Good Investment?

Posts: 123 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:43 am

Mars wrote:

Maybe not as rare as the modules in shrink but we have definitely seen more oz g+d in total - I'll take these too.

In looking over the old thread again, it seems like the 4 copies came from the same source and again this part of the story gets somewhat suspect to me - a friend who was selling everything had them. "The book that you now own may have been part of the TSR library collection or may have not been."

Was it typical for TSR to have 4 such copies for their Library?

Wait the seller in question only sold two copies...from where did the other two come from?

Posts: 827 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:06 am

Mars wrote:

Maybe not as rare as the modules in shrink but we have definitely seen more oz g+d in total - I'll take these too.

ok perhaps just >4 for oz d3 total - 0 in shrink - but oz basic is rarer + cheap ;>

Mars wrote:

Was it typical for TSR to have 4 such copies for their Library?

probable >1 but not all tsr library copies numbered or marked in same way from those i have. no closer than late 80s sorry but was simple stamped library copy then. do not think heard jade hare covers stamped or marked for library interested to know Smile

Posts: 2130 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:36 pm

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

Wait the seller in question only sold two copies...from where did the other two come from?

So how did you aquire yours??

Posts: 123 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 2:42 pm

Blackmoor wrote:

So how did you aquire yours??

I won the first of two Ebay auctions back in November of '02.

See here:
http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about41.html

Posts: 2130 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:49 pm

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

I won the first of two Ebay auctions back in November of '02.

See here:
http://www.acaeum.com/forum/about41.html

Good pick up back then, if you sell it I am sure it will go much higher Smile

Posts: 597 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:45 pm

If I recall from my correspondence with John Rateliff at TSR (he was the TSR Librarian) many years ago, he told me that there were between five and ten made, from what he was able to gather by interviewing TSR members who were around at the time of printing. He said he had tried finding a copy in the TSR library, but there weren't any. He did have a copy of the cover, of which he sent me a scan. I remember asking John Nephew about it (the author), and it was a surprise to him that a cover was made. He'd never seen or heard of it.

I'm not quite certain of the sequence of events, but I'm pretty sure that the first I ever heard about a cover was when John told me and sent me the scan. It was sometime thereafter that they began popping up on eBay, and I bought mine for ~$720.

That copy, along with the rest of my collection, has since been sold -- but otherwise, yes it's still floating out there.

Foul

Posts: 2339 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:05 pm

Thanks for the info Foul. I'm happy to hear that there is some confirmation out there from TSR staff that they did produce it and it is not just a mock up some 3rd party did to make money.

I don't have much doubt that a copy today would hit the $2K. I do find it interesting though that it would sell for this much. Most of the other big price tickets were all produced in larger numbers because they were intended to be sold. This items appears to be basically an internal use item of which Frank (exTSR) has a number of similar things (and I will say more interesting ones?) which don't sell for nearly as much. So what is the big draw on this one - completists?

Posts: 827 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:28 pm

good to know never in library for reference thx

Mars wrote:

So what is the big draw on this one - completists?

most for listing here http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/rares.html yes Smile

Posts: 1007 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:56 pm

For me I think is the idea of having something in my collection that is not complete, because I have the insides I need to get the cover as well.. if you know what I mean.. I don't see myself droping $2k on it though.. alas..

Brette:)

Posts: 123 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:43 pm

Mars wrote:

So what is the big draw on this one - completists?

Good question....When I wore a younger man's clothes (sorry Mr Joel) there was an 18 month period where my want for anything SW was insatiable. The good, the bad, and the stupid (Dark Sun) was purchased at any cost (to the tune of nearly $4,600 as I look at my records). It was during this time that this item appeared. This and a copy of Tsojconth were the last items I purchased at the end of 02. I would buy one more item a month later and basically faded away from collecting. Completists...no. It was just timing. I did amass quite a bit of stuff. Some I am proud of, like the geomorphs all in shrink and some I am not, like the 300 bucks I shelled out for the Kara Tur boxed set in like condition.

Sorry for the drivel, but I hope I answered the question. Confused

-Len

Posts: 827 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:56 pm

good answer thx Smile

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

like the 300 bucks I shelled out for the Kara Tur boxed set in like condition.

slight carried away??

Posts: 123 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:09 pm

Rakeesh sah Tarna wrote:

slight carried away??

Only slighly Very Happy

I just dug it out of its resting place {and removed the bubble wrap}. If I had my camera upstairs I would snap a quick pic and post it. It is in beautiful condition. But a snowball has a better chance in hell than I do I think getting that kind of money for it.

Let's call it buyers remorse. Crying or Very sad

-Len

Posts: 4543 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:15 pm

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

Only slighly Very Happy

I just dug it out of its resting place {and removed the bubble wrap}. If I had my camera upstairs I would snap a quick pic and post it. It is in beautiful condition. But a snowball has a better chance in hell than I do I think getting that kind of money for it.

Let's call it buyers remorse. Crying or Very sad

-Len

Well, just think, you could have instead bought 300 .99 cent cheesburgers at McDonalds with that money and you'd probably be quite a bit heftier. So the overspending on the Kara Tur makes you a lot healthier...just look at it that way! Plus you can still sell the KT box at some point....

Mike B.

Posts: 123 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:20 pm

Badmike wrote:

Well, just think, you could have instead bought 300 .99 cent cheesburgers at McDonalds with that money and you'd probably be quite a bit heftier. So the overspending on the Kara Tur makes you a lot healthier...just look at it that way! Plus you can still sell the KT box at some point....

LOL, thanks Mike. BTW, I think 1K of that money went into your coffers. I'll have to add it up. Maybe not...I'll just depress myself again.

-Len

Posts: 827 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:26 pm

Badmike wrote:

you could have instead bought 300 .99 cent cheesburgers at McDonalds

+3 cheeseburgers. dont forget the kittehz
@Len: yeah into three digits not easy. private to degassy or other high-end shrink collector will get some way but not that far i think

Posts: 4543 · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:45 pm

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

LOL, thanks Mike. BTW, I think 1K of that money went into your coffers. I'll have to add it up. Maybe not...I'll just depress myself again.

-Len

Crap. That may be why I gained so much weight the last few years...your cash caused my weight gain! ARGH!!!

Mike B.[/b]

Posts: 1439 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:27 am

Mars wrote:

As it stands this seems to be the most rare of all D&D items (rarer than any tournament module, prepub, woodgrain set, etc) and in comparison it is not that old.

I seriously doubt that any but completists would bid for a Jade Hare over even a third print woodie. Same for any of the Pre-Pubs and tourney modules and many other rare D&D items as well. And as stated above, I would also jump all over a full set of Aussies (SW or not) over a Covered Jade Hare.... ANY TIME.

That useless cover does absolutely NOTHING for me as a collector and it most certainly adds NOTHING for playablity of Jade Hare, while the aussies do a lot for me as a collector and they can be played. The same goes for ALL of the other so called common rares you listed above.

BTW I have a coverless Jade Hare and I would not bid on a covered one if I had any chance at any of the other exceedingly rare OD&D items.

As stated above, there have been 3-4 of them sold publicly since 2002.

How many First Edition Chainmails have you seen during that same time period?

I saw one first edition Chainmail during the past 5-7 years and I bought it in 2002 (or perhaps 2003).
There MIGHT have been others I did not notice, but I doubt it.
I have seen VERY few second Edition first print Chainmails and only ONE second second..........

There are MANY other exceedingly rare items that are of far more interest to common collectors such as myself.

As stated above, I will leave the covered Jade Hare to the completists with the deeper pockets.

Posts: 4716 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:29 am

The wraparound cover for Wild Things is useless, yet adds a shitload to the value.
I think it's along the lines of having a brownie without the ref sheets. It's still a brownie, but...................

Posts: 123 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:44 am

Aneoth wrote:

I seriously doubt that any but completists would bid for a Jade Hare over even a third print woodie. Same for any of the Pre-Pubs and tourney modules and many other rare D&D items as well. And as stated above, I would also jump all over a full set of Aussies (SW or not) over a Covered Jade Hare.... ANY TIME.

That useless cover does absolutely NOTHING for me as a collector and it most certainly adds NOTHING for playablity of Jade Hare, while the aussies do a lot for me as a collector and they can be played. The same goes for ALL of the other so called common rares you listed above.

To keep this from distilling into a flame war, I'll just agree that we disagree on these points.

What it really comes down to is personal choice {like everything in the collecting world...One man's trash is another's treasure}.

I am trying not to speak for anyone else here, but I would imagine that you are probably in the minority with your views.

-Len

Posts: 2130 · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:09 pm

Sir Kill Alot wrote:

To keep this from distilling into a flame war, I'll just agree that we disagree on these points.

What it really comes down to is personal choice {like everything in the collecting world...One man's trash is another's treasure}.

I am trying not to speak for anyone else here, but I would imagine that you are probably in the minority with your views.

-Len

Being a somewhat serious collector Smile

I would love to own a Jade Hare with the cover and I would treasure it immensely. I would also like to own shrink aussie mods, 1st Chainmail etc.