in searching through the forums, I only found this mention of a three hole punched B2 by Curt at a Gen Con auction

cgould42 wrote in Special Addition to the 2012 Gen Con Auction:D&D Adventure Modules B1 & B2        TSR         Role-playing Game
B1 - brown cover version, B2 - TSR wizard face logo version. (Hole punched under shrink wrap which I have not seen before).

Was this version ever discussed elsewhere or does anyone have one? I think I came across one (not in shrink) and it matches the printing info for our 5th print. The hole punching doesn't look like a DIY type job

I'll get some photos posted, but I know what you mean. I've come across tons of those modules and I dont recall seeing the hole punching before. But tbh I wasn't really actively looking for it. I wonder if there were hole punched B3's as well?

I think the telling aspect on that auction is that the booklet is punched, but the cover is not. AFAIK, the whole thing should be punched, ala B4 and X1 (the only two I recall being factory punched).

Punching itself is not indicative of a new printing, any more than attaching to a hanger or having perforated pages. Those things are done at the end of the process. Or nearly so for perfed pages. They're done before the final binding of a book.

and here are from another

I have a hole punched 5th print in original shrink. I will try to get a pic of it posted this weekend.

Mike

Perhaps this hole-punching printings era can be narrowed down in time by looking across products printed with hole-punched versions?

IIRC, these products all had hole punching versions after non-hole-punched versions were initially printed:

- B2, seemingly?
- X1, seemingly?
- B4
- DM Log
- Monster & Treasure Assortment booklet
- Dungeon Geomorphs booklet
- Rogues Gallery booklet
- Moldvay/Marsh Basic set
- Cook Expert set
- others??

If we compare the begin/end printing dates for known hole-punched product printings, does that narrow down the window of when they were available or otherwise reveal any patterns we may have missed?

TSR must have been trying to tap into that 1980s Trapper Keeper market   But more seriously, perhaps the release of the St. Regis licensed binders/folders might also coincide with the rise of the hole-punched rulebooks and modules?

FoulFoot wrote in B2 Keep on the Borderlands 3 hole punched print research:

grodog wrote in B2 Keep on the Borderlands 3 hole punched print research:TSR must have been trying to tap into that 1980s Trapper Keeper market

I would bet this is absolutely on-target.  Every elementary & junior high kid in the U.S. lugged a Trapper Keeper to school in the early 80's; the same time period that TSR was pushing D&D to younger audiences.

Agreed.  My thought was that if we compare the printing timeframes across the various hole-punched products, that they might line up into a "hole punching era" so to speak, perhaps beginning with the Moldvay Basic set.

Per the history of the Trapper Keeper @ Way Back When — Mead® Trapper Keeper it looks like they were introduced (from Wichita, KS, no less! ) in 1978 and went big after first national TV campaign in June 1981 @ Way Back When — Mead® Trapper Keeper  

Per the Tome @ http://www.tomeoftreasures.com/forum/vi ... php?f=2063 it appears that the St. Regis line of D&D binders/folders were all launched in 1981 and 1982, which would make sense with them following on the coattails of the Trapper Keeper and D&D fads together.

misterspock:  perhaps retitle the thread to something like "B2 Keep on the Borderlands - 3 hole punched print research"?

Here's a mix-match B4:  hole-punched booklet, cover unpunched:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuct ... 9317366870