Jacob 4:2

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2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

The fact that the Nephite record was recorded on metal plates is a testimony that the work was commanded of the Lord. The Lord knew that the record must be preserved in its perfect form for translation by the power of God. Consider the difference between the record of the Book of Mormon—a perfectly preserved record, and the Dead Sea Scrolls—written on parchment that has suffered the effects of time and aging. Although written hundreds of years after the small plates of Nephi, the scrolls were found in thousands of pieces. The larger ones were put together like the pieces of a puzzle to restore the record. A considerable amount of time and effort goes into arranging the pieces, restoring the original lettering, and deciphering faded images. Joseph Smith didn’t have to spend any time in such endeavors. The wisdom of the Lord had preserved the golden plates in a stone box. Of the thirteen people who witnessed the plates, none of them ever mentioned seeing any signs of aging or corrosion on the record, only that the characters themselves seemed to be of ancient origin.