Early TSR/D&D advertisements & catalogs

Posts: 9 · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:04 pm

I just happened to find 8 copies of this ad from 1982 in my collection. I believe they came out of a Boys Life or National Geographic Explorer magazine. I just remember thinking the ad was cool, so I had friends rip them out of the magazine and give them to me....I was going to use them to put on book covers. Anyway, I am willing to sell them.

Posts: 603 · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:47 pm

bytingkat wrote:

I just happened to find 8 copies of this ad from 1982 in my collection. I believe they came out of a Boys Life or National Geographic Explorer magazine. I just remember thinking the ad was cool, so I had friends rip them out of the magazine and give them to me....I was going to use them to put on book covers. Anyway, I am willing to sell them.

Make them into a tablecloth and degassy will buy them! Laughing

I shouldn't make fun like that. I wish you the best. It is a cool picture. Cool

Posts: 15 · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:30 am

Maybe i should buy them anyway.....!!!
now, if you hassle my tablecloths, i might not be able to invite you to dinner! Smile

Posts: 2938 · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:54 am

zhowar wrote:

Last October I transcribed the text of the Dungeon Key and Example of Play (partial) using the scan of page 4 posted on Tome of Treasures. I posted this in the Classic Forum on Dragonsfoot:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25633

grodog, if you can supply the first part of the Example of Play, I'll add it to what I posted over there.

Better than that, I scanned the entire article. If anyone has a copy of the UK version, it would be interesting to compare the two, to see if any differences exist (beyond the simple dialectic ones). edit: I'll have to repost it, looks like the filename's not working right Sad

Note: the .pdf is 1.7 MB and is formatted in A3 page format, since that was the size required by the scanner to fit the pages into a single sheet (and I wasn't sure that the print would reproduce well if I shrank the pages either).

Next scanning project: The Panjiiatic Omnibus samples.

Posts: 943 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:59 am

*bump* for james mishler

Posts: 2938 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:21 am

grodog wrote:

Better than that, I scanned the entire article. If anyone has a copy of the UK version, it would be interesting to compare the two, to see if any differences exist (beyond the simple dialectic ones). edit: I'll have to repost it, looks like the filename's not working right Sad

I should have time to repost this again soon, sorry for the delay: things have been a bit hectic lately Wink

Posts: 32 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:25 pm

Halaster Blackcloak wrote:

I've been considering starting a website to highlight all the TSR ads since I have so many that appeared in the comic books and catalogs at the time, plus I have a bunch of the TSR Dealer catalogs (mainly from the 90's) and the RalPartha/RAFM/Grenadier catalogs. I'd love to see more of this stuff!

Since Halaster Blackcloak has not been on in over a year. I would love to put up a site dedicated to the original advertisements. You all seem to have plenty of scans and info I only have a few of the old catalogs from the early 80's but I do have the server and bandwith.

I don't believe I have ever come across a site that has all the ads just a spot on one here and there. Does a site exist that has a dedicated ad section?

would anyone care to contribute to such a project with scans and such.
.

Posts: 32 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:56 pm

Here's a catalog I have from 89

Look at the prices for the RPGA stuff

Posts: 1291 · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:19 am

Malakai wrote:

Here's a catalog I have from 89

Look at the prices for the RPGA stuff

Hindsight is a wonderful thing !!! (Now where did I put that time machine?)

Posts: 64 · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:37 pm

Hey, I have that catalog too, Malakai. Smile

Wow... I wish I scooped up those RPGA books back then. Considering how much of a completist I was, even then, I wonder why I passed on them.

~Kat ^_^

Posts: 943 · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:39 am

This auction, which ended last night, has a version of the 'Retail Order Blank' I haven't seen before. The auction stated it has a date of June 1982, and it came with the 1982 'Morley the Wizard' version of the Gateway to Adventure catalog. Also an interesting 'Mayfair games Role Aids info sheet' and a standard-looking RPGA membership form.

All of the previous 'Retail Order Blanks' that I've seen are dated March 1981, and simply say 'Retail Order Blank' at the top without the additional 'Dungeon Hobby Shop' title. There are three of these posted earlier in this thread, starting here:

http://www.acaeum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4298&start=65

It's hard to make out, but they may have changed the logo of "The Dungeon!" as well. The page count is also higher in the 1982 version (36 versus 24).

I threw in some bids near the end of the auction, but I didn't have a chance: two last second snipes were more than twice my highest bid. lofenloc won for $28.50 (+$4 ship).

Posts: 2338 · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:11 pm

This is actually the 3rd set that the seller has auctioned off. I picked up the first one for under $10:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360052887833

On a side note, I also picked up this other auction for a similar Dungeon Hobby Shop catalog with some extras:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180243087386

One thing to point out is that the colour catalog with the wizard is the TSR catalog and the other is the Dungeon Hobby Shop one so they may have been sent along together but they don't really go together. The RoleAids sheet is an extra sheet of games sold by The Dungeon Hobby shop so that's why it belongs.

I also finally got around to posting my TSR related catalogs on the Tome of Treasures so there is a good selection there now:

http://www.tomeoftreasures.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2085

Posts: 943 · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:20 pm

I haven't been searching ebay much lately, so I missed those previous auctions.

Great work on the catalogs at Tome of Treasures! That's the perfect site for organizing this material. Much better than this motley thread.

I see now that the Dungeon Hobby Shop logo on 1982 Retail Order Blank is the same picture as on the cover of 1984 Dungeon Hobby Shop catalog (Dragon coming through door with swords to each side - possibly Holloway art?). The March 1981 Retail Order Blank has the older logo which is the picture of the cave with eyes from the Blackmoor supplement. Also, the 1981 Retail Order Blank is in blue ink. (I don't see this one up at the Tome yet).

There was a switch over the years 1981-1985 from The Dungeon!/Dungeon Distributors to The Dungeon Hobby Shop to the Mail Order Hobby Shop.

Posts: 2338 · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:45 pm

zhowar wrote:

The March 1981 Retail Order Blank has the older logo which is the picture of the cave with eyes from the Blackmoor supplement. Also, the 1981 Retail Order Blank is in blue ink. (I don't see this one up at the Tome yet).

This is one of the catalogs I am still missing (no envelope either). Mail Order Hobby Shop 1987 is the other one I know I am missing. Also missing a bunch of UK and other foreign ones. If anyone has any spares send me a PM.

Posts: 2938 · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:09 pm

grodog wrote:

Better than that, I scanned the entire article. If anyone has a copy of the UK version, it would be interesting to compare the two, to see if any differences exist (beyond the simple dialectic ones). edit: I'll have to repost it, looks like the filename's not working right Sad

Fixed: http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/temp/games_puzzles_reprint.pdf

Posts: 943 · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:46 am

Thanks, grodog. I missed your post until just now.

thumleft

Posts: 943 · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:01 am

Here's a tiny catalog I've seen a few times, but I don't think I've posted it here:

from this auction, if anyone's interested (I'm not bidding):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250272480645

It's an odd TSR catalog because of the tiny size. I think I've seen it before with Mentzer Basic Sets. It looks like the catalog includes the D&D plastic toys (see 2nd picture above).

I don't think it's up on Tome of Treasures yet (but I may have missed it).