[bvw]

Unlike your urinal cakes, toothpaste and beanie babies, gold holds a value for centuries -- and storage costs are zero if you store it on your own property. Gold doesn't tarnish, rot, rust, mildew, age, evaporate. Urinal cakes evaporate, dry out, turn to dust over some years. Toothpaste dries out -- I'd imagine that after some decades it would even mold over. Mold is ingenious over such long times.

And beanie babies? A collectable in one generation is trash in the next.

But you are an alter of a kaker and you must know.

Even when the US forbade individual holding of gold -- and what an affront to Liberty that was! -- individuals still held it. In collectable coins, in jewelry, in tradeperson's inventory, and a lot -- well, nominally illegally. A sad law that.

Through the ages, ages and ages, gold has been a tradeble, liquid commodity and one that always holds significant value. Even in the most insecure, dangerous and turbulent times -- one value of gold is its insurance value against such circumstances. Diamonds too. But we make diamonds effeciently now and getting moreso. Diamonds are the cubic zirconia of tomorrow.

A share of General Atomic, what is it worth today? If anything over a collectible's value, how liquid would that share be? Be realistic. Gold has its place in diverse keep of wealth.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Buying a loaf of bread with gold might prove problematic. Two bucks would be about a gram.

Gold as a money supply does indeed evaporate. It is worn away at a measurable rate per year and the more it must circulate the faster it will wear away.