I can understand where everyone is coming from in this thread...
That said, it's also the reason I get fantastic tubes at such reasonable pricing. As you can see here, people look down their noses at used tubes.
Apart from some of the upper echelon products introduced in the past 5 or so years, older tubes simply perform better than newer variants. By that I mean, both sonically, and when it comes to longevity. In fact, some old tubes seem to defy logic when it comes to how long they'll last.
Claiming NOS, whether true or not, whether known or not, spikes the price folks are willing to pay. The converse also proves true. Obviously the same holds for newer production tubes, as well.
No sleight to anyone who drinks off the top shelf. As for me, I'll buy the same sonics at a huge discount. Use it to your advantage.