Hi all!

Compared to many of you, I am still quite new to these forums (and to serious collecting of retro gaming materials), but lately I've started to dip my toes into some of the more rare and special (and pricier) items. I am especially intrigued by TSR internal and TSR production related items, which brings me to the subject of this post:

Recently I won an auction for an unopened "TSR Information Pack" manilla envelope. (link below.) Given  that the contents of the pack are unknown (but presumed to be submission guidelines), and given that the excellent reputation of the seller on eBay and in this community, I should state from the get-go that I am very happy with this purchase and would be happy to keep this item unopened indefinitely.


** expired/removed eBay auction **


However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about the contents, and so I am here to ask if anyone has any information about TSR submission guidelines. Does anyone else have a copy of these guidlines?  I'd estimate the heft to be somewhere between that of a hardback and a softback module, so it's quite substantial.

I'm also curious what the opinion of this community would be with regard to opening the envelope?  Are presumed submission guidelines as collectible as confirmed submission guidelines?  Very curious what you might do in my position.

Anyway, thanks for reading,
Joe

I hate to say this, but you should have made this decision before you bought it. Of course, perhaps you would have spent less if you had decided in advance to open it; knowing that its value is likely to diminish the moment you drive it off the lot, err open the package. Anyway, you probably don't know me Mordenkainen, but I would counsel not to open it...since you're asking.

Schrödinger's envelope.  Its contents are simultaneously a common issue of Dragon magazine and the most sought after TSR collectible in existence.  Don’t open it

stratochamp wrote in TSR Information Pack - what to do?:I hate to say this, but you should have made this decision before you bought it. Of course, perhaps you would have spent less if you had decided in advance to open it; knowing that its value is likely to diminish the moment you drive it off the lot, err open the package.

No, I don't think so. I made the decision to buy it based on the assumption that it was what was exactly what it was described to be - a sealed envelope. I am very happy to have this as is. I asked about opening it because some collectible items have the potential to be more interesting open than they are closed. Having read all the answers here, it's clear that this isn't the case for a TSR information packet. (I'm not a sports memorabilia collector, but this video is a fun example of someone fishing for ROI: My Quest To Find A Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Rookie Card (2 Packs on eBay cost $579) | L.A. BEAST - YouTube )

Anyway, you probably don't know me Mordenkainen, but I would counsel not to open it...since you're asking.

Indeed, I am asking - and I appreciate your answering! Plus, I do know you, though not personally (and certainly not well enough to call you Susan). I enjoyed Jon Peterson's interview in front of your formidable library.  Knowing that collectors like you are here on this forum is why I posed the question here in the first place, and if someone with your collecting experience can confirm that this is best left under glass, then I have my answer.

My two coppers? Enjoy the feeling of "Should I open it?!" I think that would last for a couple of years. When you have a large collection that keeps you "full" and no longer care, open it, as long as you are ok with likely destroying the value. It would make a great video btw.  

Would this have any original content - like correspondence and feedback between a writer and TSR - or is it just a bunch of empty forms? If the former, it might be more interesting or valuable than a old envelope.

I recall writing in for guidelines sometime in the 80s - I don’t recall getting that back.  Not to say that that means anything.  If no one here is confident about the contents (considering you’ve got a lot of experts here who could confidently speculate) I’d probably do the opposite  of the prevailing opinion.  Open it (carefully) and then document it.

That’s awesome, thanks for posting those

chromaticknight wrote in TSR Information Pack - what to do?:Here is a different pack. I’m not sure where I got this:

Very cool,  thanks for posting!