It's not a "store" of value if you can't get the value back out - merely a "sink" of value. Both rare metals and intricate mechanisms possess scarcity, but of t

It's not a "store" of value if you can't get the value back out - merely a "sink" of value. Both rare metals and intricate mechanisms possess scarcity, but of the two only one can be melted down - the other is not fungible, and can only convey value by fiat the same way as regular currency. This is the same objection I have to those who claim that bitcoin is useful because it provides arbitrage across the price of electricity in geographical locations - you need electricity to make bitcoins, and they are easier to send than joules. But you can't get the electricity back out! It's gone forever, the bitcoin being merely a token of the wasted effort.