I read recently that 'collections' has been one of highest performing investments over the past fifteen years. In particular stamps, coins, wines, antiquarian books etc. It is easy to see how these well known collectibles hold their value, but what about RPGs? How do you see the future of collecting RPGs? I was wondering if my children would be interested in collecting these in the future or whether it is a generational thing and will pass eventually as a fad. So a simple three choice poll - I am curious as to your views.

1. Is it a generational thing. Most of us are collectors as we played when we were younger and now that we have the means we are revisiting a highly enjoyable part of our past. It will probably decline with the next generation.

2. It is a solid collectible that can only go up in value. Future generations will also collect.

3. Unsure / mixed feelings.

Please expound on your views.

GraysonAC wrote:Generational. The guys starting with 3rd Edition these days aren't going to have the same kind of emotional attatchment to the old stuff. And collecting is all about that emotional attatchment.

I'm one of the younger guys here (25), and I never played 1st Edition. I started with 2nd Edition, so a lot of the old stuff doesn't really resonate with me.

That is becuase you are only 25

While the hobby will not likely have a huge expansion I think RPGs, particularly Dungeons & Dragons will remain collectible for the foreseeable future. Too many items connected with popular culture such as novels, movies and computer games have a piece of D&D in their roots. I find myself collecting old wargames which were never a part of my early gaming experience but their strong connection to the history of RPGs creates an interest.

The Acaeum will be a great place to exam this question as we will be able to get an idea as time passes if new generations are embracing the hobby.

Cheers,
Curt

I see a mix of both answers.  I believe that RPG's will go down in value and then go back up.  They are instant artifacts of an era...like pulp magazines, roller disco movies and art deco buildings.

I think I have mentioned before that I plan for my grandaughter to bring my collection onto the future, cybernetic version of Antiques Roadshow, where the expert will explain about Bob Bledsaw and Judges Guild and how they relate to TSR.  "I was so excited when I saw you bring in this copy of Verbosh!"

I believe that OD&D will always be more collectible than AD&D and AD&D will always be more collectible than D20 (what I call 3.0 or 3.5).  Only experts in the field will be able to explain what D&D was, or why it was considered a separate game.  God knows I don't know.

That said, the D20 items will be collectible and will be valuable to a certain type of collector.  However, as has been discussed on this web site, the old AD&D modules gave us all a shared experience...a common language.  "Oh yeah!  I remember how my group dealt with that....monster/ trap/ villain/ innocent (but rich) villager!"

D20 products will lack some of the common experiences that AD&D products enjoy, but people will collect certain publishers (I collect Troll Lord Games), certain authors and certain styles.

One has only to glance at Heroic Worlds, and the huge number of gaming products listed there...in a book that was printed over a decade ago...to realize that there were a buttload of AD&D-related products as well.  

Mark  

I've expounded on this before, I tried to find my old long winded crap so I wouldn't have to say it again, but couldn't..oh well.
  I think this sort of collectible will always have a devoted core, but unfortunately this core will get older and older and collecting in this genre will decline.  There are lots of areas of collecting (notably stamps and coins) where the core has gotten older and older and new blood is hard to find. I'll never forget going to a coin collecting convention about 15 years ago....there was not a single person there except me younger than 30, and 90% of the people there were retirement age or older.  
  While it's nice to think future generations will be thrilled by the sight of a woodgrain box, orange B3 or Dwarven Glory, in reality as our society gets farther away from face to face P&P gaming and more interested in computer or video gaming interest will wane.  Most of the "Top Ten" of RPG items will continue to command high prices, but the more common items will  fall to the wayside.  You can already see a lot of this when you look at Ebay.  Prices on more common items have dropped way, way down in the last ten years, to the point where a collection of say "letter" series items could be assembled quite quickly, including some of the harder to find supermodules and even the R and RPGA series.  
    Like Mark says interest will probably wax and wane over the next few years.  It's just hard to see the base of the hobby going any lowerthan it is now; however 3rd edition should keep the base lower and healthier than a lot of other collectibles that fail to energize younger collectors.

Mike B.

Generational; no doubt.

There will always be certain "core" items that are exceptions, though (in our case, maybe woodies, etc.). However, most items — especially the more common ones — will not have that much appeal to the generations that grew up with 2e, 3e, 4e, 8e, or whatever.

I also think there's a lot of evidence that we collect what we grew up with. One quick example: I also collect comics, and I first "discovered" how much I liked them in about 1978. I'm pretty much fascinated by that era, I'm interested in stuff as far back as about 1973, and totally indifferent to anything before that. Intuitively, I know that Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #1, etc., are considered holy grails, but I would never spend any money on them. I just really don't care about that era.

To put it into D&D terms, I think it's likely that a lot of 2e and 3e kids will grow up to not really care that much about our beloved 1e era.

Xaxaxe wrote:Generational; no doubt.

I also think there's a lot of evidence that we collect what we grew up with.

This is my point exactly.  I believe that there will be a second wave of collector interest in RPG's, approximately 20 years in the future.

GraysonAC wrote:Generational. The guys starting with 3rd Edition these days aren't going to have the same kind of emotional attatchment to the old stuff. And collecting is all about that emotional attatchment.

I'm one of the younger guys here (25), and I never played 1st Edition. I started with 2nd Edition, so a lot of the old stuff doesn't really resonate with me.

Oh I don't know. I never played OD&D, yet I'd rip off an arm to get a hold of a OCE set now.

even if i hadnt yet voted (i'm not sure if i'm right in my thought), i'd say that this generation will be for sure the only one who can pay for smtg that appreciate regardless the pure economic and speculative side of the "business"...

i think that in the next future (let's say 10/20 years) the fair value of these items could have a downturn simply due to the lack of former player that eventually became collectors...

then i'm also convinced that in a long term horizon (more than 30 years), these items will preserve (maybe increase) their economic value simply because of the rarity and the possibility to earn out of this "business"...

in other words: there's a conflict based on the overall purpose that should push into collecting d&d... i personally collect simply for passion... in the future the very first gamers will be replaced by someone who is going to collect d&d like napoleonic weapons are collected today... the value of d&d stuff will be decided whether the mere economic purpose is stronger or not than the passion for d&d: based on demand (flexible)/supply (stable if not lower as time goes by) model prices could be higher or lower than now depending on the strenght of demand