There is a story that is often told about the collectibles market. The story is anecdotal so there's no way to tell if it's true, but as myth it is true enough to illustrate a common 21st Century idea.
There are several versions of the story, the most common version runs roughly like this: A guy walked into a toy store and discovered that the store had three (sometimes four) models of a specific early Matchbox Volkswagen. The guy knew that Matchbox only made four (sometimes five) of this model and as a result they were very valuable. In the course of a conversation with the owner, the guy discovered that the store was up for sale, and he bought it on the spot, never worrying about financing the operation. He didn't have to worry, because he knew he could get the value of the store and then some just by selling one of the Matchbox Volkswagens.
It's a good story, and it has a reasonable possibility of being true. Unlike so many urban legends, there is a certain amount of hard peripheral evidence for the story's main theme: the high value of middle-class collectables. Recently very rare Matchbox Volkswagens have brought home sums in the $60,000+ range at auction.
The prices of collectables and memorabilia have skyrocketed in the last few years as Baby Boomers have begun to push old age with a very short stick. Nostalgia is a potent market force. The Fender Stratocaster played by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock? an instrument that enjoys no particular distinction besides its dead famous owner? went for a cool $338,580. On a more "affordable" level, Boomer toys, records and other effluvia regularly bring fantastic sums on Ebay and other marketplaces.
Recently a Schwinn Stingray "Crate" bicycle from late in the Baby Boom era was priced at $600? the ...