they should be ok for a while in tubes but open a few and give them a gentle squeeze, they should have a bit of give in them and smell fresh not stale.
as for pricing, have a look at the price in spain, nobody i their right mind pays uk prices unless they are loaded, most just stock up when visiting the E.U.
older cigars with a bit of age are worth more but i don’t think they date code tubes? i have some monte christo no2 from 2000 that are aging nicely in my humidor, shame i don’t smoke any more !?