My impulse to point out that it's a very useful metal is tempered by my surprise that only 10% of gold production goes to applications where gold does something other than look golden or just exist as a physical store of value. It seems a little silly. Gold mining is quite destructive; environmentalists should fly around the world, giving speeches on the worthlessness of gold, but where's the glamor in that?
> Gold mining is quite destructive; environmentalists should ...
If it makes you feel better, it is common for gold to be found as an enriched layer sitting on top of a copper deposit. So a big chunk of gold mining isn't gold-for-gold's sake, it is something mined on the way to a much more practical substance - copper.
Actual gold mines doing environmental damage are a thing (cyanide ahoy!) but the footprint is small and hopefully not important.
Calculator thinks $6,000/kg => $41,000/kg, actual price $6,000/kg to $48,000/kg. That makes sense because 'true' inflation (consumer goods + assets) probably outpaces official inflation (consumer goods only).
Gold can't exactly get more or less valuable over time. It is a rock. We have no practical uses for it.
[0] https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm