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I've been reading several histories of the Conquest of South America recently. It gives great insight into the blood lust for gold that Spain possessed in the 16th c. But, look where it got them. The raided the most gold and were so contented that they were left in the dust when the industrial revolution took shape. It has hurt them to this day, since they never built the proper economic infrastructure that the other Western European powers did.
Trade, for as many problems as it creates vis-a-vis destruction of local culture and exploitation of populations, has inherent value in that it raises the standard of living for most of the people of a given nation. Gold hinders trade because of its limited quantity; that's why Nixon (a real socialist, right?) got us off the gold standard. Why Ron Paul and his ilk don't seem to understand this is far beyond me.