Quote from: Motorskills;1006826I don't think these prices are that crazy. Figure how many players in the 1970s and 1980s are now billionaires (or at least mega-wealthy) in the video game or financial industries.

People spend vastly huger sums on antique cars, firearms, baseball cards, paintings, not to mention...er...antiques themselves.


But the love (childhood callback) of these RPG things transcends a lot of simply "ooh, shiny" that might be the case in other collectables.

Never mind collectibles, if you go by the Acaeum prices, people spend more than that for a snowmobile that they will run into the ground in a couple of years, or for a jet ski, or for a particularly nice mountain bike.

Quote from: Zirunel;1006890Oh okay gotcha. Well, if you just want the content for your own use, I think there are cheaper ways. Pdf is only a few bucks, and physical white box is pretty reasonable, for a couple hundred you can just buy one and keep it. Still not much more expensive than buying the core books plus supplements for a modern rpg. Probably cheaper really.

Well yes and no what you need to remember is the wood grain set had different content then white box content that can't be legally reprinted with out some massive negotiation(with the Tolkien estate)  that wotc will never do and makes it A very different discussion.
Much like how some groups of video gamers are starting to condone piracy for extremely expensive games.

Quote from: kosmos1214;1006888I'm not referring to forgery I am talking about being that guy who says 4K for an rpg is to much so they buy A copy to own long enough to make A copy for there own use and then selling to to get there money back out.

Depends on whether there are PDFs available or not.

A bigger issue are the one of kind stuff of historical interest that a collector won't let anybody see.

If I may make an observation from my personal experience in dealing with 'professional collectors', the goods wind up in a box on a shelf (one collector told me that she kept everything in Sterilte boxes on stainless steel shelves - this was the person who told me that my shelves were 'inappropriate") and sit there while they "appreciate in value" so that they can be resold in some distant future. I was told that actually using any of my collections in game play was a crime, and that I was being irresponsible and not able to appreciate the potential value of them to the serious collector. Another type is collection to have the most stuff - dealt with a couple of those - and they get into Facebook fights over who's got the most toys in the pile.

Me, I play with the stuff; that's why we did it, back in the day. I feel that embalming it and squirreling it away 'for later' doesn't do the hobby much good. But, what do I know, eh?

Before I begin I would like to say I was rather tired when making my last several posts and didn't realize until after I got off for the night that they could be miss construe so with that in mind.
I am not in any way trying to endorse or condone piracy. I am simply wondering if some people may be doing such.

Quote from: estar;1006997Depends on whether there are PDFs available or not.

A bigger issue are the one of kind stuff of historical interest that a collector won't let anybody see.

I very much agree with you regarding the habit of collectors to not let there historically valuable collections see the light of day it's actually A big problem.
And yes the 6th printing  is available in pdf (and should be legaly purchased) I was unclear because i was tired I was referring to the earlier printings particularly the "wood box" printing and other printings that would still contain the Tolkien references.

From https://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/original.html

QuoteSixth (1977)

    White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (like Fourth and Fifth), but now has a starburst stating "Original Collector's Edition" (this was done to differentiate it from the D&D Basic Set, which had just been released), and the price has been removed

    Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield

    Outside covers of all three booklets have no price

    Inside covers of all three booklets are now the same color (parchment) as the exteriors, and do not state any printing number (though they still have the "copyright 1974" line)

    References to Hobbits and Ents have been changed to Halflings and Treants (see page 9 of Men & Magic), due to copyright conflicts with the Tolkien estate (with the exception of a single leftover reference on pg 6 to Hobbits!).  Furthermore, many other infringements on Tolkien's literary license were excised or changed; notably, references to Balrogs, Nazgul, and even several mentions of Tolkien himself

    Men & Magic catalog in the back has prices

    Internal typeface is in an easy-to-read font

    This print originally came shrinkwrapped

    Often referred to as the "OCE" set

    Thanks to Matthew Foster and Neville Ridley-Smith for help with this info

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1007013If I may make an observation from my personal experience in dealing with 'professional collectors', the goods wind up in a box on a shelf (one collector told me that she kept everything in Sterilte boxes on stainless steel shelves - this was the person who told me that my shelves were 'inappropriate[) and sit there while they "appreciate in value" so that they can be resold in some distant future. I was told that actually using any of my collections in game play was a crime, and that I was being irresponsible and not able to appreciate the potential value of them to the serious collector. Another type is collection to have the most stuff - dealt with a couple of those - and they get into Facebook fights over who's got the most toys in the pile.

Me, I play with the stuff; that's why we did it, back in the day. I feel that embalming it and squirreling it away 'for later' doesn't do the hobby much good. But, what do I know, eh?

I believe you I have bumped in to A few of those types though I find in gaming they are greatly outnumbered by the playing collectors like you and myself. Video game collectors tend to especially be like us I think mostly because the gameplay has so much to do with setting the games value.

Quote from: kosmos1214;1007085I believe you I have bumped in to A few of those types though I find in gaming they are greatly outnumbered by the playing collectors like you and myself. Video game collectors tend to especially be like us I think mostly because the gameplay has so much to do with setting the games value.

I would really like to think and hope so!!! The people who have been arriving on my doorstep all seem to have dollar signs in their eyes when the see the basement.

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1007138I would really like to think and hope so!!! The people who have been arriving on my doorstep all seem to have dollar signs in their eyes when the see the basement.

Yeah I understand your pain my video game collection is starting to get that out of people. The worse part is in my case all of it was bought back when they weren't worth any thing and now they are starting to be quite valuable.
I mean to an extent I understand the reaction because it's some what normal. I suppose it's my fault to some extent for having expensive tastes.

Quote from: GameDaddy;1006788ut that's GaryCon.

The Market is not aging out of existence,... There is a completely new younger market, and it's much larger than the original market was.

You don't have to tell me. I was a guest of honor at a local gaming Con here yesterday. Out of well over 100 people I was one of three with grey hairs.

Quote from: chirine ba kal;1007138I would really like to think and hope so!!! The people who have been arriving on my doorstep all seem to have dollar signs in their eyes when the see the basement.

Not really, at least in terms of the people who are paying huge amounts of money.  Nobody who actually wants to play the game will spend thousands of dollars on a brown-box D&D set when they can get the PDFs for $15.

Gameplay has fuckall to do with setting the value of a "collector item," it's all about rarity.

Resurrecting this thread to show a set that went for $13,080. Wow!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Dungeons-and-Dragons-D-D-Wood-grain-Set-1st-Print-1974/232619938915?hash=item36293a9463:g:z3AAAOSwR2RaNZ4i

So, with provenience I could probably get $20,000 at least for mine.  Wow.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1019664So, with provenience I could probably get $20,000 at least for mine.  Wow.

I think you said you would never sell, but if you (or your NOK) decides to, I would recommend doing some marketing first, increase the chances of hitting that 20K.

Spend a couple of months spreading the word on fora etc.

Include with the item a personalized essay or somesuch, describing your personal history with that very set. That will increase the value / attractiveness.

No, I'm not going to sell.

But Paul Stormberg knows the history of this set as do several other people, and I will indeed advise my survivors to do just that.  It's even autographed and personalized by Dave Arneson.  Sadly, I never got Gary to sign it.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1019810No, I'm not going to sell.

But Paul Stormberg knows the history of this set as do several other people, and I will indeed advise my survivors to do just that.  It's even autographed and personalized by Dave Arneson.  Sadly, I never got Gary to sign it.

Nice Premium-Free life insurance policy.

When and if the girls unload my boxed sets of EPT, should they enclose a pack of Swisher Sweets in each one for that Authentic Tekumel Flavor / Stench?