hey guys while I appreciate The Collectors Trove eBay auction and the fact that he finds these old collections and brings them to auction, I feel a little disappointed.

1. I'm sure he already has kept the truly cool and rare items like original artwork of Module covers.
2. I'm sure he has kept the cream of the crop, and sells the leftovers.
3. The TSR ghost tower artwork wasn't even used in the dang module!
4. It seems like the big collector companies like badmike, nobleknight, stormberg, the collectors trove, have cannibalized the market and sell the leftovers they don't want.

I'm bummed.

Rant over, flame suit on!

Mark

Stormberg and collectors trove are the same guy

Blackmoor wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:Stormberg and collectors trove are the same guy

i think he was giving him the full honorific i.e. Stormberg, the right venerable Collector's Trove.

I bet he could crack open a Schlitz on one of those horns faster than you could say Asmodeus

stratochamp wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:I think Mike will be tickled pink when he learns that the Illuminati have voted him into the Club.

And you out...  

Hey Mark,

mark1107 wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:hey guys while I appreciate The Collectors Trove eBay auction and the fact that he finds these old collections and brings them to auction, I feel a little disappointed.

Aw c'mon we can't be that jaded can we? There is some really great stuff in there! The I9 manuscript, the giant series character sheets, the Barrier Peaks character sheet, the Playboy Club "Do Not Disturb" hanger - who saves that stuff!? Oh and the Escape from New York press kit with the letter to Dave Sutherland III - amazing! And how many pieces of Bill Willingham art from his TSR days are floating around for sale?

mark1107 wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:1. I'm sure he already has kept the truly cool and rare items like original artwork of Module covers.
2. I'm sure he has kept the cream of the crop, and sells the leftovers.

That is not the case and often causes me great angst. Just a few examples of things I have let go that were existentially crippling for me after they went out the door: Bottle City ms., TSR Chalice, TSR Tiffany paperweight, 1st Players Handbook sold, 1st DMG off the printers, Monster Manual with the signature of every person working at TSR in 1977, Greyhawk Castle maps by Shook, B3 Palace of the Silver Princess print negatives, unused DMG cover proof, Deities & Demigods cover proof, Aegis ink, Vanamoinen ink, Erol Otus devo badger, Hoyer blue enamel RPGA buckle and copper RPGA reward buckle, Mornard's Lessnard play drawn map of Greyhawk Castle, Dread Delgath Character sheet, many, many copies of Random Events, TWO, count 'em, two TSR Lizardman Logo miniatures, TSR Production calendars, a zillion business cards, scads of autographed items (many by people that are no longer with us), countless letters by Gary, missing issues of Domesday Book, Strategic Preview, and Corner of the Tabletop, and the list goes on. In this particular auction, I will really hate to see those Gen Con XI  and Origins II character sheets go. As a collector it hurts me to my core to let them go. I typically, wistfully, bid the items farewell aloud as I place them in their boxes, knowing I will never see them again.

In particular some of those Deities & Demigod inks were very painful to let slip away. It may sound silly but I think I am with the right crowd when I say they are part of my soul. How often did you look at that little Roslof drawing of the Corinthian helm, xiphos sword, and laurel crown or the Aegis? I thought Vanmoinen on his magic sledge was a totally bad ass. Though I have stared at these images until they were burned in my memory, I never thought in a million years I would hold the actual art with my own hands and look upon it with my own eyes. I have no doubt the folks who bought them, Diesel (Dave LaForce) and Tony Diterlizzi, were just as affected by them as I was, indeed those tiny pieces of art may be why they are artists today.

My philosophy is this: you can only know the true value of an item at auction. Were I to make any personal offers to the clients I deal with, I would most certainly be cheating them. Thus my policy is to auction it all. No bars held. As painful as it might be. I owe it to them for all of the happiness I have had playing at what they created.

My two real rewards are making my clients happy, both financially and emotionally, and making the collecting world at large happy emotionally (which seems to help them ignore the temporary financial unhappiness).

Now sometimes I do get items from collections, typically things that don't sell, that are not paid for and thus returned, and occasionally duplicates where I pay the highest bid price for items in agreement with my client. Occasionally I get items as gifts from clients as well but these are usually leftovers. Sadly on one occasion I had a collector pass away and was given some of the items he had won from the Kuntz and Marsh auctions, back from his widow, I offered to pay what he had paid but she said no, that he would want to know they were with someone who appreciated them.

On of my favorite "leftovers" was out of Rob Kuntz's collection. It was a book on Norse mythology from which Gods, Demigods, & Heroes was researched from, which the back book-plate of Odin was copied from, and that was over a hundred years old. Rob insisted on a reserve of $250, which I recommended against, and it did not sell. However, Rob was so pleased with the rest of the auction he said, "Paul, I believe some things happen for a reason and I think you should have the book." So it sits on my shelf right next to my 1st print of Gods, Demigods, and Heroes.

What you see (and will see) in the Hammack Collection *is* the cream of the crop, all that is left after some 45 years. The same goes for all of my clients.


Futures Bright,

Paul

I will beg to differ on the OP,  I feel that Paul @ Collector's Trove offers us all a "chance" to get some of these rarities.  I agree with all he wrote.  I agree with the OP that the budget and costs ARE higher.   I think it's time for us all to admit that yes, the costs are up.  Take the recent Palace of the Silver Princess orange that went for over $2000.  The 4th print white box w/Chainmail, Greyhawk and Blackmoor that went for $965.  I think that supply on collectibles is shrinking and demand is increasing and our respective budgets can't handle it all.  Me personally, when it comes to big ticket items: I single out one or two I would absolutely love to own and set clear parameters for what I am willing to collect.  Gone are the halcyon days of finding a rare on the cheap.  On the plus side, with the heavy hitters on the collectible front, I can talk to them about their buys/collections and they are cool people who care about the hobby and I am happy to see those rarities go to them.  

In the end, find your collecting niche, have fun with it.  Am I frustrated at a last minute outbid, etc.  Yeah, but to be fair I did win a few over the years.  Also, you never know.  Some of those "heavy hitters" may help you out with your collection sometime.  I can say that was the case for me and I am much happier for that!  Good luck.

stratochamp wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:I bet he could crack open a Schlitz on one of those horns faster than you could say Asmodeus

They are also good for opening cans of Spam when you have lost the little key thingies....

Mike B.

mark1107 wrote in The collectors Trove eBay auction....:hey guys while I appreciate The Collectors Trove eBay auction and the fact that he finds these old collections and brings them to auction, I feel a little disappointed.

1. I'm sure he already has kept the truly cool and rare items like original artwork of Module covers.
2. I'm sure he has kept the cream of the crop, and sells the leftovers.
3. The TSR ghost tower artwork wasn't even used in the dang module!
4. It seems like the big collector companies like badmike, nobleknight, stormberg, the collectors trove, have cannibalized the market and sell the leftovers they don't want.

I'm bummed.

Rant over, flame suit on!

Mark

Mark, I assure you (to great peals of laughter) that I am not in the collector pantheon with the likes of Paul, Aaron, Bill, Jeff, Justin, Brette, go ahead and slap a couple dozen names to that list.  And I certainly do not deal in the sort of stuff Paul and Aaron see on a daily basis in their business. Seriously, like Paul said of his Collector's Trove items, most of the stuff I find merely passes through my hands on it's way to a more permanent home....I really cannot afford to make a living selling stuff AND keep valuable rares, they all have to go except for a select few items that have sentimental value. I don't even own a tournament module or any of the super rares (I did sell a ST1 and woodgrain box a few years ago on commission, there is no way in hell I could have afforded to keep these in my personal collection).  Most of my more "valuable" stuff is old NTRPG con digests and ephemera that hopefully will be interesting curios someday if the con ever continues another decade or so. I do have a trio of white boxes (one signed by Gary) but honestly that's about it for collectibles.  I have amassed some great signed stuff since NTRPG con  began (I have two Deities & Demigods signed by all living members who conributed, but I doubt these will ever leave my collection).

There are still great collections out there waiting to be found (see the "Spot the Unicorn" thread for one Zach and I stumbled upon) and collectors everyday are selling off their collections...luck is a part of it, but honestly, if you aren't already attending gaming cons those are the best places to go to make connections and meet gamers that are selling or trading away their stuff, or know of those who are.....there is always someone out there who needs a few bucks and is willing to part with their goodies, just keep your eyes open! Just last weekend at Gamehole Con a dealer there didn't realize his Tunnels & Trolls box contained one of the rarest T&T items, he almost sold the entire box cheaply until someone looked inside and pointed it out to him. And this summer while working a con I met a guy who had a woodgrain and wanted to sell (we are still working on the details but it looks like it's going to be a commission sale for me also if I can't work anything out).

Mike B.