There’s no contradiction here.

With high value art you definitionally buy a story not the content. Without a certificate of authenticity or a story that goes with it there is no story and no value to it.

With K Dick’s example the two lighters would become of different but equivalent value, perhaps the new value is in the story of how two identical copies and yet different came to be.

You could 3d scan the statue of David and reproduce it down to its tiniest detail. And yet the copy is only worth as much as the cost to make it or even less, while the original is invaluable.

You can see the Mona Lisa on your phone any time you want and yet millions will take the trip to the Louvre to see what is most likely not even the original.

The story and the history of an object is what you purchase when buying art or antiques of high value.

Maybe related to massive mail voting - just speculation haven’t seen breakdowns.

Forget about the nominally right wing media, look at how the NY Times have covered every threat to democracy, ever. From Hitler to the business plot to Trump.