As someone who hunts for centered copies of all the oversized early 50s Topps cards, and as someone who obsesses over data, I should also probably point out that the centered pricing gap (or perhaps 'multiplier' is a more appropriate term) has also been widening in recent years. I think as more and more of the modern collectors wake up and smell the vintage coffee after bastardizing their modern rainbow glitter cards, it seems like they are trying to compete for some of the higher eye-appeal copies.
Here's a snapshot of a few of my 52s with lower-tier HOFers and commons. I often find myself paying double or triple "comps" for these as well. Sometimes I get lucky and don't have to pay much of a premium, but it's always fun to get into snipe wars on eBay with other centering OCD collectors. There will be cards that otherwise sell for $20 sometimes where I'll bid $120 and lose to some other nutcase like myself. Always get a good laugh out of those ones. Guy probably thinks he got shilled. Nope. Just another centering-focused collector.
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