Are all of these NOS tube inventories real? How have we not consumed them already?

I just bought a pair of NOS Mullards 12AX7 from Upscale Audio 2 weeks ago where they are rated in four diff categories and priced accordingly. Anyway, I was told you better grab this pair quick as Kevin only has 100 pair left and then that’s it!. I was like wtf? 

@dill I also agree about the Matsushita 7DJ8. Upscale is good. A little pricey, but they definitely do their due diligence with tubes. 

Tubes in the 40s, 50s and 60s were as common as transistors and all the chips of all varieties are now. Radios, TVs and just about any kind of electronic device were full of them. Radio and TV stations and many other large scale businesses used tons of them. The first computers used massive amounts of tubes. The changeover to transistors, etc. was pretty quick so there were very large numbers of them stashed all over the world. Although only a few varieties of tubes are used in audio, there are still a lot of them around.

People like us who still use tubes are a very small number. As far as tube audio gear goes there is much more of it around now then there was in the 70s and 80s. So we don’t use them up very quickly.

A smaller number of them are never used, or NOS. NIB means new in box. Whether it’s the same box the tube came in, who knows? It’s another marketing point.

Buy your tubes from reputable dealers and you’ll get what you're paying for.

Note that new tubes, or "currently manufactured tubes" for those who are seemingly confused about what NOS actually means, make up a lot of tube stock (not to be confused with "tube socks"), especially guitar and bass amps (of which I am certain use far more tubage than hifi)...making lots of room for the classic tubes of yesteryear to be used and eventually used up. I use both new (Gold Lion, KT120s, etc.) and NOS tubes because I can...people who don’t own any tube gear should still have a few tubes around simply to look at and because they will make anybody at least "seem" more interesting.

NOS Mullards 12AX7 is an ECC83. Stock piles are though the roof of ECC83. They have a ways to go, to hit Tellies silky smooth old school valve sound, THAT is an ECC83. A 12AX7 that can hold its own and better most is the black plate RCA. yet the grays suck from the same time frame. GE 12AT7 gray plate, will best a lot of the the new stock.. Their problem, LOL they would do the under water deal.. Weird valve.. Good sound weird valve. Easy to figure that one. Tap test the valve at low volume. They will act up..  I'm tinkering with PSVANE too, that valve is really starting to peak my interest.. TAD is different to..close to JJ they have their place..

One of the deals of all time was an organ, left to me with a case of valves.. I had to pick it up in Texas. I long sense gave the organ to an up and coming church... I kept the valves..And put in JJ and EH. Still using it 5 years ago.

The valves are hamon volvo, tellies and baldwin, also where I learned about gray plate RCAs. YUK..

Regards