Thanks for sharing that great story Ron, although painful to hear. It's not that there aren't great finds that can happen nowadays, it's just so uncommon with the ability to research items on the internet. You're more likely to find a $50 comic today that someone wants 1 million for.
You used to be able to find some decent stuff at yard sales and the like on a regular basis, the last few I've been to were just peoples junk that they didn't want to donate or pay to get rid of. Anything of value they probably already sold online. There still has to be a few of those legendary finds waiting to happen.
With the internet, now we have the ability to see a much higher frequency of rare items. That's the case for me at least. I think I generate lost opportunities about every week, in some cases every single day.
Since they tend to be smaller "deals" I tend to move on easily though. One pops up in my head once in awhile that I wish I had bid higher on or pulled the trigger.