It's not just the art market, though. The numbers are absurd in the fine art market, since it's a place where rich people go to compete with each other in games the rest of us don't get to play.

But eBay is full of sci-fi memorabilia with certificates of authenticity. A uniform actually worn by Patrick Stewart on screen sells for more than one that was made for him but not worn, which sells for more than a copy made with the same materials. You might actually be able to wear the latter, but the first two would just be set out for display, like the Mona Lisa.

That's a game we can all play, and while I'm not really much into it, I am proud of my author-signed Klingon Dictionary for no good reason -- especially since I never even look at it. It's weird watching hundreds of millions of dollars exchange hands for trinkets, but when you're talking about multi-billionaires, it doesn't really surprise me that they would similarly want to own truly one-of-a-kind things with a poorly-defined "authenticity".