"We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future."
Historically speaking, price pull-backs have not been 100% of the gains and have presented good buying opportunities. I have banked all the profits from selling into this bubble and will use the same to purchase inventory once the fear locks in and the true distress sales start. Figure about 6-12 months after the bubble first pops.
As for when and how it will pop, as major events reopen we will see money shift back to other forms of fun. That will slow the roll. Watch the sell-through rates on auctions. They are still unprecedentedly high. When the passed lots fall back to typical rates it will crush the speculators and wring out the excess.
The puppy in a python effect of the grading backlog will definitely slam modern and common postwar. It is already happening with some issues I track. I really like a few of the Star Michael Jordan issues, as a collector. They have peaked and are now retreating. I checked the other day on one issue, the Gatorade, and was shocked to see how many graded cards are available for sale at prices that would have been instant sales a few months ago.
The fact that we have multiple threads going on this is a good indicator that The Fear is setting in.
The mind of The Hobby is seized by a fatal dry rot - and it's only a question of time before all that the mind controls will run amuck in a frenzy of stupid, impotent fear.--with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson