You’re right to some extent but every differnt metal (or other substance) is useful in different ways. You could never construct a building with gold since it’s not strong enough. But give somebody a bunch of steel or aluminum coins as payment and leave them in a room with a leaky roof. They’ll rust away. The ice cream taster at Ben & Jerry’s uses a spoon made of solid gold, because every other metal would affect the taste.
Gold, like anything else, has a natural price in relation to everything else, and perhaps it’s been inflated since every other item seems worthless in comparison. Things that last will always have value. I don’t think it’s psychological. Ever read The Power of Gold, by Peter Bernstein? Great book.
Shouldn't the B&J taster calibrate the ice cream to a spoon material common to the typical end user?
Perhaps the reason I don't care for Ben & Jerry's is because I've been eating it with silverware...