Not with the bulk of your post (it was well 
thought out and constructive), but with your 
denial about the lack of stratification in this 
hobby.  It is very real and very obvious, if you 
look for it.  I would say that many of us on the 
forum here fall into the same, general level, but 
there are those who get first picks of imports 
because of "who they know" and there are always 
unbelievable cels floating around among members of 
certain "inner circles" that nobody else is privvy 
to.  In just a year and a half of collecting, I've 
probably been told six times, "I can't tell you 
that," when I've asked someone where they found a 
particularly nice cel.

I'm not going to complain about it, because it's a 
fact of life (not just cel collecting).  But I 
won't deny that it exists.   :-/

JP

PS---And I do not mean to imply that anyone is 
better or worse than anyone else based on who they 
know or what cels they own.  I think A LOT more 
highly of someone willing to freely share their 
meager knowledge or cel collection as opposed to 
well-connected hoarders.