In addition to the economy and the volume currently available, I think other factors are:
1) Back variations - I don't know if a bunch of back collectors have left the market over the past couple of years or if paying huge premiums for back variations and common fronts has just lost its luster, but back collecting today is just not what it was before from my experience.
2) Population does not equate with valuations - I think that a few people may have realized that each of T208s is far from unique (3 to 4 or more of each known) and that they might not deserve the crazy multiplier that prior sales may have suggested when compared to D359s or E104s which are not quite as rare, but certainly not orders of magnitude more plentiful.
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