Neil Armstrong - Cashing in on Dead Celebrities (sorry!)

Neil Armstrong died. A quiet American hero.

This was NOT opportunistic price gouging, but I had literally been processing some photos to list on eBay when the news came through my BBC newsfeed. I had a pair of small bronze medallions, probably common pieces produced in the tens of thousands, featuring the likenesses of the Apollo 11 crew, manufactured shortly after the moon landing in 1969. One had sold on eBay shortly before for $15. With the news of his death, I knew mine would go for more, and I got a $50 Buy It Now within a few hours for the pair.

This happens a lot. Michael Jackson's death immediately turned Thriller LPs into $50 to $100 records (up from $5) for a few weeks. They sell for $5 again today. I know record dealers who had dozens of them in stock at the time of his death, and really cashed in with all his albums. Ditto for the World Trade Center tragedy, catapulting the prices of souvenir pieces into the hundreds before eBay prohibited their sale for a few months.

Sentiments aside, I think this is a good argument to leave out the emotions and approach your collecting or dealing rationally!