Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing? • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?
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Malchor77
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:48 am

Two eBay purchases in a row resulted in a decent deal, but musty smelling items with some foxing or mildew stains.

One is a copy of Fantasy Role Playing Games by Holmes by John Eric, it had some grime on the cover (easily removed), stains on the edges and some brown spots on inside pages towards the top. I'm thinking this one might be too far gone a threat to my other books. Overreaching?

The other is AH Outdoor survival with OD&D reference sheets. A little foxing on the OD&D reference sheets and a little grimy feel on the bottom of boards. Is that grim mold?

Thoughts?

I need to return the Holmes book today if I'm going to do it.

benjoshua
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:40 am

Malchor77 wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:Two eBay purchases in a row resulted in a decent deal, but musty smelling items with some foxing or mildew stains.

One is a copy of Fantasy Role Playing Games by Holmes by John Eric, it had some grime on the cover (easily removed), stains on the edges and some brown spots on inside pages towards the top. I'm thinking this one might be too far gone a threat to my other books. Overreaching?

The other is AH Outdoor survival with OD&D reference sheets. A little foxing on the OD&D reference sheets and a little grimy feel on the bottom of boards. Is that grim mold?

Thoughts?

I need to return the Holmes book today if I'm going to do it.

When in doubt, get it out! You don't want even the possibility of mold around the rest of your collection. If you suspect you have grim mold, that's reason enough for me to let it go or return it. It really is worth it to get quality copies of what you want. We all like great deals, but the vast majority of the time, you get what you pay for.

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

Malchor77
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:04 am

Thanks, hate doing it, but the Holmes book looks like it has to go.

Will have to give Outdoor Survial a closer look.

Just to be clear, they were not super low priced. Rather, within the band of what items are actually selling for (in the middle to top 3rd), but not the crazy asking prices we sometimes see, and below top bidding prices that can outpace the pricing guide here.

Maybe I need to adjust my strategy, but I tend to figure most items without any major issues indicated are likely in the ceyvgood range of condition. I'm seeming such items go for over mint prices. But that is another topic.

In this case $20 (buy it now) for the Holmes book (UK editon) and $9 for OS (auction, thought that would go for $18-30), plus shipping on each. Have been stalking both for a while.

smarmy1
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:17 am

If these were eBay purchases, I would return them unless they were described as 'musty', smelly, etc.

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benjoshua
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:43 am

Malchor77 wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:Maybe I need to adjust my strategy, but I tend to figure most items without any major issues indicated are likely in the ceyvgood range of condition.

I adjusted my strategy over the years, and it's good to figure exactly what you want yours to be. I realized that I wanted copies I could read and use, so shrink copies were of no use to me. That also meant I didn't need really nice copies either. But, I wanted them to keep for a long time, so any mold and mildew were completely out for me. I have had good success with copies reeking of cigarette smoke, but my method of getting rid of those smells was time consuming. While there are other things I'd like to have in my collection, I'm pretty much done. I've got more stuff than I can read in several years, and I may even have some things I'll sell in the near future. To me, one of the saddest things to see are collectors who find themselves in financial trouble and have to sell things they don't want to sell and usually at a loss. It's also sad, to me, when collectors make their collection more important than themselves or make it their identity. If a collection isn't fun, then it's a burden. Again, it's worth it to figure out your collecting strategy.

Truth is worth finding and life is too short to work for money.

Malchor77
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:02 am

"Fantasy Role Playing Games" had a strong order when it arrived. I wiped the cover with a damp paper towel (vinegar and water) to take off the grime (the cover was pressed between two towels to both dry and flatten). Also wiped the page edges (clean paper towel). Then placed it in a ziplock to quarantine for a few weeks. It seems to have lost the mildewy smell, but foxing on inside pages seems like a sign of a lost cause and possible contaminant to other books. So that is going back.

Outdoor Survival just smells like cardboard. Foxing is the top page the OD&D Reference sheets, instructions for SO, and the back of a few of the tiles.

https://imgur.com/a/E7cv1Nn

Malchor77
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:09 am

benjoshua wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:Again, it's worth it to figure out your collecting strategy.

Yup, set my goals early on.

I'm not really a collector. I mainly want items I can read, use for reference, sometimes actually play with (not too often and mostly at home), and keep the long term. My focus is mostly 1e, B/X and Holmes. For Holmes, I would like to have one of each edition of the rulebook (I have 2nd and 3rd box sets, but no desire to for a 1st printing set, just the book).

Most other stuff, I am happy with a PDF.

I am nearing the end of my collecting goals. Like you will likely sell or trade off a few bits that were somehow included, were not part of my original plan.

Outdoor survival would be for use. The Homles book Fantasy Role Playing Games is a nice to have. Not worth it if it brings mold into the house though or can contaminate other books. This one I'm sure had water damage at one point, so mildew or mold is too much of a risk.

The stuff on OS, I'm not sure if that is mold or something to do with the cardboard the box is made from. It seems to affect only surfaces that touch the inside of the box and the box.

PaulyDragon
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:07 am

Unless the seller specifically noted they were musty/smelly/gross (which may not have been ascertained simply by viewing the photos), I'd definitely recommend you return them if you have even slightly mixed feelings about them. While a seller doesn't have to be hyper-detailed with the descriptions (I am sometimes quilty of the hyper-detailing) common sense and a desire for return business (not returned orders!) dictates the seller needs to be up front with the customer. The seller covers his or her ass by being honest even if only dollar-store money was made, the buyer is more motivated to bid with the accurately described faults firmly in mind. The faulty item sells by itself without needing to be tossed into a junk lot. A low-risk transaction like this may motivate the buyer to bid on pricier and more valuable things from the same seller. A win-win, I do think.

Again, return it for a full refund since it isn't accurately described, and the seller wasn't up front about the defects.

---Pauly

This space can be YOURS if the price is right!!! (Okay, still working on this . . . :p)

Lordan
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:56 am

Or....just maybe, you have a small fortune in the making....(look at that" slight water damage not horrible in any way just letting you know." on the Rules Cyclopedia!)

** expired/removed eBay auction **

Sir Kill Alot
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 6:29 pm

Lordan wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:Or....just maybe, you have a small fortune in the making....(look at that" slight water damage not horrible in any way just letting you know." on the Rules Cyclopedia!)

** expired/removed eBay auction **

That is crazy. Buyer beware those items should be pulped. Not to mention bad for your health just being near them.

-SKA

PaulyDragon
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:57 pm

Lordan wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:Or....just maybe, you have a small fortune in the making....(look at that" slight water damage not horrible in any way just letting you know." on the Rules Cyclopedia!)

** expired/removed eBay auction **

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This space can be YOURS if the price is right!!! (Okay, still working on this . . . :p)

stratochamp
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 12:01 am

Isn't that nice, they got matching pajama sets for Christmas.

Shrink is not a condition

Scalydemon
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 11:06 am

Musty smell alert.

Well, we land in barren fields
On the Arizona plains

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PM-Knight
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 2:19 pm

Either that or Scotty had haggis for lunch :lol:

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PaulyDragon
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:29 pm

"Someone farted where no man man has farted before!"

This space can be YOURS if the price is right!!! (Okay, still working on this . . . :p)

ExTSR
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:08 pm

I have, on several occasions over 35 years, thrown items out of the GenCon auction due to mold, mildew, etc.

That is now official policy there. Absolutely NO infections like this, they infect the other games.

burntwire brothers
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:18 pm

ExTSR wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:I have, on several occasions over 35 years, thrown items out of the GenCon auction due to mold, mildew, etc.

That is now official policy there. Absolutely NO infections like this, they infect the other games.

F

I just wish they wouldn't sell items in the auction that are less than VG/FN. I bought several modules this year only to find out later they were heavily highlighted and had notes etc. They should have been sold in the store for $3-5. Maybe the auction should state that poor/fair/good items will go directly to the store or won't be sold at all.

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MadCatUSA
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:56 pm

burntwire brothers wrote in Keep or dispose? Mold, Mildew, Foxing?:I just wish they wouldn't sell items in the auction that are less than VG/FN. I bought several modules this year only to find out later they were heavily highlighted and had notes etc. They should have been sold in the store for $3-5. Maybe the auction should state that poor/fair/good items will go directly to the store or won't be sold at all.

At first, I thought you were referring to general auctions like Facebook and eBay, then I realized you were referring to auctions at conventions like GaryCon or GenCon. I can understand wanting to pay higher prices for better quality items at GenCon, but I for one am fine with less than FN quality items if it's something I've been looking for a long time or something that I really want for my collection (especially if I can get it for a good price.)

When I'm selling, I make sure that the photos include all possible angles of anything problematic, I make sure I describe any repairs that I may have made to an item and generally feel that it's better to be very open and up-front with a buyer than have bad feelings later.

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