Ascended mats and their value
If they could be converted directly to coin that would increase inflation in the game by making more gold out of thin air.
As for me, my stacks are worth something. I have a mid level alt with eaters to convert the ascended mats to gear and then to mid level mats. Why should ANet give us a different way than this, and one that contributes to inflation too?
ANet may give it to you.
If you use the so-called eaters, the value of a stack of gifts is about 14-20 gold (depending on the markets and the gifts). Since each gift requires 50 ascended mats, that’s closer to 0.40g per stack at best.
And if we’re shortcutting the existing system, I imagine, ANet would expect us to take a loss. So let’s say, 0.25g/stack, about 10 copper per mat.
However, as Fleshie points out, that’s gold out of thin air, as opposed to the gifts which generate mats mostly (which help reduce inflation, since it costs to sell them on the TP).
So all in all, I imagine that they can’t have a vendor value of more than 1 copper or 2.5s/stack and not 2.5g/stack. I wouldn’t say no to 2.5 silver, but a lot of people would just delete instead.
Seems like a lot of work for ANet to put in, without a lot of player benefit.