Obviously intrinsic value is a thing. It is no mystery gold has always been more expensive than silver because there is less gold than silver. I never said items with intrinsic value are not subject to changes in price in markets based on supply and demand. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Items with intrinsic value can vary in price over time and location.

Furthermore there is evidence colonies were more of a drain on colonizers than a benefit. As far as colonies go Germany had few yet they, the German people have always been a competent, educated, successful, manufacturing powerhouse. Sweden's colonial history is basically nonexistent and they have always been successful.

The richest country in the universe, the United States also barely had a colonial history. The few colonies we had contributed nothing to the enrichment of the US. The US became rich under the silver and gold standard. The industrial revolution occurred under the silver and gold standard. The path to the present day third world banana republic starts with the creation of the illegal federal reserve and their subsequent counterfeiting operations. Gold and silver can't be counterfeited like green cotton paper because of it's intrinsic qualities.

When you go back in history you'll find gold and silver money as old as 3000 years old from Lydia and Assyria. But it was used long before then as a sort of nonstandardized proto money. Even though the weights and purities brought some guess work into the game it was far superior to gurs of barley. Try using gurs of barley as you money and you'll see why gold and silver are intrinsically superior. "basic to a thing, being an important part of making it what it is" is how Cambridge defines intrinsic.