bbarsh wrote:You had more insight than me, that is for sure.

At the time there was no internet yet so I wasn't even sure there was a market. I seemed to be one of the few people buying old modules at Gencon. I would buy to fill holes in my collection or upgrade copies. That was in the late 80s or possible very early 90s.

Part of it was good-fortune to come across them prior to a gaming store or hobby shop finding out about them.  But, believe it or not, I was a bit hesitant about buying such a large quantity of modules because there wasn't an easy way to sell them to the masses then, unless you had a gaming store or hobby shop.  Also, bear in mind at the time they were not really collectible like they are now.

bbarsh wrote:I will go so far as to say there was virtually no collector market - other than the stuff like  orange B3 which used to sell at Gencon auction for $75 (and I thought that was insane).

Like I said earlier, I don't remember too many people buying them at Gencon with any regularity. There would be piles of them at the auction (actually, in the auction store).

I also saw scads of Marvel Super Hero modules and Star Frontiers modules at a dollar store once. Passed on those, too.

I think this is dead-on accurate: there simply was not a marketplace. You either had the modules or you didn't, and the best way to fill in your collection was at conventions. Totally hit-and-miss.

We all know what two factors combined to create a marketplace: eBay (and the far reach of the internet in general) and the disposable income that many early adapters of D&D/AD&D now have, myself included. Throw in sites such as The Acaeum, which helps with research and fuels the nostalgia, and you've got one hell of a marketplace.

darkseraphim wrote:Now we have both demand and awareness, and the items are 10-20 years older.  It would have taken some intense 20-20 foresight to buy into the market c1993.  I got in a bit too late; I could have made a LOT more money if I'd heard about the coming "Internet" revolution 15 years ago.  But c'est la vie, the fun is what matters.  It is a game after all.

I would imagine some of the current value of the items today comes from the fact that many, many people were ditching their collections in the 90s.  Very few people were getting into the market in 1993, most were getting out...

deimos3428 wrote:I would imagine some of the current value of the items today comes from the fact that many, many people were ditching their collections in the 90s.  Very few people were getting into the market in 1993, most were getting out...

Yes. Having just posted, above, I'll certainly back that feeling...

But the "marketplace" /seemed/ stronger in the mid-late 80s than it did in the mid 90s (albeit I was in a totally different environment at that later date).

Blame 2E, too... why not?

>>I've vowed to not to collect modules* because I just can't stomach the thought of paying $5-15 for something that I remember buying for $1, and subsequently selling for $0.50.

That's an understandable sentiment.  I'm afraid I'm quite a bit more mercenary than that - if I see something for sale for $10 and I know I can sell it for $20, I'm going to pick it up and sell it.  The only reason I focus on the collectible genres I do (such as D&D) is because I have a passionate emotional investment in the items - I love what I sell.  When you spend 80-100 hours of personal time a month finding the stuff, buying it, scanning it, grading it, selling it, and shipping it, you have to love it, otherwise you go insane.  It's the only thing that keeps the mercantile aspect from eclipsing the joy of the hobby.  Given different financial circumstances (which seem to be slowly approaching), I would happily ditch the home business and make gaming just a hobby again with the time I would save.  Unfortunately that's not possible right now - so I sell what I like to indulge in.

Putting that in a more global perspective, I think the primary reason the market has exploded in the past 5 years is because we're growing older, we still love D&D, and none of us have the time we used to, to game with our friends.  Sometimes experiencing the game vicariously is the best we can do - and so nostalgia drives the market.  Anyone with a purely $$$ interest in the market would be wiser to invest in Wall Street, and leave D&D behind.  I recommend medical equipment and drug companies - the baby boomers are beginning to retire.
 

look at the size of this mans gut.... I was gonna bid but it just grossed me out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 36764&rd=1

leave your freaken gut out of the picture, some poeple just ate!

improvstone wrote:Well done <Desuma>

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 5932882265

Bet you are glad you didn't take my offer  

Thanks, Mike. I was really amazed at what it went for after seeing what you paid for your "perfect" Tsoj. BTW, what offer was that? Did I miss a message/PM, or has Alzheimers set in early for me?  

improvstone wrote:

Desuma_Malevois wrote:Did I miss a message/PM, or has Alzheimers set in early for me?  

No  ... Alzheimers seems to be setting in early for me ... I mistook the offer I am to <deimos> for you ....

... <Improv>  rolls a 1 and fails badly on a save against a spell of forgetfulness ...

Now if I could only remember which forum I am on ...

See, this is why I'm against using critical fumbles.  It just confuses things.  Mine is quite similar in condition to Desuma's -- and may be going on eBay soon if the market is doing that well...

Not sure what the reserve is on this "Classic Warfare" (depends whether they know $45-55 is about par), but it's currently under $7 with 23 hours to go.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 5934349163