I don't see it as snobbery, just a case of wanting to collect the original.......same as collectors of any rare objects.
As for being able to afford rare soul 45s, try to look outside the box of collecting the big obvious tunes that fetch big money....go out to the venues, scour the record bars, try to listen to plenty of tunes you don't know in sales boxes, ask sellers if they have any stuff they would recommend in the genre and budget you are after.....it's relatively easy to do if you are willing to put the time and effort into it.
There are plenty of £20 - £50 records worth collecting, plenty of them could potentially go big and rocket in value.
Try and build your own individual collection rather than chasing big tunes you can't afford.....and don't make the mistake of ploughing yourself in debt on credit cards, you'll only end up selling off records to pay off mounting debts...all imo of course.