It has been said of me throughout my adult life – perhaps also true of years unfolding soon after infancy – that my antenna has been on “24/7” alert for good deals. Many deals, though, have soured due to timing issues. I mean, how was I supposed to know as a lad that the once-raging demand for Davy Crockett’s coonskin caps would flag so unexpectedly? After all, they were disappearing from store racks at 98 cents a pop for a long time. On a visit to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in the mid-1950s, I stared in disbelief at the clearance price on ...