What is considered the world's most valuable item by weight?

serpa

It seems like every time we visit the post office, the price of stamps rises - but what if your postage in question was valued at a cool $5 million pounds ($7.4 USD) with its own $14 million (USD) insurance policy? A Swedish "Treskilling" stamp circa 1855 recently surpassed a $331,000 stamp from the Chinese Quing Dynasty as the world's most expensive stamp. Interestingly, the stamp isn't even a perfect example of its kind - the value stems partly from its yellow color, and the fact that this is the only example of its kind ever found, says Paul Nelson, vice chair of the Postal History Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. The Treskilling, or Tre Skilling, as it is also known, should be green. It was last sold for $2.3 million in 1996. At just 0.02675 grams, the Treskilling stamp is also considered the world's most valuable item by weight. This week, you can find the stamp in Islington, London, where it is on display at the Festival of Stamps. It is expected to fetch more than $7.4 million at auction on May 22 in Switzerland. http://www.luxist.com/2010/05/17/going-postal-worlds-most-expensive-stamp-valued-at-7-4-millio/ May 17 10, 6:49 PM

queproblema

That seems to be the correct answer, but it doesn't set well with me: that stamp, pound for pound or ounce for ounce or gram for gram, may be the most expensive item in the world, but no one ever buys stamps "by weight." I'll just have to say that fine diamonds, at £34,450,000 per kg (£34,450--or almost $50,000--per gram) cost more "by weight." We couldn't include specific diamonds here, but just the intrinsic value of high grade ones. (Gold, by contrast, is currently about $1230/oz. or $40/gram.) http://labs.timesonline.co.uk/blog/2009/10/29/the-worlds-most-expensive-objects-by-weight-ii/ May 18 10, 4:29 PM

Baloo55th

Sorry, Qp, some people do buy stamps by weight... Not that you'd find much of value in the modern kiloware, even when it's 'unpicked'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiloware May 19 10, 11:22 AM

queproblema

You're right--I'm wrong: "...no one ever buys stamps 'by weight.'" But, ha! Kiloware would never be "considered the world's most valuable item by weight"! No one ever buys *valuable* stamps by weight. How's that? http://www.glenstephens.com/kiloware.html :-) May 19 10, 1:22 PM