I agree its gold value isn't what it should be. I remember a day when it was coveted for its rarity, and price. Only available at the end of a long voyage and worth more than anything else. Now with it being easier to come by and not always being the most expensive item in the stash, it isn't as impactful as it once was.
As someone with maxed out rep, the only real benefit of treasure is meaningless gold, and if I want to earn some, athena is my last choice. The voyages include too many items that don't benefit from the emissary bonus. Even with the full multiplier, the gold amount won't be as high as if you ran any other emissary with their voyage. I feel like the only real point in doing athena is for the rep, after that it's a poor use of time.
It bugs me seeing streamers always go for the athena chest. I understand some still need the rep and some even want to hit A20 with only stolen chests, so for them the value is much higher than anything else due to the rarity and rep. However I find myself thinking that I would rather fight for the whole stash and not just yoink the one chest, or at least take off with the more expensive item if available. They see it as a win but to me it's just a few thousand gold. Two or three gems would do the same for me. If it was worth 10k, same as the ashen wind skull and reapers bounty, I could get behind swiping an athena chest.
@WolfManbush makes a good point that treasure needs to be balanced based on its rarity and time it takes to obtain. 10k for an ashen wind skull seems a little high to me. I know it was much lower before and was raised to what it is, but now it outshines the athena chest and is much more common.
Hopefully Rare has been working on something that will change athena loot, athena voyages, the legend hideout, and so much more about being a legend, and maybe we will see it soon since the Disney stuff is out of the way.