Winchester primarily sells to the upmarket sector these days: rather than "everyman" rifles, they sell to nostalgic or well-off collectors and hunters who want to have high-quality polished walnut stocks, beautiful blueing of the metal, and even engravings on some models.
Somewhat like how muscle cars from the 60s have in some cases appreciated due to baby boomers.
Winchester still makes that 1882 .44-40 rifle, albeit indeed as a nostalgic collector's item. If they made it for the "everyman" market - not unreasonable as many similar guns are - the price would drop to about $600 (between scale of production and elimination of premium finishing).
Somewhat like how muscle cars from the 60s have in some cases appreciated due to baby boomers.
For contrast, Marlin sells a rifle functionally similar to the one discovered, also of vintage design (1894), for $729: http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=1894