Apple vs Silver: which won?
Apple crushed Silver since 2004 — more than 59× as much.
Apple
Winner$253,157
253× · +29.5%/yr
silver
Runner-up$4,294
4.29× · +7.6%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 2004 → 2024
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Apple | silver | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $253,157 | $4,294 |
| Total return | 253× | 4.29× |
| Annual return | +29.5% | +7.6% |
| Best single year | +24% (2007) | +84% (2010) |
| Worst single year | −33% (2008) | −35% (2013) |
| Deepest drop | −56.9% | −55.3% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Bumpy road |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 2004 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Apple stake is worth about $253,157 — a 253× return, or roughly +29.5% a year. The same money in Silver grew to about $4,294 (4.29×). Apple wins this window decisively: more than 59× as much, or about $248,862 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Silver's path was a bumpy road, while Apple was a remarkably smooth ride. So Apple managed to win while also handing investors the calmer ride of the two — the rarer combination.
Neither was a straight line. Apple's ugliest calendar year was −33% (2008) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −56.9%, recovered by 2009. Silver bottomed at −35% (2013) with a deepest drop of −55.3%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 74.2% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Apple or Silver a better investment since 2004?
- Over 2004–2024, Apple was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $253,157 (253×), versus about $4,294 (4.29×) for Silver — more than 59× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Apple be worth versus Silver?
- Starting at the end of 2004, $1,000 in Apple would be worth about $253,157 today, and in Silver about $4,294 — a difference of roughly $248,862 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Apple or Silver?
- Silver was the wilder ride — bumpy road — with a deepest fall of −55.3%, while Apple was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −56.9%).
- Did Apple always beat Silver?
- No. This compares a single start year (2004, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.