Well of Worlds misprint - valuable? • Collecting Appraisal • The Acaeum

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Well of Worlds misprint - valuable?
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Idran
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 12:30 pm

I recently picked up a copy of the Planescape softcover book Well of Worlds for personal use, but I quickly noticed it seems to have been a misprint. Pages 17-32 are missing, instead the book having two copies of pages 33-48. Would this affect the value at all, or was this a common error for this work?

deimos3428
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:47 pm

Idran wrote:I recently picked up a copy of the Planescape softcover book Well of Worlds for personal use, but I quickly noticed it seems to have been a misprint. Pages 17-32 are missing, instead the book having two copies of pages 33-48. Would this affect the value at all, or was this a common error for this work?

I've no idea as to the frequency of the error in this particular work, but 2E material seems to have quite a few of these types of errors, particularly in the "Complete" series. I don't think such an error particularly adds to the value, but the quirkiness of it has enough appeal that it doesn't drop in value particularly, either.

Mars
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:25 pm

I'm not sure that I'd agree with you on this one deimos. I think that it probably would drop the value. The book itself is a pretty common so isn't a great seller but with this misprint you are missing 15 pages. A misprint like having the book bound with pages upside down or out of order is a curiosity but missing a large chunk of text seems more annoyance.

Idran
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:43 pm

It definitely is an annoyance. That's why I was hoping it might have given this some extra worth, so I could sell off this one and pick up a normal copy. If not, though, I suppose I might as well just keep this one when I get a replacement, just for that quirkiness aspect.

Deadlord
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 5:27 pm

Idran, the easiest way to answer the question is: If you didn't have it, and you were looking to buy it, would you buy a misprint like yours? If so, would you pay more or less?
I am sure the overwhelming response to your question will be that it is worth at BEST the price of a normal one. More likely much less.

If you hit a Rowsdower, you get to keep it.

deimos3428
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:45 pm

Mars wrote:I'm not sure that I'd agree with you on this one deimos. I think that it probably would drop the value.

Quite so. I wasn't referring to the book's intrinsic value, so much as it's eBay price.

There's often a few eBayers willing to jump on any auction labelled "misprint". If two hit at the same time, they end up encouraging each other that they're onto some kind of collector's windfall. Or, people might wise up and pass entirely. It can easily go either way.

Xaxaxe
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 4:19 pm

In almost all collecting fields, misprints are worth, at best, the same as what an average collector would pay for the same item printed correctly. At worst, they are worth far less, because (as mentioned above) the misprints are actually annoying.

The problem is that there are some very, very rare exceptions that are actually quite valuable and have the potential to confuse the casual (or, perhaps, greedy) collector. For instance, there's the famous airplane stamp that was printed upside-down; it's worth some ridiculous amount of money. The problem, though, is that when USA Today or some other media outlet runs its semi-annual story on that stamp, it makes casual collectors think all misprints are like gold.

Idran
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 4:55 pm

Yeah, seems that's the mistake I made here. I was just thinking misprint = less common = worth more, and I didn't really think beyond that point.

Well, thanks for the advice, all. Guess I'll just go ahead and pick up a fresh copy at some point, then.

Rakeesh sah Tarna
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 5:24 pm

good question idran and agree with answers. major factor to help is if the normal book is well known or famous and that is perhaps not so much for what you have
upside down dungeon master guide sold at $140 at gencon indy 2006 helped by being well known and eyecatching. although same buyer paid $46 for a normal one so maybe not so careful with their money??

good luck

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