$40 of something expensive?
December 6, 2011 3:26 PM   Subscribe

What's something expensive that I can buy a small quantity of for a Christmas gift exchange?

My friends are throwing a party where we each bring in a $40 (max) gift and then swap. Most people bring in $40 worth of junk, but I'd like to bring in a small amount of something precious. Last year I brought a small truffle. Another year I brought a single, very nice cigar. For this year, I've thought of saffron but that's all. The ideal would be a single grain of some incredibly expensive substance, but such a thing probably doesn't exist. Any other ideas?
posted by malhouse to Shopping (32 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: What about a pure sample of something off the Periodic Table? Gallium apparently melts in your hand!
posted by a.steele at 3:34 PM on December 6, 2011


What about a sample of an unusual element? This site has a page full of samples with the prices and availability listed, but I don't know anything about it specifically.
posted by cobaltnine at 3:34 PM on December 6, 2011


Not a single grain, but, in the spirit of saffron and the truffle - pine nuts!

Also, vanilla beans.
posted by fireflies at 3:35 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


A bitty jar of caviar.
posted by mollymayhem at 3:35 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


A modestly rare coin, perhaps?

Or you could buy a small amount of quality Kopi Luwak coffee if your friends are adventurous.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:35 PM on December 6, 2011


Forty bucks will buy you two pounds of vanilla beans from saffron.com, FYI.
posted by mollymayhem at 3:37 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oh, or maybe a tiny bit of black truffle.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:37 PM on December 6, 2011


Truffle butter
Truffle sale
posted by shoesietart at 3:38 PM on December 6, 2011


Truffle salt, I mean
posted by shoesietart at 3:38 PM on December 6, 2011


A bottle of single-malt scotch (easy to go over $40). Or wine.
posted by Joh at 3:39 PM on December 6, 2011


Small bottles of really good liquor.
posted by wierdo at 3:39 PM on December 6, 2011


Edible 23K gold leaf flakes
posted by argonauta at 3:41 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Silver is at $32.58/oz - you can get an ounce of casting grain (little pellets) from Metalliferous.
posted by gyusan at 3:48 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: 40$ of Kopi Luwak! Poo brew!
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:58 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Uranium
posted by Thorzdad at 4:02 PM on December 6, 2011


Maybe saffron, vanilla beans, truffle oil and some delicious sea salt?
posted by twirlypen at 4:02 PM on December 6, 2011


At first I was thinking some kind of exotic fruit, but most really "wow!" stuff is out of your price range. But what about a miracle fruit?

Failing that, a loose gemstone or three?
posted by acidic at 4:03 PM on December 6, 2011


Any knitters in the bunch? If yes, I have a $37 skein of yarn that catches my eye every time I come in to work. And another that's 20.50 a ball that I'd love 2 of.

As for:
A bitty jar of caviar.
posted by mollymayhem at 6:35 PM on December 6 [1 favorite +] [!]

Unfortunately, no. The bitty jar of (nice) caviar my Russian roommate got for our thanksgiving feast cost $5 a gram.

It was a 50 gram jar. He tasted the cheaper caviars. He said they made him sad.

I have bought cheaper

Uh

Nevermind.

Anyway, you might also be able to find a really cool ship wreck coin from Spanish galleons.
posted by bilabial at 4:04 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


What about a pure sample of something off the Periodic Table? Gallium apparently melts in your hand!

Seconding this! My buddy bought a tiny little bit of Gallium a couple years ago for around that much money, if I recall. Neat, weird, rare.
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:12 PM on December 6, 2011


A generous decant or sample of a spendy/exotic/vintage fragrance from The Perfumed Court. Service is excellent, shipping reasonable and speedy, and they package their samples beautifully.
posted by sister nunchaku of love and mercy at 4:13 PM on December 6, 2011 [3 favorites]


You could also pass the proverbial Courvoisier

(or a half-bottle of Pol Roger Champagne)
posted by argonauta at 4:40 PM on December 6, 2011


The best IMHO coffee ever?
posted by patheral at 4:54 PM on December 6, 2011


A handful of cubic zirconium is surprisingly fun to play with. 200 5mm CZ are nice.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:55 PM on December 6, 2011 [2 favorites]


A tiny moon rock
posted by argonauta at 4:56 PM on December 6, 2011


a polished amber gemstone, containing a specimen of bug from a specie that disappeared a long time ago
posted by that_guy at 4:59 PM on December 6, 2011


Best answer: Aerogel.

Classic Silica aerogel is just that – the same ethereal blue material NASA has used on the Mars rovers and the Stardust mission! Extremely hard-to-find transparent monolithic form. Great for gifts, science projects, and display. Density is ~0.095 g/cm3, meaning these aerogels are an incredible 96% air by volume! Hydrophilic surface chemistry.
posted by whatisish at 5:04 PM on December 6, 2011 [3 favorites]


a bit more expensive, but a single stem of Waterford crystal.
posted by elizeh at 5:32 PM on December 6, 2011


Not moon rock! Selling legitimate moon rock is illegal in the US. Any for sale cheap is likely phony. Do not trust!
posted by Mister Fabulous at 6:30 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


OK! Please scratch the moon rock idea! (thanks Mister Fabulous, I had no idea)
posted by argonauta at 6:38 PM on December 6, 2011


If not moon rock, what about a piece of a meteor?
posted by annsunny at 8:06 PM on December 6, 2011 [1 favorite]


Moon rocks can also be lunar meteorites which are legal to buy and sell.
posted by rmmcclay at 12:36 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


My vote is for like, a 1 mL or less vial of some crazy expensive perfume or accord.
posted by ifjuly at 11:27 AM on December 7, 2011


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