Posted By:
warshawlaw1: Us! Between the active posters and the lurkers, there are at least 50 "hardcore" prewar collectors here. When a few of us get a "bug" on a specific set or type of card (e.g., the caramel cards ebola of the last several months), the infection often spreads. Some of us get the bug, too; others see a chance to make some $$ by snapping up examples of the cards in question and offering them to the victims of the bug. Look at the ebay bidding lists--lots of the same names appear. ebay then sets the market tone: collectors see lots of bucks on these cards on ebay and keep them or self-market them rather than consigning them (I could kick myself for consigning a lot of lower grade e cards to auctions around 5 years ago). So, to a Mastro, it looks like the supply is drying up.
2: It's the economy, stupid! The stock market is going back up, real estate is through the roof, and there are signs at long last of some actual sustaned growth. Perceptions are everything and when people see and hear about troubles and job losses, they tend to batten down the hatches and stop spending, even if their fields are unaffected. Conversely, when things seem to be going well or are perceived to be improving, people loosen up again.
3: Good Ol' American Competition: There are a lot of major auctions now. Lelands, Mastro, Lipset, Lifson's new one, Superior, SCP, Madec, etc., etc., etc. Mastro used to be the only auctioneer with a booth at shows; now there are several. The pie is being cut up a different way.