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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 12:34 am 
 

This might sound crazy, but I think I've reached a point in my life where I need to move on.  My AD&D collection has been sitting on the shelf unused now for at least two years.  Rather than have it gather dust for another few years, I have decided that I would rather have it be used or stored in a collectors hands.  This would normally not be such a large issue, but my collection is quite extensive and I would rather it be sold to only one person instead of parting out the entire set.  Some highlights to the collection are:

34 hardback books ranging from the original covers to third edition, including a 1st AND 2nd printing of the Deities and Demigods,

A full set of the original series of modules (listed on the back of most of the original set) to include H4, D1-2, D3, Q1, A1-4, S1-4, T1-4, G1-3, C1-2, I1, B2,

Rouges Gallery, Dungeon Geomorphs Set 1-3, and original DM screens,

Full sets of Encyclopaedia Magica (first edition leather cover), Wizards Spell Compendium, and Priests Spell Compendium,

Boxed sets of SpellJammer, Hollow World, DragonLance (Time of the Dragons), Dragon Mountain, World of Greyhawk (original box),

The basic set of 2nd edition softcover books (wizard's, priest's, theif's, fighter's) plus psionics, elves, drow of the underdark, Elves of Evermeet,

Wrath of the Imortals (no box, just the books) to compliment the Rules Cyclopaedia (compendium of the five original boxed sets).

There are a few other bits and pieces as well as 23 dice sets and an UNWRAPPED set of 1992 Trading Cards (Factory Set 750 cards).

I even have most, if not all the computer games TSR has put out, including both editions of the core rules on CD.

As you can see, this is quite a collection, and I would like to see if I can appraise this together, since I believe it would command a higher price as a whole in the right places.  As of this posting, nothing on eBay even compares, so I am at a loss to appraise the set as a whole.  Is there someone out there that can help me?

 ICQ YIM  


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 2:36 am 
 

I would really take the time and sell it seperately on eBay. Otherwise it is most likely your buyer will be a reseller and he will do exactly this after he purchased it from you (with a margin of 50% or more).


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 2:50 am 
 

I would agree with Ralf...you will realize far more by seperating these items. Good chance the margin could exceed 50% on resale

  


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 8:02 am 
 

Keep in mind that if you want to unload everything all at once, you will be looking for a higher price for one transaction.  This will eliminate most  if not all of the casual buyers that might be willing to spend $20 on a book theyve been missing.  

When you get into the $100 range the only people left are the collectors (and theyre only going to be interested if there are items good enough to be collected) and the resellers.  Like the others said before, theyre not going put up a whole lot since theyre whole object is to resell, but that one bid will be more than most of the others would be willing to commit to, so they will probably be the only ones bidding.

Of course on the other hand, you save time by only having to list one auction and ship to one buyer and maybe even save on ebay fees.


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 8:38 am 
 

I think a reasonable but conservative estimate of what you would get for this lot on ebay would be $500.

If you sold the items seperately you could get anywhere from $600 to $1000.

You might get lucky and sell the lot with a reserve for whatever you think is fair but that can backfire and cost you in fees if the lot fails to sell as reserve fees for lots over $500 can be pricey.

Good luck.


moron with money

  

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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 10:54 am 
 

I agree with Ralf that you will be missing out on about 50% of your collection's potential value selling it as one lot.  Though it will take more time, you will make more money by selling each item separately, or at least parsing them into smaller lots (all A modules, the core books, etc.).  
There's no ultra-rare jewel in your collection that would make some of the hard-core collectors on this forum want to buy the entire lot just to get that jewel.  And the whole lot will probably be too expensive for the casual collector looking to pick up one or two items at a time.  A reseller will probably  pick  up your lot as a bargain (perhaps $300) and then resell it all piece by piece.  Just my 2 coppers...

  


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 1:16 pm 
 

The "problem" with this collection is that it is a very broad one.
When one still wants to sell as one (or maybe 2-3?) lot(s), in order to obtain a good price, good descriptions and lots of photo's are a MUST to catch the imagination of prospective buyers. E.g. I liked

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 3189331436

Not every collection may be suitable to sell as a whole. Focussed, smaller ones may attain higher prices, as collectors will be interested, besides the usual resellers.

  


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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 11:18 pm 
 

Well, I certainly have a lot of work to do here.  First, I have conflicting replies from some of you all.  Some say part it out, some say by lots, and the appraisals so far seem to be very off.  I have one that places a $500 max, and another that shows me a lot that is just a motley collection compared to mine that sold for $355, which suggests that my collection is worth far more.

One person even suggested that I didn't really have any shining jewels in the collection.  Quite honestly, I think all of you missed some very important facts about the collection.  First, I am not just a player of the game, I have ammased this collection personally over two decades of my life.  Second, although I do not deal in collecting regularly, I am extremely familiar with the rarity of some of the pieces in this collection and I do believe you are vastly underestimating it's value.

For instance, of the 34 hardcover books, I have a complete set of original covers (1st edition - 6 books [double Dieties & Demigods and DM Guide]) and the re-release covers (1st edition - 13 books including Fiend Folio), First release 2nd edition books (6 books hardcover), Players Option release (5 books - including the re-released Monster Manual), the 3rd edition books (3 books, mint condition) and the Rules Cyclopedia.  

I have a 1st PRINTING and 2nd PRINTING of the Deities and Demigods, both in very good to near mint condition, these are the only two printings to have the extra two chapters not included since in any other release.

The set of modules I listed are the ORIGINAL set, two have the original wizard logo, one (D3) in the original monochrome cover in near mint condition.

One of you said that my collection is not focused.  You missed that the collection is focused, on the core ruleset, very little of the collection is a specialized world setting and a great deal of the collection is the complete basic rulebooks from all the editions.

How about the "jewel" that seems to be missing, has anyone considered that the collector card set in the UNOPENED box?  it's 12 years old and in mint condition.

I will take the pictures suggested in one post, because I do believe that seeing is believing.  Now, can we get down to brass tacks and appraise each item to come up with a value for the entire collection?  Please tell me what I need to provide you in order to come up with the proper value of these items, I'll handle the valuation from there.

 ICQ YIM  

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Post Posted: Mon May 03, 2004 11:49 pm 
 

I don't think anyone is really underestimating the value of your collection. The condition is unknown as are the printings. Obviously, your collection is worth more to you than to anyone else...you put it together and it holds memories.

However, from what you have described, there are no real big ticket items. The HC books just aren't holding any value. Anyone can pick up a Dieties (cthulhu) edition for around $40-50 practically anytime they want.

Valuation is very difficult...prices can fluctuate wildly. That monochrome D3 could go for up to $20-30 in NM condition, but I picked one up a while back for about $10. The HC books are generally extremely cheap.

Your best bet is to search ebay for like items and track them for 30 days or so. That will give you a good spread of prices on each item. Again, your list does not contain anything that isn't on ebay right now!

Finally, the value of your collection is much greater if you sell it off individually or in small lots i.e. Modules A1-4, etc.


And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/

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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 12:28 am 
 

I have a 1st PRINTING and 2nd PRINTING of the Deities and Demigods, both in very good to near mint condition, these are the only two printings to have the extra two chapters not included since in any other release.

The set of modules I listed are the ORIGINAL set, two have the original wizard logo, one (D3) in the original monochrome cover in near mint condition.

How about the "jewel" that seems to be missing, has anyone considered that the collector card set in the UNOPENED box? it's 12 years old and in mint condition.


Oh my God!

I just shit my pants laughing!

Really I did!

Bwahahahahhaa!

You are the best Phaldor!
Rock on!!!


moron with money

  


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 12:35 am 
 

Phaldor wrote:Well, I certainly have a lot of work to do here.  First, I have conflicting replies from some of you all.  Some say part it out, some say by lots, and the appraisals so far seem to be very off.  I have one that places a $500 max, and another that shows me a lot that is just a motley collection compared to mine that sold for $355, which suggests that my collection is worth far more.

One person even suggested that I didn't really have any shining jewels in the collection.  Quite honestly, I think all of you missed some very important facts about the collection.  First, I am not just a player of the game, I have ammased this collection personally over two decades of my life.  Second, although I do not deal in collecting regularly, I am extremely familiar with the rarity of some of the pieces in this collection and I do believe you are vastly underestimating it's value.

For instance, of the 34 hardcover books, I have a complete set of original covers (1st edition - 6 books [double Dieties & Demigods and DM Guide]) and the re-release covers (1st edition - 13 books including Fiend Folio), First release 2nd edition books (6 books hardcover), Players Option release (5 books - including the re-released Monster Manual), the 3rd edition books (3 books, mint condition) and the Rules Cyclopedia.  

I have a 1st PRINTING and 2nd PRINTING of the Deities and Demigods, both in very good to near mint condition, these are the only two printings to have the extra two chapters not included since in any other release.

The set of modules I listed are the ORIGINAL set, two have the original wizard logo, one (D3) in the original monochrome cover in near mint condition.

One of you said that my collection is not focused.  You missed that the collection is focused, on the core ruleset, very little of the collection is a specialized world setting and a great deal of the collection is the complete basic rulebooks from all the editions.

How about the "jewel" that seems to be missing, has anyone considered that the collector card set in the UNOPENED box?  it's 12 years old and in mint condition.

I will take the pictures suggested in one post, because I do believe that seeing is believing.  Now, can we get down to brass tacks and appraise each item to come up with a value for the entire collection?  Please tell me what I need to provide you in order to come up with the proper value of these items, I'll handle the valuation from there.


Hey there,  to get an honest value of your items you really should go to ebay, type in the items' names and select "show completed items only".  It will show you the current demand and price people are willing to pay.

That way if something isnt selling for what you expect you can lay off selling it for a while.


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"Mint Rare and Shrinkwrapped-just pick that bar of soap up for us pls, we love you long time!"

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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 12:56 am 
 

Phaldor, what you need to keep in mind is that most of us here HAVE everything you mentioned, usually every printing of them in fact. You shouldn't ask for advice and then bitch about the advice given. And don't take offense that there are no "gems". We all have spent years and many $$ tracking down "gems", and they usually carry a triple-digit price tag or more.


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 1:00 am 
 

Phaldor,
The last thing I wanted to do is speak badly about your collection.
But you asked advice, and received it. The ones besides me replying to your valuation request have been tracking eBay auctions, and buying/selling, for years now. So their initial guess may be not too far off. These collectors surely have seen the highlights of your collection being sold many times -- as you can deduce from myalbinogorilla's reaction…..

Lets face it, our little hobby is a VERY small niche market, and is totally unsuitable for making profits through selling COLLECTIONS. Reasons have been mentioned above. I can just add: many of us just don't have enough money to buy an entire collection at once, or are not willing to: part of the fun is in collecting, as you surely know yourself.

The ones willing to bid on a large collection like this will be the resellers, and they will certainly look for a deep discount on the total per item value. You may get lucky when 2 of them start bidding against each other, but still, don't count on too much.

I was under the impression you were reluctant to sell piece by piece, so suggested chopping your collection up in 2 or 3 parts, making it somewhat more digestible. But if you purely want to get the highest return, no doubt you'll have to sell piece by piece or in nice mini-lots. I would sell all at the same time, because people will want to combine articles and will get ‘greedy'.

  


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 1:02 am 
 

Well, since you all know how I am, I just did a lot of the legwork (fingerwork?) for him:

Well, I think I can give you an estimate as to what you might expect from an auction of your items. Remember, when you say that your collection is focused on core, that means it is therefore focused on the more common items. Since rarity defines resale value, your collection may not be worth as much as you paid or the value of your memories and nostalgia. The reason some are saying lots over individual sales is that by your own words you have said that you would rather sell it to one person. It is a fact, an absolute fact with a tremendous amount of evidence that a seller will get more by selling individual items than small lots, and that small lots will fetch more than one large lot.

Lets start with the trading cards:

Unfortunately, these do not have much of a resale value because they are so common...an example
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& ... eName=WDVW

These usually sell in the $10-20 range

The sets of Encyclopedia Magica, Priests, and Wizard spells will fetch in the range of $40-75+ each if sold in separate lots of the 4 Magica (ranges $40-80), the 3 Priests ($48-51), and 4 Wizard Spellbooks ($38-63). Maybe with luck $100 for the Magica set

The second edition softcover class books all sell for less than $10 (except Necromancers, ya ya, I know it's a DM's book) and will frequently struggle to get above $5. Drow of the Underdark and the Elves of Evermeet are in the same $5-$10 range.

The value of your modules is dominated by your super modules (A1-4, S1-4, T1-4) and the H4 module. The super modules usually fetch $15-30 each and the H4 at about $40. The D1-2, Q1, G1-3, C1, C2, I1, B2 would each get $5 at auction because they are all very common modules (c1 isnt even selling with an opening minimum of $6). Even Pastel modules have a tough time reaching the $10-15 range:

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& ... 2&rd=1

The value of your hardbacks depend on which print they are. A first print Deities and Demigods is worth about $25-35 while a copy without the Cthulu/Melnibonean mythoi will fetch under $10. Your other 1st-2nd edition hardbacks, unless very early prints.are worth $5-10 each...maybe as high as $15 if you get an inexperienced buyer. Your 3rd edition books actually have more value because they have the interest of contemporary players and sell for closer to face value.

The rogues gallery, DM screen, and geomorph set are all in the $5 range

Each boxed set should get $8-15.
You would probably be looking at about $750-850 if sold in small focused lots and a handful of individual auctions (for the H4 and supermods).

Here is an auction you may wish to see. The items in it are actually superior to yours in collectable value (Vecna Lives, City of Skulls, Iuz the Evil, Greyhawk Ruins, Rary the Traitor, etc, even used):

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& ... 0&rd=1

Here is another that is somewhat similar to yours minus the magic/priest/wizard compendiums and supermods:

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& ... 4&rd=1

Considering all of this, I would put your value, if sold as one lot, to be closer to  $400...maybe $500 on a good day. This assumes that all items are complete and in collectable condition.

About 2 years ago, a seller put up for auction a lot that contained over 250 modules (including the R series; RPGA1,2; 4 of the limited edition role aids mods). Everything was complete and in collectable condition (a total of 500-600 items). I still have the original list if anyone would like to look at it. It ended up fetching $2500 to a German collector/reseller. If it had been put out individually or in small lots it probably would have gotten closer to $6000-7000+

  


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 1:27 am 
 

Wow...purpledragon...talk about going out of your way!! I must agree with everything PD says...especially the part about this collection being worth more to you than to anybody else. It is apparent that if nothing else, this is true...

  


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 1:58 am 
 

Thank you PurpleDragon, that's what I needed to hear.  As you can imagine, the nostalgia one has for the game can get in the way of reality.  I truly appriciate the time and effort you put into researching this for me.  The rest of the comments, although not as informative, I see now for what they are, the truth.  I apologize if I have offended, that was not the intent.  I suppose my emotion got in the way of my reason on the issue.

 ICQ YIM  


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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 9:21 am 
 

Phaldor-  Don't write stuff like that when I've been drinking!  My blond wife made me sleep in the garage!  I actually thought you might be one of the other members here playing a joke on the rest of us with your last post.  

Since I realize now you were sincere I have this bit of advice: don't sell your collection, regardless of your financial considerations.  Keep it or if you want to be really cool give it to a kid you like, maybe a relative (or me maybe, why not? :)).  I would submit that they are worth far more to you than you will ever get at auction in a lot or seperately.   Many of us here started in this hobby to replace items we had when we were younger but you can never get back the actual stuff you used with all the notes and dings etc... those thnigs are indeed priceless.  Unfortunately every thing you have is also very commonly found on ebay, (even the Cthulhu Deities and Demigods which there are at least five of them up for auction at this moment)  

"Gems" are items that come up rarely or never.  This site has excellent pricing indexes which give 1 to 5 numbers for relative rarity of each item.  You should take advantage of it.  Most of the members here care only about rare items because we have all the common stuff, therefore lots like yours are of little use excpet in resale.

The trading cards you have would have been worth a lot more if there had been any good rookies that year but alas that rookie class was a bunch of ham and eggers...


moron with money

  

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Post Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 10:14 am 
 

Purple Dragon is going to be proclaimed official researcher/investigator of the group.  That's excellent work, as usual, PD.  

From Phaldor's posts, I would say the collection is worth far more to him in nostalgic value than in probable resell dollar amounts.  My first edition Player's Handbook that I used as a young lad would probably be worth $7 on eBay, but it is priceless to me in nostalgic value.  The little dog ears on certain spell pages and small stains from pizza grease bring back memories worth more than a dollar amount.  I suspect Phaldor may feel the same, and therefore it's disappointing to find out these items are not worth as much as one would have hoped.  

I suspect a lot of people dig into their closets, attics and basements to find these old 1st edition hardbacks (Phaldor has much more and better stuff), and they believe they've found a gold mine.  I've met people who, when told of this niche market and hobby, gush about the old first edition AD&D books they know they still have at home and their eyes light up as they ponder the potential dollar signs.  They bring them to me only to be disappointed that their ragged first edition Monster Manual, sixth printing, is worth about $2.  They're in disbelief until told to imagine how many of these core books they think were published and also stored in other people's closets, attics and basements.  

In all, everyone is giving sound advice.  If you want to maximize your money, sell each item individually.  If not, sell it all in one lot.  If you want something in between, organize them into logical small lots.

  
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