Nothing has intrinsic value other than food and weapons.
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Which is why all the preppers buying gold and diamonds make me laugh. Do they seriously think the post-apocalyptic world they imagine is going to give a single damn about their shiny metal and sparkly rocks?
They're not thinking about industrial use and never have--they want it because before it was an industrial good it was an icon of power. Diamonds, too.
That they're industrial commodities now is something they want the effects of but don't want itself, because it belies their beliefs about what makes a good currency.
@ScottSoCal this is precisely the point my comment wants to make! Where is this “intrinsic” value in some shiny metal, less than 7% of which is actually used for industries.