I have been messing around a lot with VCP records lately, trying to develop inside info on hidden scarcities and price trends that I can use to my advantage
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and one thing that's really clear is that many sales prices on high-grade cards were much higher - like 50-80% - before 2008 than they are now. 2007-2008 was the peak, followed by a decline for the next five years or so, and then a leveling off. The last two or three years show some mild increases. All the E card sets I've looked at so far show this trend, and some others like T204. I haven't looked at T206 and they may be an exception.
I think what's happening right now is that very
high-profile cards are going through the roof, but not all high-grade cards, and there are many bargains out there, at least relative to pre-recession days.