His optimism is probably based on recent eBay sales for the Wilton "baby" vise.
The following is more like his vise and recently sold for $660.
The Wilton "baby" vise is a pure cult-vise, with logic having no play, whatsoever with the prices being paid. They are not rare at all, as "ten's of thousands" were produced for the WWII effort, according to the 1950 Wilton catalog ad below. These vises are available everyday and have been for the last -20- years on eBay.
I've got a handful of these vises that I paid between ($85-$150), but those days are over for the most part. A quick google search by a novice will give them a quick education about the unnatural demand and absurd prices given for this vise.
Educating the general public will do nothing to correct this pattern, in my opinion. I am truly baffled and have given up trying to understand the emotion behind this ongoing trend. This is the ultimate vise bubble, with no end in sight.
