This author's argument is poor. Anyone can drop a copy of SMB in the toilet. You can produce more. You cannot produce more of the $660k copy.
Rarity depends on more factors than "total in print".
Rarity depends on more factors than "total in print".
Of course, nobody wants a copy of SMB that has been dropped in my toilet, but my point wasn't that people are going to suddenly start collecting toilet copies of SMB, but rather that nobody was particularly interested in something as arbitrarily defined as the "highest graded, sealed, hangtab version" of SMB either until someone created a narrative that convinced them it was worth something.
Price is a function of rarity and desirability. SMB is a household name so the market of individuals who would assign value to it is broader than a game like Air Raid.
Author is deliberately obtuse. Or just obtuse.