August 2007, Indianapolis, Gencon 40.

I'm sure that any who were in attendance remember (and own) the "40 Years of Gencon" book being published and sold.

Well, I don't quite remember why it started, but I wound up taking that book and getting it signed by every person who I could find who had anything to do with D&D.

Peter Adkinson (Auction Hall)
Dave Arneson (was in his own booth)
Jeff Easley (his own booth)
Larry Elmore (his own booth)
Ed Greenwood (standing by Author's Avenue)
Gary Gygax (Troll Lord Booth)
Tracy Hickman (running through the halls)
Harold Johnson (Gencon Auction Hall)
Tim Kask (Auction Hall)
Rob Kuntz (waited for him to finish DMing in the old train station)
Frank Mentzer (Auction Hall)
Margaret Weis (running through the halls, following T.H.)

I *want* to say that I had Tom Wham sign it as well, but I might be getting confused with him signing his "Adventure" card.

So, I took the book home,read it, bagged it, and there on my gaming shelf, it sits.

Now, first, I am *not* interested in selling it.

Secondly, I am aware that FYOG was not an "official TSR / WotC" release.

1)What would something like this be valued at?
2)Does anyone have anything similar?

Cheers!

Hence why I am **not** listing it for sale.

Gary signed the page with his house on it, so you actually have to kinda dig for his, but as it was the only signature on the page, it made it a little more "special."

Everyone else signed on the front 2 pages.

Well, I was thinking about doing that, but there are 2 problems that I saw:

1) The book itself is 2,000 miles away from me and I'd have to get someone to scan or shoot for me. Not the end of the world, and doable, but it would take some time.

2) I know that Tim and Frank, at least (maybe RJK too?) post here, and god knows I don't want any legal problems arising from a) re-posting of copywrited material, b) especially when it's signatures.

I agree that you really couldn't put a price on something like that at this point, because it's quite literally one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.  (And more than a little melancholy to realize just how many great folks we've lost in the last three years.)

I had a first print Monster Manual I got signed by everyone I could track down who worked on the book for the charity auction.  Gary signed it in '07.  It killed me to give up the book, but I absolutely would not have felt right keeping it for myself...and it raised a good price for charity.

Phentari wrote:I agree that you really couldn't put a price on something like that at this point, because it's quite literally one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.  (And more than a little melancholy to realize just how many great folks we've lost in the last three years.)

Agreed; way too true, sadly.

Phentari wrote:I had a first print Monster Manual I got signed by everyone I could track down who worked on the book for the charity auction.  Gary signed it in '07.  It killed me to give up the book, but I absolutely would not have felt right keeping it for myself...and it raised a good price for charity.

Kudos for that!
(Oh, and "welcome to the board", too, of course. )

=

On the GenCon 40 years book (which /is/ still a "keeper" IMHO, regardless of style and/or any glitches in content), as with many non-standard "unique" items, even an approximate "valuation" is difficult since the process of weighing that in one's mind - and for this, anything much less than $125-150 "sounds too little", whereas it personally "feels like" there might be resistance above, say, $175-200 - can so easily be trumped by an individual with deep pockets; and, as such, a straight private sale or private auction might well get a better $ result than a public auction.

JM02c, anyhow.

Well, the book can be bought for virtually nothing. I have seen them all over. Which is strange, because at one point I could not get my hands on one.

What you are really looking at is the value put on by autograph hounds. I could care less about autographs, so there you go. But for others, it would be a priceless piece.

And nobody get your boxers in a bunch. I am not dissin' the legends of gaming. I just don't have any interest in the autograph thing.

In fact, I think the only autographed thing I own is a Dragon #1 that I won at NTX and Tim Kask just happened to be sitting next me when I won it. If he would have been 10' away, never would have been inked.

ExTSR wrote:But...
But...

It's in CALIFORNIA!
It'll fall into the bloody OCEAN eventually!

Let's move it somewhere safe.
Like the upper midwestern USA.

Well, Frank, allow me to be clear:

/ am in California. My COLLECTION is in Chicago. (Is it wrong that I actually MISS my stuff? The only things I brought with me are my PHB and my DMG...)

It will not fall into the ocean, but it might get swept up in a tornado (or burned in the searing heat you guys have been having lately!)

Edit - by the way - my collection is being guarded by an Ancient Red, so don't get any ideas about storming the keep for the treasures!

galladril wrote:Edit - by the way - my collection is being guarded by an Ancient Red, so don't get any ideas about storming the keep for the treasures!

Ooooh, not wise . Always go with an Ancient Green as your RPG collectible guardian. The chlorine gas doesn't destroy the paper products like fire, and kills mold to boot!