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" ... A simple test is to ask the author if he/she would buy that strike for the price they put on it as a fair value. None have ever taken me up on that offer." ... Dennis Berry

Why would an author of a catalog be obligated to purchase unwanted/un-needed material of which he's published estimated values for as a service to the hobby? Doesn't make much sense to me.

Virtually every catalog I've read are not "buy" prices ... but are ballpark retail price reflections one can expect to pay if that item is needed/wanted by another collector as a guide, not an author's "buy price".