
Then why don’t auctions go on longer and push $10k, $20k, or $50k for JP Lugia then?
People can follow other passions with such a budget and make it go a lot further.
How many of those 26 million SV buyers are parents purchasing for their kids, or people struggling to pay rent, or paying with credit, or are paying off a car, or still need of a car, or collect a totally different language, or aren’t aware of Neo Gen, or aware of 1st Ed., or only binder collect, or aren’t interested in cards altogether?
1000 is not a lot but it also is. People don’t understand how niche of a hobby this is.
There aren’t typically 200 people competing for one card. A small handful are competing and most bow out much sooner at much more modest prices.
There are millions of star wars fans, music artists/groups, and so on, but memorabilia isn’t inherently $x just because it comes from a popular franchise.
Moreover, there’s a gigafuckload of cards to collect, and most people are not collecting them all, contrary to the Pokemon mantra.
Why would I buy a Lugia when I can buy a Crystal or a Gold Star for, in some cases, the same or similar price? If there are really that many people with such purchasing power and interest, why weren’t Gold Stars $200k+ already when some are <50 pop? Why was I able to sell for more than double the offers I was receiving last year, just three months ago?