Why do people pay absorbent amounts on rare stamps for their collection that they will never use? Why do people pay $1.00 for a newly minted $0.25 coin?
Interesting questions, but the bottom line is each and every person functions with their very own and personal value system. To you, that U2 porcupine is probably only worth the value of a regular U2....but to another person, they see a lot more than that. Some people place value on exclusivity. Some people don't care for that and only want to use a flashlight for its intended use.....which is...well....to be used!
It all comes down to this: never try to understand the mind of a collector or an enthusiast.... It's like trying to understand the mind of people with A-type personalities (base jumpers, bungie jumpers, extreme sports...etc.). Their actions just don't make sense and defies logic.
WP