Were the 18th and 19th century coins collectors pay thousands of times over face value intended for collecting? If I pull a new cent from circulation every year and put it into a Dansco, is it nothing more than a shiny change hoard? If you collect eagles like any other coin it's collecting, if you stash some away hoping for future profit it's investing in bullion coins.
Bullion in the shape of a coin. It's odd to me that the one ASE I have wouldn't be considered collectible because it doesn't have a mint mark. I don't care. The obverse is beautiful.
If the market says that it is collectible by the People paying more for it, so be it. It is now a collectible coin.