Originally Posted by
BladeRunner001
That's where we disagree...I think value comes when something is more than just the sum of its parts. What you are talking about (I think) is price...that is my humble opinion of course, and I may be very well be wrong.
And I think Jimmy hit the nail right on the head by the Ford and Ferrari analogy :). You add the parts in the Ferrari and I am sure they won't add up to more than $50K (just a guesstimate), but some will pay upwards of $1M for it...obviously that is more than just the price...Of course expert opinions count. I rely on these things to make educated decision about any purchase. Now, if someone is going to frop $50M on a Picasso will do enough due diligence to know value versus price. You may disagree and your budget may dictate so, but for he/she who wants the Picasso...well, you know :).
As for the Kanayama strop. Is it worth the $400 price? maybe not....but, it certainly has more than $400 value (for me anyway) because it's not just parts I am buying, there's human labor and love that has gone into creating that strop....intricate details and softness of leather, etc, etc, etc...these are the intangible values that cannot be captured by price.