So here's the thing... I'm Rank 10 and the Arms Appropriation asks for 4-5* gear. I don't have a lot of 4-5* gear that I would readily give up. But I DO have quite a few 2-3* items that are bound to me that I'll never upgrade, and also am in no rush to vendor for a measly 750-3500 CR.
Wouldn't it be nice if Rank 10 could still occasionally turn in their useless low star gear? It would give us some bits of prestige while cleaning up our inventory and OOO's database :D And many people without would even craft those items just to turn in. Win-win all around!
The scaling effect of prestige missions is sometimes very annoying.