Card collectors and autograph collectors are largely 2 different worlds. There are ton of people who simply only collect cards, so for them, this is significant. (Throw in that it's Topps and a 1/1).
Some people like to point out the cost of the autograph, but it's not the cost of the raw materials that make cards have their value. (If it was about the raw materials, I could get a whole box made of cardboard for cheaper! :-)
When you compare different areas of collectibles, the markets simply don't align. For some that leads to a shift in collecting, but for others, they are happy in the area they are in.
Cards have some factors that other items simply don't. There is the thrill and excitement of trying to pull a rare card (and then you if you can't pull one and can afford it, the chance to fulfill that 'dream' by purchasing the card. There is the fact that there are clear checklists, so there's universal recognition for a particular card. No one has to guess how many of these exist etc.
For me personally, when I realized I could get really cool historical items for the prices I was paying for cards, I mostly switched my collection. But at times when I pull out something extremely rare but somewhat obscure, and most people have no idea what it is, I'm reminded how that's a nice component of card collecting.
Ultimately, to each their own. Much of the world thinks it's crazy to spend money on pictures or items connected to athletes. So we are all a little crazy :-)
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