was it really nesicary for jagex to make party hats as scarce as they are today?

Yes....

It was a holiday item, each holiday item is different, they don't repeat. If you weren't there back then to get one, or don't have money to buy one, then oh well, deal with it, seriously.

Its just a holiday item. People dont sell em cause they are rare, making them "scarce".
the players made the prices basically.

Its a useless item, it only has value to people who obsess over useless things that some people have and no one else has. Its the whole 'OMG Im better than you because I have this insanely expencive piece of '

Tbh, I think Jagex should just leave them as they are. Gives people something to aim for if they are that way inclined. Me? I just dont care about them.

They probably never anticipated for Runescape to become as large as it is

I talked to a J Mod in game, after flaming him for a bit I got a reply.
He said it was to make the game "farier" (his words, not mine). But really all it did was make the game easier for noobs to get everything they need...
Little off topic that is..

But Phats didn't go anywhere, most stakers are selling their rares. But now is the time to buy as rares will be more distributed throughout the game rather than one player holding 100 or so, he will sell them.
~Jeremy~

I don't think it had any thing to do with faieness, Jermey. Jagex allways said that "holiday drops are just for fun and you should give them to your friends if they didn't get one" in the way past back when they were only released each occation.
Moreover, thy were quite common back when they were released by since some 5 years passed since then, many people who had party hats stopped playing and there are possibly thousands of party hats on inactive accounts. Plus, a lot of the rares proside with some of the more known members of runescape who got banned only a few months back.
So, to sum it up, Jagex didn't make them rare - but rather circulating in a greatly active economy for about 5 years did wonders on the little amount of partyhats to startwith. It would happen with any item that doesn't have replenishment. (thus uncontinued are so popular, even if thy are as stupid as half a jug of wine :\)
BTW, here's somthign that is obvious yet wasn't pointed out i think: if they weren't rare, they wouldn't cost much, and it would have been as common as any other useless headware (berets, random even cloths, chompy hats and all of those), And thus - you wouldn't _specificly_ want them.

This could just be a major test by some organisation into the distribution of a non sustainable resource.

Probably isnt, but it is a good example of one.