Republican presidential contender Ron Paul, an avowed opponent of the Federal Reserve System, had a chance to take on his nemesis Ben Bernanke Wednesday, and he made the most of it.

In a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, Paul, R-Texas, pulled out a one-ounce silver coin to underscore his assertion that precious metals have held their value better than paper money.

In fact, our friends at Business Insider did some research that shows that silver prices have fluctuated widely over the past two decades. "While that ounce of silver has done better than the dollar over time, it's still no ringing endorsement for price stability," Business Insider concludes.

Here is the full exchange between Paul and Fed chief Bernanke:

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