Posted By:
TimI agree with what a lot of others have said already. The true "influences" in this hobby are those that make their joy of collecting infectious through sharing of knowledge and images of thier personal collections.
There will always be a level of cards most collectors will never obtain. And from time to time that market will see spikes as multiple players with unlimited resources come into and out of play. Yet I don't think they influence the hobby as a whole. I'm not going to run out and start collecting a certain issue because two of them got into a bidding war and drove the price of a high grade through the roof.
The Net54 Pickup Threads are a huge influence if you ask me.