Very few mass-produced items achieve collectible status, and as far as I know, they do so accidentally. Anyone manufacturing something to be marketed as such is

Very few mass-produced items achieve collectible status, and as far as I know, they do so accidentally. Anyone manufacturing something to be marketed as such is hoping to exploit the same set of irrationalities that drive speculative bubbles and Ponzi schemes, but without the risk of being prosecuted for securities fraud. Those irrationalities are bolstered by those few cases that have made the grade, and the practice of salting a large number of generic items with a few rare ones appeals to the jackpot fallacy.