Posted By:
Cobby33In large part, what Joe says, I believe, is accurate. If the Vintage market "adjusts," I would be willing to bet the demand for cards people buy to enjoy would remain steady (or increase) and the high-grade, high-dollar (just to be high-dollar) cards would lower.
If you think about it, do people spend large amounts of money on high-grade cards because they have an expensive fettish for nicer-looking cards; or because there's a perception that they will appreciate at a higher rate? I would guess the latter. This phenonemon is no different than most any investment of tangible goods.
It is also a truism that without the draw of flipping cards for a quick (large) profit, the "epidemic" of altering, cheating, etc. would wane as well- it simply wouldn't be worth it. Then we'll have nothing to talk about.