feds seize gold coins , page-4

Scarcity value, Dub. Lots of folk like to show off, and have something nobody, or few have, thus creating snobbish value. A battered old 1930 penny is valued at tens of thousand of Dollars. A lovely new imitation goes for $5/10.

One of the great examples, is a painting in the Victorian Art Museum. Originally believed to be by Van Gogh, it was valued at about $50m. A couple of years ago some expect declared it was by one of Van Gogh's students not Van Gogh himself. Thus it was valueless. The painting was the same. It was still as lovely, or as simple as it was the day before, but the snobbery value was gone. The Museum couldn't say "I've got something you havn't got", anymore.