But my point is. If there is endless Latinum then what's the point?
The point is the same as it is now - to earn the most latinum possible. I'm not saying the supply is infinite, I'm just saying it doesn't have to be unreplicable to be used as currency.
I'm surprised the Ferengi use anything as awkward as bars and bricks, anyway. Slips and strips of GPL seem easy enough to keep in a pocket, but the larger stuff isn't easily carried or stored. Why wouldn't they use mostly computerized banking?
No substance was ever explicitly described as being incapable of replicated. It's odd that so many fans latched on to the idea that latinum can't be replicated when there's no evidence of that being the case. It's just like when fans insisted that Spock must have been the first Vulcan in Starfleet, despite no character ever claiming that.
And yes, T'Girl
, I know the one cent coin costs more to produce than it's worth at face value (and I expected you to point that out) but it is the exception, not the rule. It doesn't cost $2 to make a $1 bill.