This game is from the first print run of 1,000 copies that Gary Gygax himself hand-assembled. This particular set is remarkable for its near mint condition - most known copies have been used to some degree, many quite heavily. Also notable is this set's provenance, as it comes with a letter hand-written and signed by Gygax:
1 June 1974
Dear Bob,
Thanks for your interest in D & D! The enclosed flyer should solve your old problems re the loca-tion of TSR… Note the set costs a whopping $10.00, but if you like fantasy I’ll personally guarantee your satisfaction.
Best,
Gary
P. S. Have a relative in Chicago by the name of (same as yours)?
The lucky high bidder also received “the first Supplement I (did not come with cover---24 pages) and second Supplement II (60 pages)” and “the original sales flyer missing the cut-out coupon that was used to order the set”. A rare and spectacular collectible, indeed! Prior to this sale, the highest price paid for a first printing of D&D was $5,100 in 2006, according to The Acaeum.
The seller also sold this first printing of Chainmail for $1,236 in a separate auction:
Cripes this is good news. Previously, I'd only managed to convince my wife that my very old scotch is a good investment. Now I can work on her re: my copy of Chainmail and other OD&D stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe mind boggles at such a thing. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.
ReplyDeleteI use examples like this to rebut critics of Swords & Wizardry who claim that everyone should just play the original.
ReplyDeleteUgh! You're dashing my hopes of picking this up for super-cheap.
ReplyDeleteb_i: look for single books in terrible shape, bid cheaply and be prepared to lose the first zillion times. That's how I assembled my set for under fifty bucks.
ReplyDeleteI use examples like this to rebut critics of Swords & Wizardry who claim that everyone should just play the original.
ReplyDeleteDo people actually make that claim? If so, that's beyond absurd. I cherish my complete OD&D set but I'm an obsessive about stuff like this. Not everyone is nor should they be expected to be.
James: I'm laughing, personally. Then again, I was lucky enough to get hold of the PDFs when they were legally available *and* I'm a player, not a collector.
ReplyDelete@ze bulette and bliss: Actually D&D collectible prices seem to have been pretty stable over the last 10 years or so (for non-unique items, at least). So while items like this will probably continue to set incremental records, if you adjust for inflation it's a little less impressive.
ReplyDeletePrices for a lot of old TSR stuff may even be going down slightly. I've seen several nice looking 6th-printing whitebox sets go for under $100 recently on eBay. For many years these have averaged around $150 or so. You can also usually pick up the individual booklets for $15-20 each, or less if they are well-used or listed incorrectly.
It makes you wonder whether you'd part with an early printing of OD&D, if you had it. At $7,000 for the combined let, this is definitely one to be put behind glass.
ReplyDelete@cyclopeatron - crazy crazy stuff.
ReplyDelete@bliss - hang out on Craigslist. I got all 3 LBBs/Ref Sheets and Greyhawk for $20 from a "make me an offer" ad on CL. No box, but I wasn't gunning for the box, just the books. The guy said people were hanging up on him because he didn't have the box. Fuck that, $20 for the three? Can't beat that. I made my own box :)
Hah! I haven't specifically looked for it in a while, but Box Only auctions used to pop up on ebay all the time.
ReplyDeleteThis makes my day! I'm with James Mal - the love for the game and for something this valuable makes me grin like the Cheshire Cat while my eyes grow misty with tears! Good post!
ReplyDeletehow do you know whether you have a 1st, 2nd or whatever printing of the OD&D?
ReplyDelete@Kimball - Click here to find the information you seek!
ReplyDeleteI have the original D&D set with box 3rd print, I got it from my uncle who recently passed away he was a game collector, it looks to be NM condition books look like the have never been used. the box it in VG condition too. I want to sell it for about 1250.00 I know it goes on other web sites for 1399.99 and I believe mine is in better condition.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/120933379692?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
ReplyDelete3rd print! boxed set woodgrain!