How did this all start?

[BioCRN]

Junk wax era collectors did return to the hobby and in early-Spring 2021 they were snapping up graded cards from their junk wax youth. It was enough to wake up a long-dead market.

I got rid of so much stuff that had been sitting around since the 90s and very early 00s at a rather nice price. Didn't see that coming. They were a storage afterthought for so long.

It was one thing to see PSA 8 UD Griffey Jr's return to $100, but for a good chunk of 2021 you could get $120+ for one. They seem to be down to $70-ish now. In 2019 and quite a while before that this was a $35 card.

So many other examples, even for mid-range stars.

As a personal anecdote, I did see a notable number of those collectors venture into vintage after they slayed their thirst for all the junk wax cards they used to want/have as a kid. Many of those are still around in the hobby.