Author predicts spike in silver’s value

The author of a recently released book tilted “Silver Is the New Oil” says the precious metal is poised to experience the kind of per-ounce price escalation that has boosted the value of gold (including recycled gold) around the world.

Elevated gold prices have helped the balance sheets of electronics recyclers and ITAD [IT asset disposition] facility operators, and a spike in silver prices also could contribute to profitability.

Described by his publisher as an “alternative asset expert,” writer Collin Plume posits in his new book that while “Bitcoin disrupted global finance just a decade ago, now, silver is emerging as the next keystone of global transformation—poised to reshape industries, currencies and geopolitics.”

Plume, the president and CEO of California-based Noble Gold Investments, describes silver as “the linchpin of the clean energy revolution and the foundation of the next industrial and financial era.” According to Plume, the precious metal “rivals oil, as its scarcity and applications in cutting-edge technologies drive insatiable demand.”

A press release promoting Plume’s “Silver Is the New Oil” book says silver's “unique properties make it indispensable in critical industries, from solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs) to advanced military systems.”

The news release from Los Angeles-based Noble Gold Investments indicates silver mining production “is faltering, threatening a severe supply crunch.” Adds the Los Angeles company, “With reserves projected to run out in just 20 years, Plume predicts silver’s price could surpass $60 per ounce.” As of Jan. 10, 2025, silver is priced at $30.26 per ounce, according to the BullionStar.com website.

Plume and his book’s publisher cite “green energy demand” as one factor leading to a silver bull market, saying “silver is essential for renewable energy technologies [and] EVs alone will consume 90 million ounces [2,812 tons] annually by 2025.”

The rise of gold’s value often is pegged to its status as a safe haven, and Plume and his publisher seem to acknowledge this when calling silver “a strategic reserve ssset” that “is quietly becoming as indispensable as gold in a world moving away from traditional currencies.”

However, Plume also says silver has more verifiable end markets, adding, “The U.S. military relies on silver for 95 percent of its advanced weapons systems.”

The book’s publicist says it also portrays how South Korean conglomerate Samsung’s “breakthrough solid-state battery [is] using silver to achieve a 600-mile EV range.”

According to Plume, non-sourced calculations are “showing the U.S. would need over 3.5 billion ounces [109,375 tons] of silver to transition to 100 percent solar power.” The writer and his publisher say this ties into “how China’s dominance in silver production threatens U.S. strategic interests.”