As a former GoldBug, I'd have to challenge that 😁 a bit. Unlike nearly all other *metals* (it's not a rock, though rocks can contain gold), gold does not corrode. That makes it extremely unique in our environment. (Silver is similar in this respect.) Gold is highly conductive and malleable so has many industrial uses. But, perhaps more so, its unique color + weight + luster have always made it attractive to humans for ornamental (or even religious) purposes. (I'm still a proponent of Mises' "regression theorem" of the origin of money...at least up until bitcoin...haven't quite figured that one out yet, but Robert Murphy [I believe] has done some writing on it at Mises.org). 🤙🏻🤙🏻
Discussion
Ok so it was a busy day in the fiat mines but wanted to circle back around to this.
I didn't necessarily mean it has no uses whatsoever, just fewer uses than most other metals, while still retaining the values that you listed which means also that you can store it almost indefinitely and it will still not degrade. This means you can rely on it holding its value. This is also another aspect of what made good such good currency for so long.
Also when you list things like it was useful for aesthetically pleasing/cosmetic or religious purposes that's not really what I'm talking about, I'm taking more specifically about using the metal practically as a way to gain capital by putting it to use in business purposes.
Religious iconography or great works of art might be comparable because the world has regarded those things as fitting the aesthetically pleasing/religious category but they don't exactly make good money or builders of capital which is why I would discount those two categories as being helpful in determining the usefulness of someone. (Not trying to necessarily discount importance, merely raw economic potential).