Collecting Dust

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.

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