ebear ... is that your belief? ... I wouldn't think you would go along with the "current belief" without cause.

Not a belief, just an observation. Note the question mark at the end of my answer. You have to imagine a high school girl saying it with that annoying rise in her voice at the end...LOL!

Hiostorically gold, silver and copper were money. Once you had industrial scale mining, copper dropped out of the picture and silver was left somewhere in the middle. Some people still think of silver as money, or at least a store of value, although that belief is on somewhat shakey ground these days. Gold? Well, when central banks stop hoarding it I guess it too will fade, but I'm not holding my breath. As long as people (and the institutions they create) can't be trusted, gold will retain its place as a store of value. It's the ultimate insurance policy, until something better comes along.

ebear