They also have been known to use this sort of thing to drive prices of collectibles higher as well.
About 30 years ago, when beer can collecting was briefly hot, some guy ran ads in newspapers around the country offering to pay $100 or more for Billy Beer cans. Then he put his cans up for sale at $10 each.
Billy Beer cans were and still are about worthless.
Bart Simpson: "
We elected the wrong Carter."