I bought a sealed Keep on the Borderlands module, but the plastic wrap is so tight it's making the module wavy. Should I unwrap it? Has time and heat made the plastic shrink? The plastic has worn through in some places but overall it's intact. Were some old D&D modules just wrapped this tight?  The module audibly pops if you flex it.  No internet search was helpful btw. I bought this to frame, it's for a future game room. either way will work, but I want to frame it sealed if this is how they were back in the day.

There was a conversation about this recently in one of the Facebook groups.

It shrinks over time. Books that aren't exhibiting a tightness could have been slightly less tightly wrapped originally or have something to do with it's storage environment. A big shrink collector said that he had plenty of both and I'd assume he is familiar enough to know original shrink, he was trying to figure it out himself why some were and others weren't.

When you say you are framing it, does that mean it will be pressed flat when mounted? If it's really tight, you might bust the shrink a little in the corners or on an edge so that the pressure is relieved while the book flattens out.

If it was me I'd take it out of the shrink so that the cover would look it's best when in frame, I'm not a shrink collector though. I won't deny that it will be worth less out of shrink so if you are worried about devaluing what you've purchased, then please do not follow my advice.

Speaking of value of books in shrink. It seems that shrink buyers are less concerned with that waviness than with the shrink being completely intact. So if you don't have any splits in the shrink, you might want to be concerned with making sure that you don't damage it.

Hope something in this helps you, good luck

Edit - I reread your post and see now that you do already have splits in the shrink - sorry I missed that before

I've had some success with very light hair dryer air, relaxing it, but old shrink may be brittle and tear with stress; very careful there.

F

One last note, I think it's a first edition, it has the phrase "with minor modification may be used with AD&D..." were those ever shrink wrapped? Or was that just park of a boxed set.  Sorry, I'm new here and full of questions. I just started getting back into this.

I also have a 1st print B2 KotB in SW.  I'm not sure about their rarity and it's obviously not a Header/7th due to the first paragraph on the cover (used in identifying 1sts).

I know Mr. Gamehole con is looking for one of these but I won't part with mine.  

~throwi

Tszii wrote in A Question only this community could answer:What's a Header/7? 7th print?

If you're really asking and not puling my leg, it's a header module, seen on the B1+ page here at the Acaeum site.  

B1 & B2

~throwi

Unless the thing is incredibly rare, I would take it out and flatten it, whether one was to display it or not.