The question of collection size has come up in a recent thread . . .  most responses seem to have led down the road of humorous animosity or (ahem) references to certain aspects of the physical body.

We won't worry about who has what, but how many of you have those true rares in your collection?  You know, the irreplacable, vintage books that you bought yourself from Kay-B-Toys or the local gameshop/Con. ?  Anyone have all their vintage stuff (or at least the majority)?

I, myself, have all my original 1st edition Hardcover books.  Some are fairly beat up (but not nearly as mangled as some of the stuff I have purchased in lots over the years. . . sheesh, doesn't anyone take good care of their books?).

But all my accessories & modules are gone.  So are my Dungeon Mags and all my other gaming items:  Warhammer, Star Frontiers, Marvel Super Heroes & others as well as all my wargames:  Avalon Hill, MB Gamemaster Series, Supremacy, etc.

At least they went to a good cause -- back when I discovered eBay and started buying comics, I quickly found I didn't have enough cash to meet my collecting desires.  So, I dug up my RPG items to fund more purchases.  Once this was gone, I noticed my local comic shop had a very large amount of RPG items tucked away in the back corner.  

I figured I could make a little reselling cash if I only knew what was worth something.  This, in turn, led me to the Acaeum and these forums.  Reselling led to more comics, but when the need for money outweighed my collecting desires, reselling became a sort of "hobby" in itself.

Yet. . . I just couldn't part with my hardcovers. . .  no way the small amount of cash they afforded me would be worth loosing them for all time.  As for the rest. . . well, they are gone now, but I know that some of them have found a home with others on this forum.  I think Nev purchased my H4 Throne of Bloodstone way back a few years ago (hard to remember for sure) and in my latest "freebie" give away I sent grodog my very first B2.

So, any tales of lost & gone "first time" books?  Any collections that have withstood all attempts to sell them?

Yeah I found the site by the same venue. I seen all my stuff in the closet then said oh why not. Posted here and did some research. The people here offered me WONDERFUL advice.

I sold alot of my stuff but retained My original Players Handbook, DMG, and Monster Manual I also kept a Fiend Folio I got from a friend. I just could not part with it.

The majority of the rest was sold off.

I found it fun so I started to resell. Then I had some issues to deal with, and after a year almost a year and half now I have the time to get back into it. I am currently doing a database of all the AD&D, D&D items old and new. I have it about half done now in three days. ( Listings only) then I will use my Andale and pull up average prices for the items I can find.  Add them to the items, and have it all databased.

Anyone here interested for it when it is complete I will send a copy too. It may or may not be totaly complete. But I am doing my best. The database is in Works Format. When its done  will post and send it to anyone who requests it.

We still have 99% of our items we bought back in the day. All of the hardbacks and about 75% of the 1st edition modules. For some reason the only non-TSR items that I remember being sold arround south Indianapolis were from Mayfair(never cared for their stuff). The only rares that we bought originally were the WSG w/Wild Things and DSG w/Dark and Hidden Ways, which we sold a while back.

deimos3428 wrote:I hope you got good money for them, I had both and sold them for far too little.  I had no idea they were valuable until started hanging around here.

I think they went for about $85 each. We only sold them because we had picked up shrinked copies. We sold those for $125 each about 3 months ago.

I've got everything I bought back in 1974 to about 1982 when I was actively playing.  Anybody else have 4 issues of Strategic Review with their own name on the mailing label?  I've even got a complete Xerox copy of the fourth printing of the original three books that Kerry Lloyd of Thieves' Guild fame made me for $3.  I'm sorry I didn't keep the programs and badges from Origins I thru III though.  

I just wish I had bought more stuff back then.  Definitely brings back memories though.

Don't really have any rares in my collection, but the collection just keeps growing, as I can never bring myself to part with anything that has given me so much pleasure over the years.

Fortunately, I have a very understanding wife who, while not happy with my collecting habits, understands them none the less.

I will have to start selling off by duplicate, lesser-grade copies of stuff already in the collection. Nothing super, just some Dragon Mags from issue #50 & up, and some 3E stuff.

(I know, most of the people on here are at best, tolereable of 3E, but I believe it has generated a renewed interest in our game, and now it's up to us to convert them to the "right" way to play the game.)

Similar story to others.  I still have my original books, I did not purchase any of the modules when they came out, we made up our own worlds.  I did purchase a lot in Rota Spain in 1983, they had a rummage sale in the PX parking lot where I got a box of stuff for $10.  After carrying it around for years I listed it in an auction on AOL May 1995.  David Papay purchased my first print A series modules, I followed the link to his site and was hooked.  I too went the resell route for several years until Ebay put me out of business.  My sources dried up when Ebay became popular.

Damned skippy.  I have all my stuff from 78 and on, now to find something to display it in or on.  They would have to tear the the revised '79 edition of the DM's guide from my cold dead hands before I even thought about selling it.

I was a collector - player from my earlist days (about 1979-80)  I bought some stuff to use and some to collect.  I hit it right on the spot when I bought a copy of the OD&D rules and never used it (still mint today!).  I also hit it wrong when I figured the Feind Folio would be worth millions

I know ther are more people like me out there, that is why many items can still be found in shrink wrap today!!