Glen,
If that last sentence was your point, then maybe that was all you really needed to say???
In any event, I've not yet seen anyone using the current price guides as a rational for expecting a purchase to raise in value.
But my collecting focus is probably much narrower than most, since I mainly go after obsolete Lake Tahoe casino chips.
If some do, no big deal for me. It's as legitimate a speculation as anything else in life (IMO).
"Buyer beware" coupled with "do your homework" has always served me well.