. Elements are immutable.

A currency should have low world production in $/year, so that the market doesn't get flooded with the currency. Such elements are "squeezable" an have the potential to jump in value. There was recently a silver squeeze. Platinum-group metals spiked in value by a factor of 10 over the past 4 years. They spiked even more than cryptocurrency. Something's going on.

A currency should have stealth. The government tries to control currency. You want a currency that can't be controlled by the government. Gold can be buried in the ground.

If paper currency and cryptocurrency break down then you need a currency you can measure, and density is easy to measure. You can use iridium as a density-based currency because the only other substance that has a density >= iridium is osmium, and osmium is more expensive than iridium. Platinum and rhenium can also be used as a density-based currency. See the density table below.

In the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress issued a Continental paper currency but didn't back it with anything and nobody accepted it, hence the army was unable to use it to buy stuff. Only silver or gold were accepted.

Some elements are endangered, in that they come from conflict zones or that they come from China.

Cobalt is used for lithium-ion batteries, and most comes from DR Congo. Lithium-ion batteries can be made without cobalt, but cobalt-based batteries have more energy/mass.

Rare-earths appear throughout the electronics industry, especially in solar cells. Rare-earths come mostly from China. America has a fine rare-earth mine that it declines to use. The chief rare-earth is neodymium, for magnets.

Germanium is needed for fiber optics and most of it comes from China.

Tin is used for solder and bronze, and most comes from China.

Tungsten is used for superhard materials in the form of tungsten carbide, and most comes from China. It also has the highest melting point among elements. More elements that are valuable for their high melting points include tantalum, hafnium, and molybdenum.

Scandium is a great alloy metal, and it comes from Ukraine, China, and Russia.

Phosphorus and potassium are critical for fertilizer. The superpowers for these elements are Israel, Canada, China, and Morocco. Biomass can solve many problems, and the limit on world biomass is decided by phosphorus and potassium.

Lithium is used for lithium-ion batteries. Most comes from Australia and Chile.

Rhenium is used for aircraft turbines, and it comes from Chile, USA, Peru, and Poland.

Beryllium is the metal with the best strength/mass. Beryllium is the only element that America dominates world production for.

Tantalum is used for capacitors and is produced in Australia, Brazil, and Canada.

Nickel alloys well with steel. Nickel is found worldwide.

Caesium: The best drilling lubricant is caesium formate. The entire mining industry hinges on caesium. Caesium spiked in value by a factor of 10 over the past 4 years. Most caesium comes from Canada.

Gold is used for currency and jewelry, and there is abundant gold in America, Canada, and Australia. As long a there are vain people, there will be demand for gold.

Silver is used for solar cells and most comes from Mexico and Peru.

Silver has the highest conductivity among metals, and this is important for a vast number of technological applications. Copper is 2nd and gold is 3rd. Gold is valued because it is both conducting and malleable (weak). Gold is the best material for electrical contacts.

Copper comes mostly from Chile and the rest comes from Peru, USA, Australia, and China.

Gallium is extracted from aluminum ore, and aluminum ore is abundant.

Uranium and thorium are used for nuclear power and they are abundant.

Expanded discussion of mining, wealth, and currency: jaymaron.com/mining.html [jaymaron.com]

China dominates world production for most elements. They're trying to squeeze them. See the plot.

At present, solar cells are a low-return, low-risk investment. As their price drops they may someday become a high-return low-risk investment, at which point people will ditch the stock market and buy solar cells.

Columns are value in $/kg, and density in grams/cm^3

Osmium        1626000  22.6
Iridium        129000  22.6
Platinum        35000  21.4
Rhenium          1080  21.0
Tungsten           32  19.3
Gold            59000  19.3
Lead                2  11.3
Silver           1060  10.5

The government will come for your guns, and it will come for your gold. Bury your gold in the ground.