[jallen_dot_dev]

I think part of it is Pokemon and MTG are franchises with fan bases that exist outside of the desire to speculate on them as investments. So there will always be some fans who want to collect them just to have them, and not in the hope of selling to a greater fool. There is enduring demand.

Beanie Babies, on the other hand, only existed for the purpose of get-rich-quick speculative bullshit. Ok, some kids played with them but I remember adults admonishing kids not to damage them and ruin their value. Is anyone actually nostalgic for these? I was 7-10 during the craze and I don't care about them, or know any peers who do. I mean, many of us weren't allowed to play with them.

Another factor is scarcity. Many old cards were played with and damaged, so to have a first edition mint is actually rare. Whereas I'm sure there are (still) 100,000s mint condition Beanies in plastic storage bins in attics across the US.

Finally, some of them were actually special and deservingly command a high price. Black Lotus was a really powerful card in addition to not being printed anymore, so there is another reason why it's sought after. It's so overpowered and game-breaking it won't be reintroduced. Patti the Platypus is not manufactured anymore, but there is nothing special about it anyway. And even if Beanie Babies were to become popular again, who is to say they won't just make another platypus.