Techie, it's good to see you! And thanks for that thumbnail sketch of how money works on your planet. Priceless.

Here on Earth money is just an abstraction, a conversion function $(x). We use it to convert between things of dissimilar nature or quantity, or to time-shift value. As an intermediary, it has no value of its own.

But the implications of money as an invariant are staggering! When a house on your planet loses value, as measured in money, does its substance evaporate? Does it become translucent? That must break the monotony in "depressed" areas ha ha.

But I'm not clear on the converse: How does inflation affect the substance of a house? As it "appreciates" (love the terminology your species uses), does it become denser? But assuming it was built 100% "there" in the first place, if you know what I mean, how can you add more substance to it? Please explain!

But the real mind-blower is the reversal of cause-and-effect. When your planet went off the "gold standard", did matter fluctuate in density (or "value") everywhere, or only in objects which had a known monetary value? So, I guess air stayed the same as always, and "commons" would be relatively unaffected. That must have been a wild, psychedelic time, Tech. I'll bet you have a lot of stories about reality bending and flowing like a Dali clock during your youth.

Tell me more!

Not everything translates easily between cultures on two different planets, I think. We have pickpockets here on Earth, but are we talking about the same thing? Are they also money-changers on your world? Do they work stealthily, breaking your bills and returning them to your pocket without your knowledge? That's a pretty steep vigorish they take for the privilege. On my planet that would probably be illegal, but guess not on yours, eh Techie?

More later, I hope.