Hello,

I am quite familiar with what goes on in ebay with DnD merchandise.  Pre 1990 in particular.  
I've been at this DnD thing now for almost four decades.
My first post here has been triggered by my curiosity in shrink wrapped DnD items.

Before I constructed this post, I did a perusal of previous posts on these forums, regarding shrinkwrap inquiries.

I hope this is not an overlap or a topic that has been beat-to-death here.
If so, feel free to cast me in a remake of the "thank you sir may I have another" Animal House scene.

From what research I did here on the forums, I did not encounter any instructions or indicators on what to look for in shrinkwrap (I understand there may be differences in shrink wrap according to age or period).
I am referring to items that have their original shrinkwrap and not some knockoff or 'reshrunk' item.
On that note, I also do not know exactly what to look for in items that have been re-shrink wrapped.  I get that there may be some obvious tell-tale indicators such as damage to the item that clearly would not have occurred under shrink wrapped conditions (scuffing for example).

I have shrinkwrap items that have very noticeable and thick seams; some items that have what almost appears as no seam; and other items that have 'flexible' shrinkwrap and others having a more 'brittle' shrinkwrap; and some items have a small circular 'hole' in the plastic wrap.

I am obviously confused by what to make of any shrink wrapped item.

Should I be looking out for anything in particular in the characteristics of shrink wrap? (ie. maybe certain dates have a characteristic shrinkwrap, or a series has a characteristic shrinkwrap etc).

In addition, I have noticed quite a few shrink wrapped items on ebay recently... not sure what to make of this either.

Thanks for any direction on this.
Appreciated.

benjoshua wrote in Shrinkwrap legitimacy.:Welcome brikke!  You have come to the right place!  While I have limited experience with shrink wrap, I have run into re-shrinked items, and this is disappointing.  It's also an underhanded way of making an item look like it's worth more than it really is.  This topic has been discussed before, but I can't remember a thorough how-to thread.  I think part of the problem is that different legitimate shrink wrap technologies and varieties have been used in the past.  It would be nice if D&D products that were shrinkwrapped could be grouped according to the type of shrink that might be found and what to look for in each case.  That would take significant time and effort.

If you have a particular item needing evaluation, simply post a picture or two, and that'll likely get a quicker answer.

Again, welcome!  

Thanks for the welcome ben,

I'm overseas working and unfortunately my collection is a continent and an ocean away.  
Yes, it IS painful.

So no 'dice' on the sending pics for now.  
If there is any link you can send (or anyone else as well, for that matter), that could shed a brighter light on the topic of what to look for in shrink wrap items... it would be much appreciated.

I've been using this site as my go-to source for years... I figured it was time to step-up and represent.

- B

dbartman wrote in Shrinkwrap legitimacy.:
As always, shrinkwrap is NOT a condition...

But it is something BEAUTIFUL to behold.

dbartman wrote in Shrinkwrap legitimacy.:As always, shrinkwrap is NOT a condition...

Ugh, tell THAT to my shrink.  

In all seriousness, that is very true.  Although I have an affinity for shrink wrapped items, I am very picky.  Crushed corners, warped backing, discoloration, etc all goes into the decision.  In my mind's eye, shrink is pristine or as close to it as possible.

Just my 2 cp.

-SKA

Thanks all, so far for the informative feedback.

Much appreciated.

That makes sense that those small circular holes are in fact purposefully-designed air-holes.

I personally have never had an issue with suspicious shrink-wrap.  Even reviewing items online.

I'm not too fussed either way, just curious.

Again, appreciate all the bustle here so far.

Rather than go through all the legit variations of SW over the decades, perhaps it would be easier to show what a modern fake looks like. What a cheapo shrink wrap machine produces.  

** expired/removed eBay auction **


See the air holes in the back? Those are pretty hard to fake.

I would have expected a much higher price.  Was that a BIN?

-SKA

I would have expected the shrink to the B1-9 to have the mid-seam in the back. I'll have to check mine.

EDIT: Checked my shrink B1-9 and it has the "H" seam on the back. It has a pair of air holes on the front. Also, my pages are completely tight in the cover, no white pages are visible. On the back of this B1-9, you can see the white pages along the bottom, like the cover shifted a bit when it was wrapped. For another example I checked my shrink T1-4 and it also has the"H" seam on the back. Both shrinks are are brittle and have the crinkle texture.