Why are the minted seats so expensive? For 0.5 BTC I could buy 10 seats and still have enough left over for 5-6oz silver. That is a steep price to pay for 1 seat + 1oz.
Indeed. These are extremely unique and limited. When they're gone, they're gone (only 100 of the 5oz coins will be minted). There are also lots of costs involved. Everything from having the dies crafted, generating the vanity addresses, creating designs, manufacturing holograms, replacing engraver heads, buying shipping materials, & time have to be considered. 50% of the price is also a donation to NastyFans.
The 5oz coin will be cheaper on a per oz basis, but will still not be close to the spot price of silver and online seats sold separately.