Did you ever actually calculate the money you get per item from those? They're definitely worth it from what I can see as they can sometimes jack an items value up 2-3 times.
Look at the current weekly, $65 for 3 items, the pocket watch sells for $8, the Ace of wands for $12 and the scotch whiskey I can't recall as I don't have a bottle currently (guessing it's around 10 bucks). Even if you're dividing the money equally each item gets over a 2x boost in value. I dunno, if I'm wrong feel free to school me, just seemed like to me they're the most valuable collections but I could definitely be wrong.
Nerfed the coat? What are you referring to exactly?