I don't know where exactly the question is worth asking, but maybe not in this thread, and more likely in a thread of the same relevance or indeed creating a new thread.
It's not worth necrobumping a thread to ask it, especially when OP likely could have searched and found the answer (though I have my doubts about bitcointalk's search functionality).
In other words, fuck those nonsense theories of acting as if those 50 bitcoin that might have been spent prior to 2013 could not have been replaced for a few hundred dollars (if that much).. back when the VIP amount was established.
Bah, who cares about squabbling over something as inconsequential as this? And I mean that. Buying your way into the bitcointalk VIP club is so far in the rear view mirror that it looks like a speck of dirt or a dead bug. The reality is that while one could purchase a VIP tag, nobody has done so in a long time and it's basically a dead feature of the forum. That's not to take anything away from those who donated in the early days (or whenever) and became VIPs, but at this point it's just a novelty that crops up in threads from time to time.
OP, if you've got a question like this, either search for the answer or start up your own thread. Bumping old threads is against the rules.