Two copies of Character Archaic, same seller, spelled wrong:




http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8748321495&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1




http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8748321765&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


Maybe it's spelled that way on cover? Hard to believe someone can make that mistake twice...




Mike B.

ExTSR wrote:

harami2000 wrote:Why destroy what you've paid to have printed?

In TSR's case it was a plugged pipeline.

There were thousands of copies of old material on the shelves of retailers who got their D&D materials via Random House. They refused to buy the new stuff until the old stuff sold... and it wasn't moving.

The solution was a massive Returns program that allowed all the stores to return their unsolds for credit. (Dunno how much of the original wholesale that came to, but it was a sizeable percentage.)

And presto, tens of thousands of old pieces came off the shelves and even more new stuff went out onto the shelves. We had many semi-loads rolling up to the TSR warehouse.

At that point, tho, it was storage costs vs writeoffs for dumping 'em... and the tax incentives won out.

I would agree with this statement.  Almost all of the items TSR sold didn't have a lot of collectible value initially, as is the case with most items when they are first produced.  They were used play the game!  Even items such as the anniversary or collectible sets usually didn't sell out.  Some of the remaining items will fall through the cracks and remain in a hobby or book store stock for whatever reason.  Maybe the retailer was not too good at turning over their stock or went out of business.  There could be many reasons.  Bottom line, any retailer that stayed in business had to get rid of old stock that wasn't selling to remain in business.

So, chances are, there isn't going to be some massive dump of excess copies of rares occurring on the market.  These items are rare because they were produced in limited quantities.  A lot of them were used in tournaments and never distributed outside of these tournaments.  Even if they were there was still a limited quantity produced.  In a lot of the cases that we have seen of rares coming up, if there were multiple copies, they were buried/lost stock at a store or from individuals that participated in the creation of the item in some manner.  One would expect that the originator of the item would have a few copies.  With respect to any one store having a box of them lying around, they are not going to have a huge amount of these rares stockpiled because they didn't exist in huge quantities to begin with.  Even if they had a substantial quantity, it would probably only reduce the value slightly over the long haul.  Case in point; Tsojconth -- A few years back there was a lot of twelve NM originals found in a hobby store.  They didn't appear to cause the market to collapse.  Matters of fact, the latest sale prices for it are pretty amazing!

On the subject of counterfeiting, I think paranoia is running rampant...  Counterfeiting is very high risk on items that are few in number, since they are scrutinized so closely and the potential for profit would be very limited before it was noticed.

There are many way to determine whether an item is counterfeit or original.  One of the best ways is simply visual inspection, or better yet, a microscope, since the original printing/duplication process and inks/toners used are almost as unique for every item produced as you or I.  Modern inks and toners don't "bleed" like the old ones did.  Think of the ink/toner as a fingerprint.  Pretty darn hard to reproduce.  Especially to make a few bucks?  In addition, paper quality has improved/changed over time.  

Some other ways to determine if an item is authentic:

1. Provenance - If it comes from the creator of the item it's probably authentic...  Otherwise who do you trust!
2. Chemical testing - A bit elaborate and expensive but it can be done.  You also have to have access to another original's chemical analysis results.
3. Manufacturing and assembly methods, components used, and packaging - Fold patterns, staple type and crimping method, paper thickness and texture, shear/cut marks and patterns on paper edges.
4. Plain old common sense - If it seems suspicious, buyer beware!

Deadlord36 wrote:I find it amusing that the Fazzle with the BIN would probably sell for at least that much at normal auction, but with such a huge BIN up there, no one bites.

i think its the excitement of the auction that allows the price to get to that. a BIN tends to be a lot more of a realistic, in your face, "this is what its gonna cost you" situation....

Al

AD&D Fighting Wheel for Auction:




http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8749439782&fromMakeTrack=true




Mike B.

Thanks for reminding me I chucked my fighting wheel two years ago when I decided I had to throw away SOMETHING from my collection BEFORE I moved.

Badmike wrote:BTW, forgot to mention the final prices of the Character Archaics and AD&D fighting wheel:

Character Archaic #1: $360.69

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8748321765&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Characte Archaic #2: $362.89

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8748321495&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

AD&D Fighting Wheel: $77.77

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8749439782&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1


Mike B.

What is that? Are trying to rub it in that I was the underbidder on all 3 of those auctions.  :wink:

Blackmoor wrote:The incredible re-appearing Fazzle

http://cgi.ebay.com/Quest-For-the-Fazzl ... dZViewItem

If they try to sell at a sensible price, will save them a lot of eBay listing fees.

faro wrote:

Blackmoor wrote:The incredible re-appearing Fazzle

http://cgi.ebay.com/Quest-For-the-Fazzl ... dZViewItem

If they try to sell at a sensible price, will save them a lot of eBay listing fees.

Should just list it in an Ebay store, that way it can sit around for months at 2 cents a month or whatever.  It will be interesting to see if anyone bites, I think this is the 3rd week listed at that price with no sales.



Mike B.

Badmike wrote:AD&D Fighting Wheel for Auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8749439782&fromMakeTrack=true

Mike B.

Got my Fighting Wheel in the mail yesterday.  It's pretty neat looking contraption.  Overall it arrived in pretty good shape, the wheel itself is probably VF to NM (it's laminated), the sleeve I would probably rate FN to VF.  I'm very happy to now be the proud owner of a #4 rare item.




Would've been interesting to see if this was handy at all during my playing days...