Was aluminum worth more than gold?

Up until the late 1800's, Aluminum was extremely valuable due to the fact that it was very hard to procure. As an example of just how prized a metal it was, Napoleon Bonaparte was said to have a special set of aluminum utensils only to be used by his most esteemed guests. His gold utensils were for more casual occasions! Also, atop the Washington Monument sits an almost 3 kg pyramid of aluminum, placed as a symbol of how strong and wealthy the U.S. was.

In 1886, the Hall-Heroult process was invented as cost-effective way to produce aluminum. Since then, the value of aluminum has been significantly reduced.