Trends in value of vintage / used audio equipment?

OP

Good question, I’ve never found a source for price trends, my sense is that prices went up quite a bit during covid, stopped rising and have been dropping some during last year.

I occasionally glance at prices on hifishark of the many vintage pieces I have bought since 2019 on hifishark:

McIntosh mx110z tube tuner/preamp

Cayin A-88T Integrated Tube Amp MK1, 16 ohm taps

JVC TT81 in Two Arm Plinth PL-2

Sony xa5400es SACD Player

Yamaha CR-1040 SS Receiver

Mitsubishi Vertical TT LT-5V

Chase RLC-1 Remote Line Controller

Technics SL-J33 Programmable TT

Sony TT FL-1 Front Loading Drawer Type TT.

Also, when I read about exceptional vintage pieces I don’t own, look them up just to know about them, I sense the same ’way up/dropping some’ pricing trend.

Without a doubt, Meters both increase the price and hold their value, much like vintage cars, i.e. the (VW, TBird, Porsche ... ) Convertible version holds/increases in value far more than the more common and less special sedans.

Some Vintage pieces are well worth their reputation.

But i bought mine at relatively low price...

 Old gear need repairment or are at risk of...

Then the market of used gear can be overpricing them for sure...

 And we can buy  very cheap  and very good gear now (Chinese among other things) then most vintage pieces may be not a so much good deal...

But some stay because of versatility of the design which exist no more and because of the high quality of some mythical vintage (Sansui alpha for me)

I installed VU meter on my wife head and she look beautiful but it does not improved the sound ...

All VU meter i bought  were beautiful and useless ...

what's this meter craze? 

My impression is that fancy  item vintage prices were outrageously way up in recent years in many cases but that limited market has settled and prices have come back to earth somewhat of late.

@mahgister "I installed VU meter on my wife head and she look beautiful but it does not improved the sound ..." Maybe not a Groucho quote, but made me laugh!