Originally Posted by SkyDog75

Just offering another perspective while trying to stay clear of any p***ing matches...

When it comes to vintage items that were produced within a prospective collector's lifetime, I've noticed a pricing curve related to the buyer's age...

Sentimentality factors into the pricing for collectibles, and sentimentality is obviously tied to the age of the prospective buyer. What we're sentimental for will be strongly influenced by what we found desirable in our youth. For someone who reached adulthood in the '60s or '70s, a Schwinn bicycle or an oyster black pearl Ludwig drum set like Ringo's might be perceived as the ideal. And those few specific items will climb in price as the people who covet them age ...until those sentimental buyers cease buying, deflating the pricing bubble.

Meanwhile, items that were appreciated by the next generation have been climbing in value, following a similar curve relative to the age of the target market. For example, look at the prices some 1980s BMX bikes can fetch. I grew up with those bikes, but my dad wouldn't care to own one and neither would my kids. When my generation no longer buys BMX bikes, that bubble will deflate.

So, using that (admittedly unsubstantiated) perspective to look at the comparisons in this thread between 1970s Schwinns and 1990s Kleins... The Schwinn's price is arguably elevated by sentimentality more than the Klein's at this point in time. Over the next 20 years, as we have fewer people desiring a 1970s Schwinn and more people who wax fondly about that 1990s Klein they can now afford, maybe the Klein will be worth more at some point.