Blackmoor wrote:Most of this stuff (which may ot may not have belonged to Gary) are generally easy to find common items.  Nothing special at all.  

I find that this whole process is flawed.  Common items offered with a certificate from Paul saying that Gary owned the item.  I just do not trust humanity enough about the authenticity of these items.

Even with the benefit of the doubt, the thing I don't get is paying a premium for the SW items...  I mean, great, Gary received this item and put it in a box/closet/basement.  Does that really add to its value in some way?  Something he at least used, okay.

TheHistorian wrote:

Even with the benefit of the doubt, the thing I don't get is paying a premium for the SW items...  I mean, great, Gary received this item and put it in a box/closet/basement.  Does that really add to its value in some way?  Something he at least used, okay.

Me neither. Someone explain this one to me:




http://cgi.ebay.com/TSR-AD-D-Lankhmar-City-Adventure-1985-SHRINK-/310325200837?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4840d2c7c5




These are almost literally a dime per dozen normally, open (like $5 - $6). How in the world is a copy in tattered shrink worth anywhere near this? For a product that was written/released more or less as EGG was leaving TSR, and had virtually nothing to do with?




Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Lankhmar fan. I think it's one of the best products TSR produced after 1980, and certainly the best after 1983. But nearly fifty bucks? And rising? Gimme a break!

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:
Me neither. Someone explain this one to me:[snip]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Lankhmar fan. I think it's one of the best products TSR produced after 1980, and certainly the best after 1983. But nearly fifty bucks? And rising? Gimme a break!

I assume that there's some "charity/Gary support" aspect to the bidding in general too---knowing that your bids go toward supporting the EGG Memorial Fund---and that that explains the tipped balance of higher prices for more-common items.

Hey everyone,



I realized looking at the list again and found that there were a couple of other pieces that might be of interest.




** expired/removed eBay auction **





** expired/removed eBay auction **




Not the typical items that people on this board would be interested in, but at least Gary did use them, unlike some of the shrink wrapped stuff.



Also, does anyone know what happened to the piece that Paul mentioned on his website back in last March?

GK Original Gygax-Kaye Colophon Metal Type

http://www.thecollectorstrove.com/tctdd/



Was that ever put up for auction?

And if so how much did it go for?



Best regards,

Ronald

grodog wrote:
I assume that there's some "charity/Gary support" aspect to the bidding in general too---knowing that your bids go toward supporting the EGG Memorial Fund---and that that explains the tipped balance of higher prices for more-common items.

Really? I'm not sure I buy the notion that people are bidding higher for that reason. I'm a bit skeptical about the Memorial ever materializing, too.

Badmike wrote:
I've been told that the profits are going straight to Gail, not to the Memorial Fund.

It's six of one, half dozen of the other to me. On second thought, I'd almost prefer to see the money go directly to EGG's wife and let her decide what needs to be done with it. A memorial is nice and all, but maybe there are bills to pay, and gamers will memorialize him in our own way. I know if I were to pass with a bunch of stuff to sell off, I'd want the money to go to my survivors, not some piece of stone.

Howdy,

mbassoc2003 wrote:Yeah, I'm more interested in items that have that 'from the collection of...' feel about them rather than stuff that could be anything you bought on eBay and a certificate. The cigar box was something I was hoping to see, and eventually, after all the cataloging/digitising, I'm hoping we'll see papers, manuscripts and other ephemera.

Yes, as you can imagine Gary's collection is not a simple thing but you can be certain that many great items are to come! Gail has a many things to consider too and it all affects the pacing and types of items being offered.


Futures Bright,

Paul

Howdy Jeff,


Thanks for airing your concerns. I have always appreciated your support and am glad to know that you have some fantastic collectibles bought by you from The Collector's Trove over the years.

Blackmoor wrote:Sure would be nice to have some "real" Gygax collectables.  Most of this stuff (which may ot may not have belonged to Gary) are generally easy to find common items.  Nothing special at all.  

Every last one of these items were in Gary's house in Lake Geneva when I picked them up last year. The items having been packed in boxes saying, "TSR Product", "NIPI Product", "Property of Gary Gygax", "Gary's Office", etc. with shipping addresses to his Beverly Hills mansion, Center Street, Stone Manor, Dragonlands, Madison St., and every other residence he's lived in. Gary also left many notes saying where he had gotten the items, what they were, and why they were important.

Not every item is unique or even rare by collecting standards but they all belonged to Gary. And apparently having something from Gary's collection, even if he didn't write it, means something to some people - just look at the bids for evidence of that.

Blackmoor wrote:I find that this whole process is flawed.  Common items offered with a certificate from Paul saying that Gary owned the item.  I just do not trust humanity enough about the authenticity of these items.

Sure it is flawed. It is a very tricky thing dealing with memorabilia owned by public figures. The landscape of this field of collecting is dotted with many such land mines. Heck it is not even big business to fake D&D "personality" items but it certainly is elsewhere: http://www.theswearingens.com/mick/autos.htm

Blackmoor wrote:Paul already misdirected the collecting community by offering at least one item (Upper Works to be specific) that Gary never could have owned; it was released after his death.

"Misdirected", assumes my intent was to deceive. It was not. It was an incautious item description. Nothing more. I apologized to the winner and offered him a complete refund, of course. Cut-and-pasting over 300 auction descriptions and typing up new prose for each can make one a bit loopy. I do make mistakes occasionally due to the nature and volume of these sort of auctions but I will always offer a full refund.

Nonetheless, those sets are Gary's comp copies, dead or living, given by the Troll Lords. He owned them from the minute he signed a contract with the Troll Lords, promising him author's copies. When the set was finally received they were placed with the rest of Gary's gaming collection where they stayed for over a year.

Blackmoor wrote:Tread carefully here!

As one should anywhere when collecting memorabilia of public figures. For my own part, I promise The Collector's Trove will strive to be as reliable as possible.


Futures Bright,

Paul

Howdy Mike,

Badmike wrote:I've been told that the profits are going straight to Gail, not to the Memorial Fund. If I'm mistaken let me know.  I suppose in a roundabout way, money to Gail is money to the memorial, but as for going DIRECTLY to the Memorial, my understanding is that this is not the case.

Yes, you are correct. This is from the previous discussion of it:

The Collectors Trove wrote:...this is a good opportunity to clarify the relationship between the auctions and the Memorial Fund.

To be clear the auction proceeds from The Collector's Trove auctions do not go to the Gygax Memorial Fund. They go to Gary's widow, Gail. That was Gary's express wish.

If the proceeds of any auction are intended for donation to the Memorial Fund, that will be expressly indicated. For example the items sold at the Gen Con auction were donated by Gail, out of Gary's personal collection and were expressly for the Gygax Memorial Fund. The same will be true for the items auctioned at Gary Con in one week.

I don't believe The Collector's Trove has given any indication that proceeds from its auctions go to the Memorial Fund. If there is some such implication please indicate this to me and I will address the situation.

I will say that I believe that contributing funds to either venue supports Gary's final wishes.

Futures Bright,

Paul