Explorer I harder to get than the new BLRO...

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by Marcjvr

If I showed you 2 rocks, 1 nicer than the other and asked you to pick 1, naturally you would pick the nicer looking rock. Now if I said “hold on, the uglier looking rock is actually from the moon”...well you would pick the moon rock every time right, despite it being the uglier of the 2 rocks.

Same can be said about having to pick between a brand new baseball or an old scuffed up baseball that Babe Ruth happened to hit for his final home run...

It’s the story and scarcity behind an item that can drive the desire to have that item ( and ultimately its value).

The examples you provided have compelling back stories. I'm not seeing what is compelling about the back story of the Blackout Explorer: it was a stock model produced by Rolex, which was changed a year or two after introduction, and is therefore scarce. It's not like Babe Ruth wore it on the moon.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't like the Blackout - maybe they genuinely appreciate the design, or its quirkiness speaks to them in some way. But if the appeal is based solely on scarcity, that's market speculation, rather than appreciation of its intrinsic qualities. I see a distinction between that and the examples you provided, although ultimately the market speaks for itself. If people are willing to pay extra for it, then they are, regardless of what we say.