Many years ago, when I was fairly new to collecting, a friend told me about the difference between collector's items and decorator's items. Apparently, something can be very cool, yet not hugely valuable, and something else can be less cool, but much more valuable. (Of course, there are also things that are super cool and very valuable, and vice versa). This applies to the Buses themselves, as well as some of the parts and accessories that we hang on to.
In an entirely logical world, the coolest cars and the coolest items would be the most valuable. People have recognized that Buses are darn cool, also useful, fun, etc. So they are currently the most valuable vintage models of mass-produced Volkswagens. It hasn't always been this way. In fact, it…