Interesting -- thanks for the explanation, John. I can better understand why collectors would pay such high prices for these cards now. Similar to baseball cards, it looks like third party grading was also a big factor in producing big prices for MTG cards.
Appreciation for certain fine art is one I still don't get. This piece ended in Heritage recently. It's a 12" x 12" watercolor, pencil and ink on paper done by Agnes Martin from 1977. It sold for
$45,000.