Using your hypothetical $100 catalog figure, there will always be some collectors offering their chips they want to dump at 50% of catalog. The same $100 chip could be reduced to $50 in next years catalog and the same folks will offer to sell theirs for $25. Having said that, when one is looking for a specific chip for their collection, one may be forced to pay closer to catalog value.

One of the most challenging tasks for catalog producers is not compiling the listings . . . . but to publish meaningful estmated catalog values.