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There is a difference in how the two scale, because one is physical.

Adding a BTC to a transaction doesn't really require any additional infrastructure. But once you've packed your first tanker with gold, you kind of have to hire a second boat.

Given the way each scales, it seems that BTC transfers are easier, at least at some values.




There is not enough gold in the whole world to fill up a tanker.


The word "tanker" was evocative, I wouldn't get hung up on it.

All I was saying was that physical stores of value increase in awkwardness (principally through weight and volume) when you increase their number, not so for digital.

Challenges in movement of large sums of gold: http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/08/23/how-to-get-...

Here's what $300 Billion in gold looks like: http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-arti...

(Note that it would be harder to transport, than, say, the amount of gold one can fit in a pocket.)




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