There can't be that many people willing to pay a grand for a TG16 game. Every TG16 high roller will, individally, make a difference in the prices these things go for. You proved this yourself by just telling us that the bid you just made (tried to) on MC was $200 higher than what it actually sold for.
If you get enough people in a group, it doesn't take many, who will pay basically anything for something, the price will skyrocket. Your presence in this scene has a significant effect on these prices. If you and your nut ball friends would just knock it the hell off things would calm down. You've got your whole life to get those last three games. Shit, I've collecting this stuff for 18 years, and I'm still uncovering gems in the NEC library. You're burning you candle (and your cigar made out of $20 bills) at both ends.
BTW, knowing you would spend a grand on a TG16 game undermines, totally, all the things you just said up there about how good you are with your money. Anyone who would spend a grand on a game like this or, more importantly, anyone who is so short sighted as to think that these price levels could possibly sustain themselves, has a very poor grasp of economics...or even logic.