Then there was the original Twilight Zone episode where four thieves
steal a large amount of gold bricks then hide out in a cave in suspended
animation for 100 years (there was a scientist on the team).

Three of them awake (the fourth died during his SA when a rock fell from
the cave ceiling and broke the glass cover on his SA unit (you'd think they
would have thought of a cover for them). The rest proceed to head out
and find civilization, which proves difficult in the desert after their getaway
truck crashes.

To sum up, the last guy crawls up to a couple in their futuristic car and
begs them for water, offering his last gold bar as payment. As the crook
dies before them, the couple muse on how the poor guy must have gone
crazy from the heat and exposure, as gold became virtually worthless
years ago when civilization learned how to manufacture it in bulk.

Cue Rod Serling soliloquy.

http://www.twilightzone.org/html/tzatv_ef.html

Aluminum used to be a rare and precious metal until some smart folks
learned how to manufacture it, so the idea is not total fiction.