The dubious Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange closed in 1986.

FORBES: Fraud per capita

"He came in to my shop at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday and had a grin from ear to ear, " Cordell Kent, owner of The Mining Exchange Gold Shop, told CNN.

CNN: Gold nugget worth $300,000 discovered in Australia

With a sluggish recovery underway in Europe and North America and emerging markets enjoying unprecedented growth, metal prices are set to raise even further, making metals and mining-sector exchange traded funds potentially lucrative options.

FORBES: Emerging Markets to Fuel Commodity Prices