Tarnishing collectibles
> Investors in 1979 paid about $7,500 for a set of three 1930 U.S. Zeppelin stamps at auctiona big increase over the 1961 price of $175. But this year at a California auction, the stamps' sale price fell 27%, to $5,500.
> A top-quality, one-carat round diamond had increased in price in less than a decade by nearly 940%, to $62,000.
But today the rock goes for a mere $44,000.
> Orient Handel, a store in San Francisco, accumulated a stock of Persian rugs worth $1.2 million to meet strong customer demand. But many of the rugs remain unsold. Says Manager Albert...