The world's most expensive object by weight

At $8.3 million dollars for around 40 milligrams, the British Guiana 1c magenta is the world's most expensive object by weight: it's a postage stamp from 1856, the only one of its kind. More about the stamp and Stanley Gibbons: www.stanleygibbons.com/collec...
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

I wanted to have a lot of more dynamic shots in here. Moving the camera! Pulling focus! It turns out that filming in low-light preservation conditions is really difficult, both for me and the camera, so this is the best I could get...!

[@f4444ran]

Halo

[@darthmauve]

how 9 days ago

[@surrealisnt]

@@darthmauve unlisted video

[@marcodamasio]

Just 9 days? Usually Tom Scott upload videos weeks before realising

[@dytran]

@@darthmauve unlisted video I think I really don’t know

[@Lasersplitter]

"...this stamp is non-fungible." I immensely appreciate Tom for explaining fungibility without mentioning the dreaded three-letter initialism.

[@craftermstr]

NFTS!

[@vystorm]

Tasty little things

[@abbofun9022]

Hmmm, there are days when I do not read the word ‘fungibility’ . . . 😉

[@AdamHill42]

I'm certain an NFT bro will show up and say they put $50 million of NFTs on a microSD card 🙃

[@jordanzwick8088]

I immensely appreciate you using initialism instead of acronym.

[@fraser420]

i heard tom say "non-fungible" and almost started crying in fear

[@ensiemen9836]

NFTs are dumb but the amount of hate it gets, like it actually affects everones lives, is ridiculous

[@iconicblunt5593]

@@ensiemen9836 perfectly balanced opinion. I like it.

[@Kiki-vi5sk]

@@ensiemen9836 bc they actually do lmao

[@bainbonic]

@@ensiemen9836 They've increased electricity prices in NYC and are directly contributing massively to climate change. Even if you don't believe in or care about climate change, I imagine you believe in electricity bills.

[@nise6699]

@@ensiemen9836 it's not hating as in hating on a franchise because they made a crap product, it's hating as in lots of bad more than good and they're trying to integrate it into everything like those moonlight tower stuff. Cost heavy, the light is damaging more than helping, and the light can barely be seen.

[@jimtekkit]

When you consider the damaging effects of oxygen, UV light and humidity, a stamp surviving for such a long time is truly staggering.

[@trixonic6934]

Not really. I collect vintage books and you’d be surprised on the condition of some of the books in my collection that are older and havent got the luxury of treatment this stamp has got in the slightest

[@purpleey]

@@trixonic6934 thats not really comparable to the fragility of a stamp

[@forwardmoving8252]

@@purpleey good job conveniently ignoring that this stamp has had it's fragility massively reduced by the precautionary measures taken to keep it in good condition 👍

[@arandomcommenter412]

@@forwardmoving8252 bornana

[@kaldo_kaldo]

@@forwardmoving8252 For how long?

[@PaintBallerDudeGuy]

Honestly, you've earned much of my respect for the intro. Straight to the point and perfect for those curious. It even made me more interested in watching the rest of the video to see just why this stamp was worth so much as the most expensive object by weight.

[@TomBaldwin2483]

"If you switch them out, it doesn't matter" Tom, please try telling that to my HP printer, I think my body is more likely to accept a random organ than the printer is to accept new ink!!

[@juhanasiren6824]

HP executives taking notes about "non-fungible ink"...

[@dynamicworlds1]

I can diagnose the problem from here. You see those 2 letters between "my" and "printer"? That's your problem. Don't worry. This tech support is free.

[@JarrettOriginal]

LOW CYAN!

[@woroGaming]

Can't you keep refilling the old cartridge? There's quite a bit of information about this online

[@TomBaldwin2483]

@@woroGaming dont worry, I don't even own a printer

[@sketchpalosotherchannel]

"This stamp is non fungible" when the nft buyers and cryptobros get owned by a 15 gram piece of paper

[@fqdn]

*40 milligrams

[@sketchpalosotherchannel]

@@fqdn oops

[@Quad4CoreLp]

But... How much does an nft weigh? 🤔

[@trashpanda6490]

@@Quad4CoreLp It's weight would be in electrons

[@a2e5]

@@trashpanda6490 Or… how much CO2eq mass would it be? :Q

[@collinblollin5088]

I know you'll probably never see this, but thank you so so much for answering the question in the title immediately. It shows so much respect for your viewers time and means a lot to me personally. I will be watching this in its entirety

[@convindix9638]

So somebody already said this but Dr. Willard Wigan is the record holder for smallest handmade sculptures, one is a golden motorbike that's 0.055mm long. A block of gold 0.055mm on a side would weigh around 0.003mg, and the sculpture has to be at least as light as that. The price isn't on his site anymore but as long as it sold for over $700 (it probably did) then that takes the record

[@CosmicTeapot]

Tom's been real quiet since this comment dropped... You should press him to send you your tiny crown by mail.

[@bane2201]

That's interesting! I sent Dr. Wigan an email asking about that. I'll update if I get a response.

[@bane2201]

I heard back from his team! "What a great question, and what a rare stamp! We've never considered the most expensive object by weight, but we'll definitely look into the idea and contact Guinness World Records. Thank you for the tip-I believe Willard will be fascinated by the concept. Willard does sell his sculptures and keeps some for exhibitions." Sadly I didn't get a _specific_ thing to point to and say "that beats the stamp", but it seems almost certain that something of his will get the record (if he chooses to pursue it).

[@CatherineCane]

The fact that you get straight to the point IMMEDIATELY actually makes me more likely to watch the rest of the video. Also, I love your videos

[@shadowstormd6697]

Yea, I wanted to see if anyone was going to point that out. Sometimes I don't like when people spend way too much time to say what the video is even about.

[@Drinksfromtap]

Same here, how refreshing.

[@choo_choo_]

It's because the answer is so out of the ordinary that the brain is more concerned with "why" rather than "what". Really, there's not many other ways to start a video like this. If you build up to it being a stamp, then your audience is disappointed, but it you start with the stamp and build IT up, you have a story worth hearing.

[@rayromanov]

Right!? Tom Scott is one of very few content creators where I watch the entire thing. No loud, pointless intros or filler content to skip through. It's great.

[@WizardTrixx]

I was thinking the same thing. I’m finding KZbinr’s are starting to use that strategy to keep audience retention. Just check out a MrBeast video to see the best examples of this, especially his squid game one!

[@Burssty]

Had a mini heart attack at Tom saying "non fungible"

[@calypso4533]

tom scott having anything to do with that NFT scam bs would be the worst timeline

[@kakyoindonut3213]

nft is worthless

[@Sewblon]

It just means "not interchangeable." You yourself are non-fungible.

[@aitsu_nojayjay]

Time to screenshot!

[@suoerdude1995]

@@calypso4533 How is it any more a scam than real art is

[@THREE_SiiX]

I love that there is some wicked psychology that is being played by Tom there. By having that title and then up front saying exactly what the answer is, in a way it would probably make a lot of people see him as honest and more trustworthy, so therefore they watch more of the video. Probably doesn't work on everyone, but I bet it definitely helps. Or maybe I'm just imaging that's how it went lmao

[@MeiinUK]

Oh let's be honest, he's scraped so many users' posts and details from somewhere and then gone onto make his videos... and yet.. so many people are quite attached to it. The likes are probably from the very same people who made those posts.. Yeh... blah blah blah...

[@HazhMcMoor]

And then the right hook is that he's actually lying about that part about not investing in that stamp.

[@stevenagelutton4322]

@@HazhMcMoor is any of that true or

[@charlescharles9755]

I liked video instantly because of it and watched whole thing so it worked on me

[@messystudios8505]

I love how Tom finishes the video in less than 2 seconds for those who dont care about the stamp. I hate how youtubers delay answering questions to gain more watchtime.(I did watch this entire video as I love these sorta things)

[@saucyl3477]

Not just youtubers but almost all online articles have so much preamble to make enough paragraphs to feed ads in between them it is just ridiculous.

[@roggeralves94]

I agree with Tom; printer ink is probably the second most expensive stuff.

[@PokeNebula]

The second most expensive *stuff!

[@roggeralves94]

@@PokeNebula oops, corrected that. Thanks!

[@Huwtube72]

Just buy a laser printer and then never groan again about the cost of printer ink.

[@renzedutchman308]

As far as the Dutch are concerned, civil servants sweat is the most expensive stuff in the world. There is practically none of it :D

[@OrbitalCookie]

Honestly I just use a 3d printer these days, much cheaper

[@beedlethebeard2766]

"There was a dog on the road." "There was dog on the road." I'm literally teaching a class about countable and uncountable nouns tomorrow. I'll be using this. Cheers tom!

[@adilmohammed6897]

why is the distinction important here, though? Stamps are countable right?

[@PowerOf47]

@@adilmohammed6897 stamps are, but the example was about talking about things like air, air is uncountable, sure you could count atoms, but even then it's made up of so many, and atoms are so small that why bother, thus it's uncountable

[@rampadmanabhan4258]

@@adilmohammed6897 Tom was talking about why one couldn't say that antimatter was the most expensive "object" in the world: antimatter isn't an "object" in the strictest sense of the word, and it isn't countable. Stamps are objects, and they are countable.

[@guydunn5354]

@@adilmohammed6897 Yes that’s the point. Stamps are countable and antimatter isn’t, just like dirt isn’t countable. You can have one stamp but you can’t have “one antimatter.”

[@snowdrop9810]

Dont think thats a good idea if you’re teaching kids.

[@jonashillen2909]

love that it's straight to the point and that you don't have to wait for a whole story to know what it is.

[@gavinfriedman]

Tom, this is why you’re my favorite. No one just answers the question right off the bat. Thank you for being awesome.

[@Natalie-101]

There's a million things to love about Tom Scott's content, but his intense irrational refusal to clickbait is always one of them

[@APoliticalConfusionAndMess]

I don't know if I'd necessarily call it "irrational", but yes - that is one of the many things to love about Tom Scott.

[@MultiMcdeath]

You know he's a virulent anti-vaxxer right?

[@Volaths]

@@MultiMcdeath source?

[@skipperhun7580]

@@MultiMcdeath Source?

[@lvaley]

@@MultiMcdeath source please, cant find mention of this in a quick google.

[@martin_mue]

That "anti-clickbait" intro was so refreshing and unexpected that it put a lasting big wide grin on my face. Thanks Tom!

[@n1elkyfan]

Exactly. Which then gave me even more questions and made me want to know more about it.

[@SanjayKumar-bq8fp]

Where is my father? why did the sweden regime arest him?

[@Slash1570]

Instant like from me after that intro. I even watched the whole video 😁👍

[@shorditchiscool]

I came here to say exactly that x

[@caibentley5772]

Came here to Wright them words

[@alo_bris]

3:27 you don't necessarily have to find something lighter than the stamp, just something that has a bigger $ per milligram ratio, something weighing 1g could come up for sale at a ridiculous price and take the crown

[@toziassmitt]

It would have to be 25x more expensive than $8.3 million, so $207.5 million for that 1 gram. Good luck finding anything that weighs a gram and costs $207.5 million

[@mitchelljack1590]

The point still stands… you don’t need to find something lighter

[@toziassmitt]

@@mitchelljack1590 it doesn’t still stand, because no material worth $200 million per gram exists. So now you’re just talking made up stuff, imaginary. Let’s stick to the real world, pal

[@bookedsam]

Well shakespears signature must be worth a lot

[@damienleonard9540]

actually anti* matter costs a few billion for like a single gram to make

[@obamacare9681]

Thank you for getting straight to the point

[@casey6556]

For some perspective on the value density: The ISS, including all the costs for building and crewing over its 23 years, only cost around $550/g. This stamp costs $208 *million* per gram.

[@casey6556]

@@00O3O1B All prices in a capitalist system are set by supply and demand. Someone was repeatedly extremely interested in owning that stamp in the past and someone may well do so again (demand) and given the fixed supply that will drive up prices very quickly. The ISS was built out of components and services that have both low supply and low demand. The real artificiality is the insistence on comparing on a per-gram basis. The weight of the stamp is largely inconsequential; if the stamp were 1 gram that wouldn’t change the value. On the other hand, the ISS’s weight has a purpose for being what it is: heavier and it would directly cost more to launch, lighter and it might not meet requirements.

[@gui4691]

One could argue the ISS is weightless, but then it may not qualify as ‘in the world’

[@casey6556]

@@gui4691 You’re right; I probably should have used “mass” rather than “weight”.

[@EliteCuttlefish]

The ISS has a price-weight ratio equal to 1 Tb micro sd cards.

[@TheNinjinx]

@@EliteCuttlefish which is really incredible when you think about it. It's like building an entire building out of 1TB microSD cards

[@rapophie9228]

Interestingly, as this is a stamp, it has been a fungible item in the past, but by virtue of being the only one left became non fungible over time without changing any of its properties.

[@SavageGreywolf]

it's the Highlander of stamps

[@heysemberthkingdom-brunel5041]

Fungibility is somewhat fungible

[@lonestarr1490]

@@heysemberthkingdom-brunel5041 Or in other words: fungibility is not necessarily an inherent property.

[@lolindirlink]

And similar to the Mona Lisa: there are stories connected to it that can't be repeated. You could make any exact replica but it will never be the same.

[@flavoursofsound]

@@lonestarr1490 Economics Explained put it perfectly in that fungibility is more of a spectrum or scale, rather than it being boolean. I think it was in his video on NFTs

[@robertkelly5025]

Your answering the question right off was the reason I stayed for the whole video. Great job.

[@steeledminer616]

"Let's say there was an anti-matter shop- let's go for something more realistic but still expensive actually... let's say there was a printer ink shop" I'm sorry this line alone made my laugh

[@ovni2295]

"It's a stamp." Me: "Ok, now I have to know WHY it's a stamp." Great way to get me to watch the whole thing!

[@brunoais]

...And not baiting you into a whole video while really showing you through!

[@cameron7374]

@@brunoais throguh!

[@brokentombot]

@@brunoais How does one throw guh when one does not truly know what guh even is or where to obtain it? Perhaps guh is the most expensive thing by weight after all.

[@5446isnotmynumber]

This video will revolutionize how all youtube videos are made

[@fleimlehner]

ima wath even though thats all i wanted to know

[@realelaverick]

Never mind the stamp, that security system is the single most "Mission Impossible" thing I've ever seen that really exists.

[@IDMYM8]

And Tom got there

[@jogandsp]

It's not really a security device. It's primarily to protect the stamp from the elements. Light, oxygen, and humidity are all destructive to historical objects. The way it is displayed protects it from that

[@autistusmaximus8040]

@@jogandsp which is the reason for NO FLASH PHOTOS PLEASE sign, the flash can ruin the color of the stamp.. ofc not just one flash but thousands over years time you know what i mean

[@qb6091]

Have you seen the holding case for the hope diamond?

[@BADALEX1]

What? Just punch it and knick the stamp. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just...fine. What could possibly go wrong...

[@falcothegreat5470]

Thank you for getting straight to the point, made me actually want to watch the full video!

[@alm08e]

Awesome Video! I loved the fact that you just came right out and gave us the answer, and then elaborated with good information! I actually wanted to mention the antimatter based upon the cost estimates by NASA, but you actually had a very good response to that. Thanks for the video!

[@AmiYamato]

_That's_ how you begin an informative video! 😄

[@frcn31]

:)

[@SuperZeve]

It really is, answers the question then explains it. It's great

[@TH-bj1pb]

Well it had me watching it all

[@Moon-zb1gg]

Hi Ami! ❤

[@R.Daneel]

Ami!

[@pandoratheclay]

“Let’s go for something less impossible than antimatter but still expensive, there is a shop that sells printer ink…”

[@siph0r154]

Such a great "joke". That hopefully won't be underapreciated ^^

[@quinnobi42]

that's just the best

[@colinantink9094]

Yes. I too watched the video!

[@philvanderlaan5942]

The ink is expensive because the printer is practically free . IBM ( and others ) nobody needs more than one printer , and if we make them break no one will by our printers, paper isn’t complicated enough that leaves ink!!

[@DannySullivanMusic]

totally dude. unequivocally spot on.

[@DiniduPerera]

I wish more people would do intros like this. For the record, I stuck around and watched the whole thing. Would love to see a breakdown on the video engagement drop-off though! I think that would be a fascinating social experiment.

[@mommyhatesguns]

I totally ADORE your way of explaining and setting things out - up front and brilliant and clear. Thank you so much!

[@casperrabbit7254]

Imagine being the random postal clerk who signed this thing not knowing that over 150 years later it'd worth over $8 million

[@SeanWithaFada]

don't think they'd care much nowadays

[@Killerkraft975]

@@SeanWithaFada I don't think they'd even be alive to care

[@mikabakker1]

@@Killerkraft975 that was the joke Sean made, they don't care much since they aren't alive.

[@Crazmuss]

It's not worth 8 million it worth 0, just like any other stamp.

[@alex.g7317]

@@Crazmuss we know, because etc, etc, and blah, blah, blah... (Just play along like everyone in society and don't think about it too much 😉)

[@AnimeFan-wd5pq]

That pulling up of the display case was honestly too cool for a stamp card, like it was a gun safe for a spy movie. But I guess the more expensive the cooler it is.

[@jonas_security_kolinski]

I was surprised about how dirty the case looked.

[@AnimeFan-wd5pq]

@@jonas_security_kolinski I guess they have to make it with those materials so that the quality doesn’t diminish.

[@XMysticHerox]

Not really though. It´s a tiny piece of paper with no real historical relevance. The price tag doesn´t really make it cooler for me.

[@CCNYMacGuy]

"Initiate the GoldenEye Sequence!" "Uh, raise the stamp?" "...yes."

[@okkomp]

Stamps are cool. What are you talking about?

[@FatGooseArts]

I appreciate how you got straight to the point. I stayed because it was super interesting!

[@Himmelfahrth]

You explain stuff really well and give great examples. Cheers

[@gbeebe]

"It's a stamp" Dammit, Tom. Now I feel as if I owe you a complete watch-through... as if I wasn't going to anyways.

[@joshuan.]

I love that printer ink roast. It's all severely overpriced for no other reason than printer companies are absolute scum and are scamming you for every penny you own.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

Free market capitalism says start your own printer company. I'm not being sarcastic, you could be rich by selling good printers.

[@bjorgthebarbking]

nope, it's because they sold you the printer at a substantial loss and recoup by selling ink.

[@CanIHasThisName]

@MrHolyKindness Typically, when we're talking about entry level printers, the loss is the whole printer, as they typically cost about as much as a single set of cartridges.

[@aus3492]

Get a toner printer so, cost a bit more but get many many more pages printed, cheaper in the long run.

[@EvilParagon4]

Actually they're not trying to scam you. Printer companies make an overwhelming majority of their sales to businesses and governments. The people who regularly need to print work materials in offices around the world. They don't care about your personal use, which is why home printers barely work, they're not a product with enough of a market to actually make good products for. Ink is sold at prices that are reasonable to businesses. So they're not trying to scam you. They're trying to scam businesses. And you're just caught in it. And unfortunately, what that other commenter says about starting your own printer company business just wouldn't happen. You'd get rich by selling good printers to businesses. If you tried to tap into the home market exclusively you'd go broke.

[@ReliableRocket]

That also makes that signature of postal clerk as the most expensive autograph ever!

[@RavenRains]

Thanks for not dragging it out! made me curious to see the rest ^^

[@Bigfoot_With_Internet_Access]

Tom has a weird ability to make things I would never care about actually interesting

[@ARcam789]

Wendover Production has entered the chat.

[@unholycrusader69]

Monke

[@unholycrusader69]

Monke have internet access Monke like tom scott

[@AnAdequateViolinist]

I don’t care, and despite being interesting, I will continue not caring, I will have forgotten about this video entirely by tomorrow

[@erikschutze1832]

Maybe because it's just the most interesting facts compressed to a video which is just as long as it needs to be not some kind of 1 hour documentary

[@sofijeffrey9797]

“There was dog on the road” Tom’s linguist background is hilarious

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

It takes someone really clever at linguistics to create an example that perfect.

[@sydssolanumsamsys]

What do you mean

[@pranavps851]

@@sydssolanumsamsys Like when a dog is run over by a car

[@sydssolanumsamsys]

@@pranavps851 i didn't ask what tom meant. What do they mean by "linguistic background"

[@R.B.]

@@pranavps851 Not the only potential type of dog on a road. I make my neighbor pick up their dog daily.

[@brallantp.2812]

YES! Straight into it, I like it. And for your simplicity, I’ll stay here and watch your explanation.

[@markusjoseph5256]

Tom Scott another great video. Thank you

[@aquaskull2624]

"This stamp is Non-fungible." Me: takes a screenshot of it anyway. Remember folks, always take screenshots of NFTs, even if they are in real life!

[@CatsMeowPaw]

I right clicked on the screenshot

[@nathanatoragaming8075]

NOOOOO YOU STOLE THE NFT, THATS ILLEGAL NOOOOOOO

[@paulpinecone2464]

I would like to purchase a share of your screenshot. Provided that you agree never to take another.

[@paulm.8660]

You can buy an NFT of the screenshot. It's not the original NFT, but it's the original screenshot of the original NFT! Only 500 will ever be sold, each digitally numbered and digitally signed by the screenshotographer!

[@PatrickAndFriendsPRO]

Me: breaks into the museum and steals it

[@dc_mischief]

I nearly just died from choking on my coffee at the bit about the dog... you're right; that got the point across quite well

[@curiousfirely]

I was sad it wasn't a goose on a train.

[@MotoActionADV]

There was a coffee on your desk, now there is coffee on your desk

[@goldenhorde6944]

Well the dog evidently didn't get across too well...

[@GalluZ]

I was only familiar with countable and uncountable nouns rather than count and mass nouns, soo I looked that up instead of trying to understand the dog sentence (I'm a non-native speaker). Still, I'm trying, but can't get the ends to meet.

[@GalluZ]

@@ragnkja ahh, that makes sense, but what about the dog sentence? What's about 'dog on the road', like, did someone spill dog on it? xD

[@PhatBoiPhreshMn]

Best damn intro I've come across, solidly sold mr but I love the direct approach with this entire video. Cheers

[@aamsergie]

never heard of count vs mass nouns. Thank you tom

[@greedtheron8362]

"You can't head down to the shops and buy a gram of antimatter" YOU CALL THIS A FREE SOCIETY

[@cf453]

The Moron Labe contingent is inconsolable.

[@SacredDaturana]

“Moron Labe” is such a clever turn of phrase. I’m definitely stealing it for future use.

[@DJDoena]

I'd sell you my right Warp nacelle but you don't seem to have gold-pressed latinum.

[@robertdascoli949]

I'm sorry, I thought this was America.

[@TheCaptainSplatter]

Even if usa sold all their assets and country they still cant afford a gram of antimatter.

[@itsDbob]

Love the instant gratification

[@MaryAnnSweetAngel]

every youtube video should be like this. Straight to the point. no bs.

[@DavidBeddard]

The "dog on road" made me chuckle, but what really got me was Tom's wry little smile when thinking about lodging that image in his audience's minds! 🤣👌

[@silent5950]

Long time Tom Scott viewers may also know the similar example of "there was goose on the train"

[@jasmineocean]

@@silent5950 Along with the noise impression...

[@caramelapple5562]

@@silent5950 what video is this?

[@Ammeo]

Just think a stamp that was worthless once is now worth millions. How time gives value to certain things

[@theacer3aper]

@@caramelapple5562 it's from their Citation Needed series from years ago. A friend and participant of that show would make an impression of a goose, a train, and a goose being hit by a train.

[@mathewfox3893]

0:01 for anyone wanting to skip the answer. Thank me later.

[@jimbob_1016]

😂

[@SkippertheBart]

You made me chuckle.

[@aafjeyakubu5124]

That's why this is one of the best channels on KZbin.

[@ryanweeks287]

Liked and subbed for the quick answer before the explanation. More videos need this, even though I did watch the whole thing.

[@Ninjahat]

0:00 - 0:26 THANK YOU TOM for stating the facts immediately! No jibberish and rubbish intros. STRAIGHT to the point! Love it!

[@pizzacuthd7559]

"I own the most expensive stamp collection in the world!" "Wow, cool! How many do you have collected?" "One."

[@alternativeperception6949]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@BrunoBarcelosAlves]

Not sure if it's more expensive than many other stamps combined though.

[@DrZaius3141]

"I own the world's most expansive stamp collection." "Cool, how much did it cost?" "Well, the warehouse was the most expensive bit..."

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@BrunoBarcelosAlves That's an interesting question; if I had to guess, I'd say the government of either whatever country has the most mail probably has the most expensive stamp collection.

[@TheRacingMonkey]

Only Tom could make a video, about a stamp, this intriguing. Love it :)

[@lucaswilkinson7382]

Love your vids bro

[@rifwann]

This channel is like museum tour.. but random.. and i also like it..

[@Elleaf1]

And I even learned a nugget about NFTs

[@HokiHoshi]

Well well fancy seeing you here 😂

[@anthrwpakos]

@@HokiHoshi wow. It really is a small world 🙂

[@DavidLee400.]

Straight to the point, no bs👏

[@02REVENGE]

I watched the entirety of the video just because the intro was so direct and to the point

[@handlethisaidan]

Answering the question in 3 words "it's a stamp" earned a like immediately.

[@Sbibmaster]

Four

[@JayBandersnatch]

I would suggest that the most expensive object by weight was the 1 winning lottery ticket in October 23, 2018 worth $1.537 Billion dollars. Though I couldn't verify how much the ticket actually weighed, in order to tie the stamp, it would need to weigh 7.407g which is almost the weight of 2 standard 8.5*11 or A4 sheets of paper which I'm quite certain is larger than the printed ticket. There was only 1 of them in existence, and any person could have bought it.

[@dynamicworlds1]

The tickets tend to be much thicker stock, though, at least for most lotteries, so I'm not sure we can use size as a determination that way.

[@Tim3.14]

That's a clever example! That said, it's a bit different, because the lottery ticket was not *purchased* for that amount, but rather *redeemed* for that value. Perhaps one might say it was the most *valuable* by weight, but not the most *expensive* -- at least if we choose to define "expensive" by actual purchase price. And in any case, that winning lotto ticket is worth far less than $1.5 billion dollars today, so it's not in contention for the *current* most expensive object by weight. Not trying to argue, though -- I like the lotto ticket idea. Whether it counts just depends on what the "rules" are. :)

[@amiralozse1781]

@@Tim3.14 i strongly doubt the stamp was bought by the original owner for the back then equivalent of 8.3e6$

[@RKBock]

@@amiralozse1781 no, but if you want to buy it today, that's what you have to pay for it. that's its price

[@amiralozse1781]

@@RKBock more precisely its the the price last paid at an auction. just assume some major economic crisis is about to happen. public interest quickly would shift to more fundamental stuff, lets say food. at the same time interest in old bits of paper would diminish. hence its price would drop dramatically. provided the current owner would be willing to sell it. after the crisis the stamps value may increase again or stay low. nobody will be able to predict

[@singlesideman]

You're really good, Tom Scott. Damned good. Thank you. So much.

[@VBall1295]

I dont' know what it is about this video but I keep coming back to watch it. I can quote it now but it's still enjoyable to watch over and over for some reason

[@1amsaint581]

always have to appreciate how straight to the point you get, something a lot more youtubers could learn from

[@mayshack]

Those youtubers are more interested in burying the lede to increase watchtime and making clickbait titles to attract views. Why would they get straight to the point, it costs them money. They're not going to change anything so long as the adsense money rolls in.

[@theacer3aper]

"but before we tell you, I will have to tell you about today's sponsor [insert brand here], more about them later on in the video."

[@JeffGeerling]

1:32 - "Non Fungible" - Alarm bells started going off... but luckily 'Token' was nowhere to be found. You had us worried there!

[@DavidGuild]

Stamps are the original tokens, of course. NFT nuts are just the modern equivalent of stamp collectors.

[@DannySullivanMusic]

agreed. _100%_ correct

[@lizardperson780]

@@DavidGuild at least stamp collectors don't destroy the environment

[@awsomestleaperd78]

@@DavidGuild I don't see myself screenshotting a Stamp.

[@eduardog3000]

Honestly it doesn't sound all that different, especially since they are selling *shares* of it. It's functionally identical: you pay to have a company say you totally own this thing because look we wrote in this book here that you own it.

[@CreepyChappy]

Right to the point love it

[@callumkenny9531]

Video done in 25 seconds by way of an upfront description. Thanks Tom.

[@MinistryOfMagic_DoM]

Tom is the champion for not making everyone wait five minutes to figure out what the title was about.

[@WhirligigStudios]

If there's a championship of anti-clickbait, I think it has to go to Adam Neely, who literally puts the answer to the question in the thumbnail of the video.

[@Metal-Possum]

He's also the champion of being original. So many try hard current-affairs types on KZbin with nothing new to say with a desperate desire for attention.

[@AndrewZonenberg]

Yep, this definitely takes the cake for anything I can think of. The most dollars per unit mass of anything I can recall personally seeing was an electronic component that weighed 310 μg (0.31 mg) and retails for $7.10. That's $3226/g which is orders of magnitude more than gold ($57) or the average street price of cocaine ($120 according to a recent news article), but less than the Mona Lisa (worth far more than the stamp at an estimated $850M, but the relatively heavy 18 pound wood panel gives it a price density of "only" $104K/g) But even that is orders of magnitude less than the $207M/g of this stamp.

[@DrZaius3141]

I'd argue that almost no value from the Mona Lisa is derived from the frame, although I might be mistaken.

[@AndrewZonenberg]

@@DrZaius3141 I think the 18 pound number is for the paint and wood panel only. The panel is an integral part of its structure and can't be separated without damaging it, although the frame probably could be.

[@charliepotter5785]

I was just about to do those exact calculations. So thank you for reading my mind before I thought it!

[@finctank]

Thanks for justifying your knowledge about cocaine’s street price 😉

[@dsvilko]

I am a bit better. The most expensive/g object I have is a tiny piece of a rarest type of Martian meteorite - martian augite basalt. Only 146g were ever found. In small quantities it can easily go above $20k/g.

[@chilledtea6614]

THANK YOU for being so concise

[@indriver99]

Thank you. All videos should start exactly like that. Thank you so much.

[@fanjan7527]

"There is a dog on the road, and there is...dog....on...the road." Your delivery of that line made me chuckle a good bit Tom.

[@junorus]

I would never know the difference if not him...

[@Ghost145T]

I absolutely love how quick and simple this video is, theres no clickbait and it explains why it isnt clickbait, i learned something, and chuckled at the "dog on the road" , this is what i expect from videos like this

[@runemies1]

THERE LITERALLY IS CLICKBAIT!

[@caterpie4546]

@@runemies1 What is the clickbait?

[@HighSlayerRalton]

@@runemies1 It's not clickbait if you get what you clicked for.

[@Ryukishi442]

hours later, i'm still thinking about "dog on the road".

[@MrFlarespeed]

Reminds me of technical difficulties' (tom and friends games show stuff) joke about goose on a train.

[@hyun-shik7327]

It’s cool to think about how something can go from a somewhat rare 50 year old thing to a one of a kind 150 year old thing in just 100 years.

[@flybyphotography2820]

Best opening ever - All videos should start with the answer.

[@art7373]

"It's a stamp" was all I needed to give this video an honest watch through and an instant like rating, you're great 👍

[@joshbcfc7361]

1:50 really thought tom was gonna tell us the stamp was actually an NFT

[@hunterarmstrong4451]

Damn it Scott that’s some fine videography skills. I’m proud of you

[@whimzak]

bro actually helped me finally understand nfts with that explanation of non-fungible vs fungible thing

[@matthewtrawick7953]

A human egg cell (from an egg "donor") can sell for over $50,000. I would argue that these are not fungible, as apparently eggs from more desirable donors can command higher prices. (Yes, one could always choose a different egg from a different donor, just as one could choose to buy a different collectable stamp, but this does not make them fungible. Like the stamp, each human egg is unique.) Eggs are also not necessarily perishable, as they can be frozen and stored, just as the stamp is stored in a special oxygen-free environment. A typical human egg cell has a diameter of 120 microns, which at the density of water works out to a mass of about 1 microgram -- and a unit price of $50,000,000,000 per gram, more than 100 times that of the stamp.

[@mrtumytums]

would you be able to point out which is the most valuable egg if they're unique? (honest question, i dont think i quite understand fungible and not fungible)

[@SerenityFeueropal]

@@mrtumytums from what I understood, fungible and non-fungible are just fancy ways of saying replaceable and irreplaceable.

[@phil2782]

Don't you buy and implant multiple eggs at a time though due to the lower success rate? So that 50k might actually be for 5-10 eggs and 1-2 "Rounds" of implants. Additionally is that 50k for the physical egg itself, or the service of handling/implanting/delivery of the egg as well? Additionally the location/market it's sold in would affect the price. The exact same egg sold in America would cost more than if you put it on a plane and sold it in Thailand. The stamp meanwhile would cost the same if sold at either location.

[@SacredDaturana]

@@phil2782 Couldn’t that also apply to the stamp or any other item with a price tag? IE when you buy a fancy stamp, are you also paying for philotelic specialists, paper makers, security guards at auction houses etc? That feels like an endless rabbit hole.

[@NecessitysSlaveVids]

@@SacredDaturana No. For the purposes of what you are buying the stamp might come with it's case or that might be an extra thing you can add on to the cost. For the eggs you are most likely buying a service that comes with the eggs and therefore the eggs don't have a specific value to the buyer of the service. The service provider will however be buying the egg(s) on their own and will pay a specific price for the egg(s)

[@djalland1]

And now, after much googling, I finally understand what "non-fungible" actually means.

[@AHDBification]

Class act Tom, thanks for the intro.

[@grakalockheart2980]

I loved that I didnt have to wait for what it was, then I got to watch why it was.

[@slothrr776]

"There was dog on the road :/" is far and away the most Tom has ever made me laugh. Great example!

[@brownie3454]

this video is a masterpiece for many reasons and that was the cherry on top. or dog on the road, rather

[@TheHighborn]

i've been laughing for minutes

[@penrith50]

particulary with the "smearing" hand motion!

[@seyeruoynepotsuj]

Tom Scott, subverting clickbait practices like a boss. Love your content, Tom.

[@quixomega]

Can you imagine what would happen if they find a box full of these in a wall somewhere.

[@narnianwarrior7493]

Preciate the quick statment cheers bud.

[@goodsocksproductions9397]

1:31 do NOT screenshot - plz no right clicks!

[@olorthammercy]

Tom, That intro was golden, really wish everyone had that level of respect for each other's time. I did come to watch the whole thing anyway, but with that intro, if i'd been unfamiliar with the channel and only clicking out of wanting the answer i'd have been more likely to watch all the way through than if it was standard formatting for a video with a title like that.

[@jaxbenjamin4731]

I appreciate the no b.s intro, so i stayed throughout and like the video. Thanks brother!

[@tytexter794]

Tom you are a genius of indestructible magnitude! I know, I’m not important or smart enough to have a conversation about anything you talk about but you’re doing all the work my brain would even when you’re making my brain work, it feels like biking but on one of them long bikes that we can both petal.

[@canadianexile1]

I’d make an argument for either the nano-harp or nano-guitar made at cornel university 100 and 150 atoms thick respectively and both working musical instruments (just tuned thousands of octaves above human hearing) Neither have been sold but assuming they cost even £1 to make they’d be worth billions per gram

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

But you could make many more, which might arguable make it matter rather than an object. You could theoretically have a thimble full of nano-harps

[@krashd]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 "I can't wait to see the Foos on Saturday, who's supporting them?" "A Thimble Full of Nano-Harps."

[@tetrikitty1686]

It's not the cost to make them, but the cost to buy them - the stamp in the video was probably made for around a cent, since it's a cent stamp.

[@okuno54]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 That does reveal an interesting bias in Tom's rules for what counts as an object, though: it's weighted heavily towards collectibles and artifacts.

[@homomorphic]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 exactly, they are fungible, so given the stated requirements, these don't qualify

[@alexturner7782]

Given the whole hiatus around the stamp and the mysterious look of it, I can't help to believe it's an actual anomalous cognito-hazard that makes people think it's valueable

[@andycrenshaw2789]

SCP class: safe?

[@Irreverent_Radiation]

Oh God, there is a breach in containment at SCP-83XX _The Stamp_ prepare for the self-destruct sequence

[@today4561official]

Mabye like a reverse scp 055

[@eatbass8055]

@@today4561official not really, it doesn't affect your memory at all so i would compare it to the fork that makes everyone think its dangerous

[@salisporakis9350]

I love how he just answered the question right away

[@rickrandom6734]

It is the artistic value of the stamp which makes it so valuable.

[@samanthak9346]

that conservation case is a lesson in 'technically all required but also simultaneously mostly for show'. I've never seen a more ostentatious way of creating a low-light environment for a photosensitive object than *lowering the display case back down into a pedestal.* Tremendous theatre from an organization that benefits not only from the perception that the stamp is very expensive, but also that they are excellent caretakers of history. kudos to whatever case designer came up with that system it's *very* sleek

[@robcat2075]

The US Constitution and Declaration of Independence get the same treatment.

[@abcde_fz]

They say "Form follows function." Can you describe something that performs all the functions of the display device, yet is _not_ "...mostly for show."? I think no matter how you try, someone _else_ will end up having the same opinion of your device, as you mention of this one. So "...mostly for show." is really just an opinion, not a fact.

[@gamergod9182]

In what kind of parallel universe have we ended up that Tom went with "dog on the road" rather than "goose on the train"?

[@ladylilithparker]

Without everyone's favorite Gary Brannan, Gary Brannan, to do the sound effects, it wouldn't be the same.

[@justmerc1642]

*honk* *NYEEEEOOOOOW* *bump*

[@mojosbigsticks]

Came here to say that!

[@OrigamiMarie]

"goose on a train" is a little less universally understandable though, and it's been a while and a lot of new subscribers since goose on a train

[@notthatcreativewithnames]

On that note, shall we say that we have Tom Scott, the linguist? "When I say 'Tom Scott', you say 'linguist'"

[@NathanHassall]

thumbs up for not wasting my time wit the lead up. cheers

[@cabs3301]

Very informative, 3 seconds in, already got the information. Very cool.