Just saw on Twitter...

[T. Foster]

...tweeted by Wired magazine IIRC, that the first batch of Gary Gygax's game collection has just gone up for auction. I assume this is through Paul Stormberg (unsurprisingly, the tweet didn't specify). I'm sure at least someone here has more info on this - please feel free to share

[Juju EyeBall]

Yeah there's a post on dragonsfoot about it.

[Falconer]

You’re going to make us go over there??

[Juju EyeBall]

Well there's also some blog about it. Treasure Trove or something.

[Falconer]

Alright, here is the link to the eBay auctions.

Gah, the auctions are ending within the next few hours!

[T. Foster]

Alright, here is the link to the eBay auctions.

Gah, the auctions are ending within the next few hours!

And, unsurprisingly, any items I'd have considered bidding on are all already well out of reach, even before the presumed last-minute sniping spree

[Terrex]

Wow, there's some great stuff there. I always wanted to play this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/TSR-Battle-Five-Arm ... 483e0819ec
Of course if I got it, the shrink wrap would go, the counters would be punched, and the game would be on the table.

[Falconer]

Yeah, I’m interested in this:

TSR Battle of the Five Armies 1977 SHRINK!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0278363628

And this:

TSR Jedko Games Dungeon! Board Game Deep Box 1976
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0278365128

But since I’m not a collector, I should probably wait for other copies. I love the great Gary, of course, but I don’t care to pay extra just because it was in his house (and probably smells like cigars).

[bbarsh]

Wow, there's some great stuff there. I always wanted to play this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/TSR-Battle-Five-Arm ... 483e0819ec
Of course if I got it, the shrink wrap would go, the counters would be punched, and the game would be on the table.

That loud series of "thuds" you just heard was the collecting market having a stroke!

[geneweigel]

Thats interesting that I never even heard of the DUNGEON computer game. I had the Minotaur one from TSR for Apple II, I probably would have given my right arm for that.

[TRP]

Really? Really? An 8th printing of Chainmail is currently at $152. Really? Really?

Yes, you too can own a book that sat on Gary Gygax' shelf and was never opened. You too can do the exact same thing. Buy it and put it away somewhere such that it will never be opened, let alone played. $152 for a Chainmail 8th printing.

[Chainsaw]

$152 for a Chainmail 8th printing.

But it has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Gail!

[T. Foster]

Really? Really? An 8th printing of Chainmail is currently at $152. Really? Really?

Yes, you too can own a book that sat on Gary Gygax' shelf and was never opened. You too can do the exact same thing. Buy it and put it away somewhere such that it will never be opened, let alone played. $152 for a Chainmail 8th printing.

I doubt this stuff even made it to the shelf -- these were most/all comp copies that probably just went straight into a box in the attic/cellar. The games Gygax actually played -- the worn/incomplete copies that really smell like smoke -- will presumably be in later batches and will go for even higher prices (and will probably make all the folks who blew their wads early shelling out $200+ a pop for a copies of Gangbusters and Star Frontiers that Gygax probably never even looked at feel a little silly...).

[EOTB]

I wonder if this is to raise money for Gygax Games, or for a Gygax statue. The ebay listings might say - I can't access it at work.

I hope this is to raise captial to get out product of some sort. But the history so far makes me hesitant to get excited about that. Not that I don't think that Gygax shouldn't have a memorial of some sort, but I think the only appropriate memorial would be built out of profits from a gaming company. If this stuff is going for big money, makes me wonder why he didn't do it when he was living? Maybe it would have allowed him to get some of his products in distribution through his own company. Surely this will raise more than the promotional special edition of LL Goblinoid Games did a year or so ago that Daniel Proctor has said was successful in getting LL into regular distribution.

[T. Foster]

Presumably John Troy will be along any moment with something more definitive, but my understanding is that the memorial statue is the first/only priority for the time being, and that any game-related publication is something that will only occur in the medium/long-term, if at all, so I'd assume that (the statue fund) is where the money raised in these auctions will be going.