T206 "Magie" Error Prices

[steve B]

To sort of address the question more seriously.

I've been into a bunch more hobbies, and have seen things work different ways.

In most hobbies, there has been time when it had some degree of popularity.
And "high prices" to go along with that popularity.
For most hobbies, as the popularity fades, so do the prices. And along with that the availability of the better items also vanishes.

I suspect there's a price level after which a hobby becomes a bit more stable.
Portions of the hobby will see popularity surges and retreats, but the overall hobby will remain.
Another big part of that is how easily people can cross over from one area of the hobby to another.
Also, how old the hobby is.

Glass telephone/telegraph insulators were "big" in the early 70's. The common stuff was sellable even in rough condition, and the good stuff just kept getting better.
Now? The cheap common stuff is at 1970's pricing, but only if it's in great condition. The price is basically the nuisance cost of dragging a boxful to a place where someone might buy them.
But the good ones have done pretty well, just nowhere near as well as cards.

In bikes, at one time it was mostly about the 30's -50's balloon tire bikes. Schwinn Phantom, Bowden spacelander, and Evinrude. All became pretty expensive, but as the people who wanted them got theirs and some older collectors died out, there was less demand. Those bikes are still pricy, but not as crazy as they were (except maybe evinrude, I haven't even seen one in years)
But early high end BMX stuff? That's been going crazy for a few years now. Same for the stuff I collect, or did until they became too expensive.

But in a few years, both those areas will fade a bit. The crossover in both interest and knowledge is difficult.

That's not really true for cards. Crossing over between modern/postwar/prewar is fairly easy. And the sport while it has changed is essentially the same sport.

And there's a lot more money in the hobby, which surprisingly keeps things relatively stable.

I think the Magie will be a "good" card for quite some time into the future.