Dan (Benz Dr.),
I have a hypothetical questions for you.
If you were buying a Pagoda, and there were two identical Pagodas for sale (that's the hypothetical part of course
) except one was "matching numbers" and one was not.
Would you pay one Canadian cent more for the one with matching numbers? (If you say no, you are unique and there are few people that would join you on that decision.)
If you would pay one cent more, then now it is only a matter of degree how much more someone will pay for matching numbers.
The buyers determine if there is more value in matching numbers.
So, whether you agree or disagree, or believe or don't believe it, people are choosing matching numbers over non-matching numbers, or paying more for it every day.
Every individual buyer is deciding whether matching numbers is important to them and they decide how much more to pay for it if they want it. Also, they use it in decision making between alternative Pagodas.
It's not hype, or slick marketing ... it just is a fact of collector car exchanges.
It certainly played a role in my Pagoda purchases in 2009 and 2016. I read the comments on this forum about "matching numbers" not meaning anything for Pagodas and those comments made no sense to me. I would have offered less if my Anthracite car was not numbers matching and I really would not have considered buying my Blue (Grey-Blue) one at all if it didn't have matching numbers. That is me. I was the buyer. I decided what value it had to me just as any other factor, white vs black steering wheel, disk brakes vs drum, Anthracite vs Ivory, matching number vs non matching ..... the list goes on.
Take care,
Mark