From a John Ross piece at American Thinker:
People first need to understand the way collectors think and operate. For collectors of almost anything, almost none just buy the things they collect and amass an ever larger pile until one day they decide it's time to do estate planning, and then they sell off their collection and use the money to set up trusts for their kids and grandchildren. Instead, most collectors buy pieces they can afford and, as they save more money, will find other pieces that are even more desirable. They often partially fund a new purchase with the sale of less valuable items in their collection. This is true of books, toys, coins, stamps, motorcycles, cars, artwork, etc. The difference is that you can't be charged with a felony for selling any of the above things to another collector without a federal license, but that can and does happen if you do it with guns.