This exotic metal is named after the Greek god Tantalus who was tormented for all eternity to stand in water and with hanging fruit all around yet was unable to quench either thirst or hunger as the object of his torment kept them just outside of reach. The element, too, is outside of the reach of most. Despite being incredibly dense no hardware store stocks tantalum hammers. It is among the most corrosion resistant metals known but there's practically nothing available taking advantage of this property. Why? Because it's so rare and expensive.

Today the world has an insatiable appetite for cell phones and other electronics where tantalum has been found to be an ideal metal for capacitors and other doodads. What little of it is mined every year happens to be worth a lot of money. Sadly, its principal mines happen to be smack-dab in the middle of the Congo and Rwanda where ownership of these mines is incessantly tussled over by AK-47 wielding thugs right alongside other commodities like diamonds and ivory.

Anyway, here's your chance to own a little of this metal in the form of thick foil that has been snipped into squarish pieces adding up to a gram or two. Purity is over 99.99%.