Narly, you've missed the point. This is not about whether you should buy or sell, or the wisdom behind it, nor is it about how much money that's been made over the years, or about how you choose to spend your retirement. No one wants to deny you the freedom of choice.
This is about understanding. Whatever decision you make, whether it is to buy, sell, or hold, you owe it to yourself to do it with a clear head on your shoulders. The ounce of gold you bought 50 years ago for $1 is today worth around $4500. Should you sell ? I don't know, but I do know that as the price rises, so does the cost of holding it, because it denies you the opportunity to put the proceeds from the sale to alternative use. This enduring principle is universal, and it applies to any asset. An asset may also be income producing (eg dividends), but the relative magnitude of the income is measured according to the value of the asset expressed in today's prices, ceteris paribus. What you paid for the asset 50 years ago is irrelevant because what we're talking about here is "opportunity cost". Even though you do not "give a sh1t about it", the term is not restricted to market trading, but permeates every facet of everyday life. If you wish to inform yourself on the rationale underlying it, try the link below; you have nothing to lose but your ignorance (with apologies to Karl Marx), and I do not use the word "ignorance" in a disparaging way.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/opportunitycost.asp
BTW, I'm 79 years of age, an old fart, and on the brink of senility, but hey - I can still tell the difference between shit and chocolate pudding! Not only do I still pay tax, I am happy to do so, but will not begrudge those who choose to avoid it.
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