Walt- While this whole Treasure Island thing is turning into a fiasco, I wouldn't be so hasty as to call the early speculators liars. While they may stretch the truth a little, or a lot in some cases, I don't believe they would outright lie about something that can be easily refuted. I mean, these guys still have to deal with the rest of us collectors in the future.
Also, while a $50 price may seem high, we all know playing for strikes that are limited per fill at the rate of 2-3 per, actually cost the player $50-75 for each one assuming he trades in the others for $10. So the speculator isn't really making a killing on these things, assuming the 2-3 per fill was correct, and I have a feeling it probably was at the time.
Maybe the collector who had a talk with management convinced them to put in more 2003's. It's possible the production could still be limited to 500, we just have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and see what the final truth is.