this is really just reality.

You would be a perfect example. You have around 70k in machines.
You like and want BSD.
However, there are only 855 listed owners on Pinside with a BSD and 647 with that game on their wishlist.

When you have 70k worth of toys and get tired of buying a majority of brand spanking new prem/LEs, you often want a solid classic form the 90s and you are happy to pay less than NIB for a nice example that somehow survived all these years and other collectors have likely brought back life and put time and money into making them play and look good.

norcal collection (resized).JPG

norcal BSD (resized).JPG

BSD wants (resized).JPG

I think a large part of what historically made an "A" game was self-full-filling and snobbery.

There were good route games in the 90s and that translated to more exposure for those games in the 90s since they were being operated heavily.
Then when people started buying them up for home, those are the games they wanted because it is what they knew.
Of course since they were routed hard, many were in poor shape so the ones that were nicer cost more and they cost more than the B list that was not still being routed and just taking up storage space.

Fast forward and as prices on the traditional "A" games increased then people started looking for other options.

In many cases people are finally waking up to the fact that games they previous thought were "B" or "C" are really awesome and many in fact are even better than the "A" they bought.

It brings alot of defensive posturing and likely a little hurt to ones pride to know you bought TOTAN for a premium and now finally got exposure to a Congo and have seen that it is a much better game, but sadly now will cost you 4500. If you have been in the collecting hobby for 5, 10, 15 years then it makes it hard to stomach that you now want a Congo (Bsd, Shadow, FT, insert any traditional B title) and it costs more than you originally paid for that TOTAN 8 years ago.

Then you come on pinside and start threads complaining that B list pins cost too much

TLDR > B list and C list (and "oh gosh" Gottliebs) are often amazing games and people have just gotten more exposure to them and realized how great many are. Prices now reflect how good many are. It isn't merely that NIB is more expensive. It is that made came in eyes wide open the past few years and decided for themselves what they like rather than build the same boring "A" list collection you see in so many homes of the collector from 5-10 years back.