Hello D&D experts. I am considering selling my Brown Box set that I bought in early 1975. Before listing it on E-Bay, I thought I'd check here to see what a reasonable price to start with might be. A little history: As stated I purchased the set in 1975. It was a constant companion for the next few years as my friends and I were very heavy into D&D at the time. I didn't pack the set away for good until I graduated from college in December 1978. Also in 1977 our Dungeon Master and dear friend Dave Hargrave published The Arduin Grimoire and we began using that rule set in place of the D&D set. I still remember the long weekends we spent play testing the new rules. Good times! As I recall we spent hours spell checking, grammar, etc. and still forgot to put page numbers in the first edition! Condition of the set: The box is in fair shape for a 44 year old cardboard container. The bottom is tight, all corners intact. The edges are scuffed and the outside bottom looks good. The Lid: Bottom left corner is split, top left corner is weak but not split, edges are all scuffed a bit, the label is clear and very readable. There are a couple of soiled spots, and a slight crease in the lower right corner. There are a couple of character names printed lightly in pencil in the lower left of the label. I have not tried to erase them as I didn't think that was a good idea. Also in the very upper left corner of the label also in very faint pencil is what appears to be a multiplication problem I solved. Why the hell I did it on the box is beyond me other than the fact that who the hell would have thought this would be a collectable today. There is also no mildew, mold, or offensive smells present anywhere. The inserts are present and in good condition. The three booklets are in good condition, pages intact with no writing or highlighting. The pages are still solidly bound in the books and the staples are not rusty. I also have the Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements both first printings and in pretty good condition. I will probably include the two supplements with the boxed set at auction. Well I'm interested in hearing what you folks think. Thanks a bunch for your input.

Start it with a low starting price, as the market will determine what it's worth.  $500 would do, but any reasonable price will do, as stratochamp suggested.  It's guaranteed that it will sell for what it's worth, if you list it properly.  If you overprice it, there's a good chance it will not sell or you could scare or piss off some potential buyers.  There is a huge demand for these at the moment so you should do very well on the auction.

Provide plenty of pictures and an accurate description, similar to what you posted.  No need to get too technical on the product details as anyone bidding on this will already know what it is and what it's worth.

Make sure you post it in the Classifieds section here when the auction goes live.

I would sell the supplements separately.  The woodgrain is going to sell for a good price without them.  If you have any old Arduin Grimoire books, those can bring a decent price too.

Thank you for the constructive input gang. I agree it is probably best not to include the two supplements with the set. Didn't think about posting in the classifieds here. Good idea. Looks like I will be getting this ready for auction this week end unless the "Boss" (wife) has other plans. ddt58, I have all the Arduin books, since I worked with Dave all us slave laborers were given first off the press signed copies. Not sure I want to sell those. David passed way to young in 1988 and the books are a nice reminder of a great friend and fantasy mind. If you read the dedication in volume 1, you will see the names of a bunch of D&D characters. That is how Dave mentioned all us little helpers. I am the one mentioned as Mithrom, bandit turned demon, but that is another whole story. Take care.

Mithrom,

Good luck with the auctions, I am sure they will do very well!  I got my start in the 70s in Concord with a mostly Arduin / D&D hybrid so always enjoy hearing about Hargrove history.   While this post probably isn't the place, it would be very interesting to hear about anything Arduin early history / materials that you might want to share for those early prints etc.  Perhaps in a post over in the non-TSR collectibles areas.

Thanks!

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