Thank you, El Taino. What you say makes sense, especially that it used to be about "look what I found in my basement." I used that scenario to my advantage to gradually acquire a near-mint collection of vintage toy ray guns, including the metal "Buck Rogers" guns from the 30's and 40's, which you rarely see anymore, and if you do, they are rusted and pretty much ruined.
I also scored on a lot of rare items tied to the childrens' sci-fi series shown on TV in the late 40's and early 50's, even a lot of toys that you would send for by sending in a cereal boxtop and a quarter. Not many of those survived.
What I bought was not cheap, but in the condition they are, you won't find them available for sale today. I guess a limited number of collectors, like me, bought up all the good ones and will be hanging onto them for many years to come.