Nonsense.....with all due respect.
Before you retroactively offer up an all encompassing market evaluation, you have to cite where you are getting your figures.
Copper keys were not "practically worthless" and not obtainable in the late 90's/early 2000's for $5.
I was setting up at comic shows in the northeast and ebay regularly at that time.The demand was there.Right around 2000 is when I stopped doing shows and ebay, not resuming either intil 2009 so I am sure of my numbers, in the year 2000.
I live in the northeast, which is where pretty much all of the printing took place in that time period so regional convention prices tended to be higher in the west,specifically the midwest.That said, the prices noted below, are on the low end.
A couple numbers which I sold some of the books at in raw are.....
ASM 252...solid $25 in NM.....Where are you getting $3 from?
ASM 300 $50-$100, raw VF to NM. Not $25.
Batman Dark Knight 1-4 set. This set sold for $50 in VF/NM, whenever I had it.
New Mutants 87 for $5? I routinely sold this book for $20 in NM.New Mutants 98 was going for around $25-50 in VF to NM.
That's just a couple of the books........
If anything you said was even remotely true, convention attendees really lost out by not being more tech savvy.
I know I wish I had started using eBay before 2004. Then again, the reason I didn't is that I didn't have much money to spend and I can't really regret how I did spend my money.
In the year 2000 (not to quote Conan O'brien) people will still spend mo' money in conventions than on eBay.. This statement still holds true today.. Technology or not