Aluminium used to be a PM
 

Interesting....

From Wikipedia:

An interesting case of a once-precious metal that is now common is that of aluminium. Although aluminium is one of the most commonly occurring elements on Earth, it was initially found to be exceedingly difficult to extract from its various ores. This made the little available pure aluminium which had been discovered (or refined at great expense) more valuable than gold. Bars of aluminium were exhibited alongside the French crown jewels at the Exposition Universelle of 1855, and Napoleon III was said to have reserved a set of aluminium dinner plates for his most honored guests. Additionally, the pyramidal top to the Washington Monument is made of pure aluminium. At the time of the monument's construction, aluminium was more expensive than silver, gold, or platinum. Over time, however, the price of the metal has dropped; the invention of the Hall-H�roult process in 1886 caused the high price of aluminium to permanently collapse.

Re: Aluminium used to be a PM
 

QWAK,What made aluminum so cheep was/is cheep ELECTRICITY from hydro electric dams and that huge government dam projects and what people pay for electricity has alway SUBSIDISED the companies that refine aluminum!

Aluminum is NOT realy CHEEP, it NEVER was or will be, it is the DISTORTION of perception of COST to produce that creates the ILUSION of being cheep.

the DUCK