THE ENDLESS, AND EXPENSIVE, QUEST FOR RARE OBJECTS

The New Yorker:

A few months ago, I was invited to speak at a small marketing conference in Chicago. To attract attendees, its organizer promised everyone a one-ounce pour—a sip, more or less—of a cult bourbon called Pappy Van Winkle. Pappy, as it is known to its fans, is so sought after that it’s nearly impossible to find, and, a few days before the conference, word came that the Pappy supplier had fallen through. Luckily, I happened to walk into a Greenwich Village liquor store where two bottles had just arrived. “They’ll be gone by tomorrow,” the clerk said, before naming his price: thirty-five hundred dollars for the pair. I left with both bottles in a brown paper bag (after, of course, determining that the conference organizers would reimburse me).

…

Most people, of course, would never even consider paying four thousand dollars for a bottle of bourbon, which might suggest that they’re impervious to the allure of rarity. This would be a mistake. Many individuals who are unwilling to spend money on rarity instead use their smartphones to invest inordinate amounts of time pursuing it. Earlier this year, the video-game company Niantic released Pokémon Go to mixed reviews. Gameblog, in France, called it “amazing,” but the Guardian decided it was “not good.” The Jimquisition summed up the game’s contradictions perfectly: “Despite being a pedestrian and uninspiring experience, it’s still conquered the hearts and minds of millions.” Despite its flaws, the game has attracted millions of players who spend days and weeks chasing rare Pokémon characters.

Read the whole story: The New Yorker