Sensible prices were still the norm in the '90s as well.
The price bubble has really only occurred in the last 10 years.
I bought my first pin whilst a uni student in April '99. A sited 100% working IJ with faded cab and no playfield wear for $900.
Used B list titles like Judge Dredd/WCS used to sit in the $500-$800 range unsold for weeks at a time in the hardcopy paper trading post (places like ebay had yet to gain momentum).
