I’m sorry but I completely disagree with your statement.
ALL hobbies have elitists, that’s just human nature but they constitute a very small percentage of collectors.
Our hobby is genuinely welcoming and friendly and nine times out of ten people will go out of their way to help others, especially newcomers.
This forum is a shining example of that spirit - just look at the recent valuations thread.
I would also like to add that elitism in itself is no bad thing and one of the reasons why we have such in depth guides to nearly every facet of collecting, a broad rejection of repro and other hobby damaging activities like U grading to name a few.