The gun collecting hobby hasn't exploded anything close to the muscle car market over the past decade+. I remember when Novas were the HS ride for losers. Now they fetch big coin; not as much as for Chevelles or Vettes, (in the Chevy stable), but $30,000+ for a big block Nova?! Let's not even start about Mopar prices.

The other thing that drives prices in a given collectible segment is speculation ... once someone thinks there's money to be made, Tulipmania ensues. In the late '90s, Amazon stock was trading in the teens, and Yahoo was low double digits. The dotcom bubble exploded and both went sky high. When the bubble burst, most dotcom companies washed out, and some staying for the long haul. Go buy the survivors now.

Then there's the "want-something-for-nothing-crowd" who expects rock bottom pricing forever. How many posts have been made asking "Did I get a good deal?" or "Is this too much?" I have a NIB 1985 Model 624 3" with all the fixin's. Anyone want it for a grand? Too much? How about $750? Still too much? How about $500? Better yet, how about $350 and I'll hand deliver it to the buyer's doorstep, and throw in dinner. C'mon, get real. Pristine S&Ws command healthy pricing nowadays. Don't like it, don't buy 'em. But quit whining about the increase in asking and selling prices. God love the get-rich-quick artists who sit for two years at the gun show with overpriced merchandise, until some sucker waltzes over and jumps into the deep end of the collecting pool with a fistful of cash. In the meantime, keep hunting for good deals, but stop expecting unrealistic pricing from the past.

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I'm with the banned ...