Based upon that specific example, it would have been better to invest in Apple stock. But Black Lotus over that time period is not the best return rate, not by

Based upon that specific example, it would have been better to invest in Apple stock. But Black Lotus over that time period is not the best return rate, not by a long shot. To give a counterexample, when I started playing Commander in 2011, Gaea's Cradle was $20. Today, only 6 years later, it's $270, a 1,350% return in less than a third the time. There are countless more examples where I feel like an idiot for not buying cards sooner, thinking they were expensive at the time, and their value shot upward as the popularity of a new format (Commander) took off.