ITEM FOR AUCTION: The Collector's Trove has TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set Holmes Edition from 1979 in SHRINK for auction!
CONDITION: This game is still in its original shrinkwrap. The box is in FINE+ condition as far as general wear. There are a few small splits in the shrink but overall it is quite secure. A really beautiful copy!
DESCRIPTION: This is TSR’s first attempt to make an introductory set of rules for playing Dungeons & Dragons. According to Gary himself in an online Q&A, “John Eric Holmes approached me to do an edited beginner's version of the D&D game at the time I was in the throes of designing the AD&D game. Eric's son was a dedicated D&D gamer, and after chatting with the Good Doctor and his son, I gave the go-ahead. When the ms, was turned over to me for approval, I inserted a goodly number of the new AD&D game rules so as to upgrade the D&D system as well. The Basic Set sold very well, and it was to TSR's benefit that Holmes' did that version, and it cost the company nary a red cent.”
This particular copy is a 4th+ print from around 1979 and is one of the many comp copies given to Gary as the president of the company and for his lifetime subscription to TSR product as the company founder. From his personal collection!
"Story tellers are always careful to point out that the reputed dungeons lie in close proximity to the foundations of an older, pre-human city, to the graveyard, and to the sea.” - Holmes rulebook
Zenopus Archives - Holmes Basic D&D - website & blog
I must protest bitterly that my aircraft still has not been painted red.
Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 1,596 Location: Schenectady Karma: 73
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #1 on Mar 11, 2011, 9:03am »
That's silly. If someone gave that thing to me I'd rip the shrinkwrapping right off that sucker and hand it to one of my players. A book unused is a useless book. Someday it will be a pile of dust wrapped in plastic.
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #3 on Mar 12, 2011, 10:04am »
Believe it or not, this is not the highest recorded sale price for a Holmes Basic Set. Rabbit67 and Blackmoor on the Acaeum pointed out something I had forgotten, that a shrink-wrapped set sold at GenCon 2009 for $500. It was from the collection of Brian Blume.
It was an earlier print than the one above:
Quote:
For one the Blume copy of Holmes basic set (in shrink) that strato won; it has a blank box bottom and the F116-R [sic, should be F115-R] lizard box top. This confirms that it is a bonifide printing and I know that I have one and so does Stephen (bombadil) so we can add a new printing to the Basic set descriptions on the Acaeum.
The Acaeum still doesn't list this print, which probably predates what is listed as the 1st print on the Acaeum (blank box bottoms generally precede box bottoms with pictures). Stratochamp has one of the premiere D&D collections - his goal is one copy of every printed FRPG product for the first 30 years of releases - so he would have known exactly what he was bidding on, and the early very rare printing in shrink surely contributed to the price.
Edit: Here's a portion of a pic from stratochamp's collection showing his Holmes Basic sets (and multiple woodgrain sets):
"Story tellers are always careful to point out that the reputed dungeons lie in close proximity to the foundations of an older, pre-human city, to the graveyard, and to the sea.” - Holmes rulebook
Zenopus Archives - Holmes Basic D&D - website & blog
That's silly. If someone gave that thing to me I'd rip the shrinkwrapping right off that sucker and hand it to one of my players. A book unused is a useless book. Someday it will be a pile of dust wrapped in plastic.
Haha, the heck you would!!
And who is going to give you said product for free?
Removing the shrink would immediately devalue the box incredibly for sure.
Better to keep the box and sell it later . . and buy the Holmes rulebook for $5-10 on eBay to use or give to your players!
Believe it or not, this is not the highest recorded sale price for a Holmes Basic Set. Rabbit67 on the Acaeum pointed out something I had forgotten, that a shrink-wrapped set sold at GenCon 2009 for $500. It was from the collection of Brian Blume.
It was an earlier print than the one above:
Quote:
For one the Blume copy of Holmes basic set (in shrink) that strato won; it has a blank box bottom and the F116-R [sic, should be F115-R] lizard box top. This confirms that it is a bonifide printing and I know that I have one and so does Stephen (bombadil) so we can add a new printing to the Basic set descriptions on the Acaeum.
The Acaeum still doesn't list this print, which probably predates what is listed as the 1st print on the Acaeum (blank box bottoms generally precede box bottoms with pictures). Stratochamp has one of the premiere D&D collections - his goal is one copy of every printed FRPG product for the first 30 years of releases - so he would have known exactly what he was bidding on, and the early very rare printing in shrink surely contributed to the price.
Edit: Here's a portion of a pic from stratochamp's collection showing his Holmes Basic sets (and multiple woodgrain sets):
Believe it or not, this is not the highest recorded sale price for a Holmes Basic Set. Rabbit67 on the Acaeum pointed out something I had forgotten, that a shrink-wrapped set sold at GenCon 2009 for $500. It was from the collection of Brian Blume.
It was an earlier print than the one above:
The Acaeum still doesn't list this print, which probably predates what is listed as the 1st print on the Acaeum (blank box bottoms generally precede box bottoms with pictures). Stratochamp has one of the premiere D&D collections - his goal is one copy of every printed FRPG product for the first 30 years of releases - so he would have known exactly what he was bidding on, and the early very rare printing in shrink surely contributed to the price.
Edit: Here's a portion of a pic from stratochamp's collection showing his Holmes Basic sets (and multiple woodgrain sets):
Bill/stratochamp has me easily beat here since I'm down to my last eight woodgrains, IIRC, having repatriated a couple to their original owners last year when Citibank was trying to kill me. Two Lankhmars, though - the second being Gary's playtest version from ~1973 when he was trying to sell the game to Don Lowry (Guidon Games); later given as present along with one of the first copies to the other non-LG re-designer of the game.
I sincerely hope that $308 and $500 are the two highest prices for a Holmes Basic Set, anyhow. Way out of my territory...
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #9 on Mar 13, 2011, 10:45pm »
I looked through that Acaeum thread; that stratochamp guy has at least 26 OD&D sets, by my count (going from the pic of his kid behind a "fort" made of OD&D boxes!!).
Fortunately I have my printed pdfs, because I seriously doubt at this point that I'll ever get my hands on a real white box.
Joined: Sept 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 225 Location: Des Moines, Iowa USA Karma: 3
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #10 on Mar 14, 2011, 6:53am »
It's kind of depressing to see people hoarding so much of a single item. I understand collecting and all, but there is a point where it gets ridiculous and you're just keeping others from enjoying it and artificially driving prices through the roof.
I agree with Aldarron as well. I'd tear the shrinkwrap right off that sucker! I picked up a SW copy of the Runequest version of Cities a month or so ago. Even though I have the pdf, I debated about five seconds before I tore the plastic off. Who gives a crap if I devalued it if I never plan on selling it? I collect things for myself to enjoy, not to show off to others.
Joined: Sept 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 225 Location: Des Moines, Iowa USA Karma: 3
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #11 on Mar 14, 2011, 6:57am »
BTW, I'm not jealous at all. No sir. Not one bit.
*edit - Okay, I checked out the actual thread and everything displayed is a different version or has some other significance (e.g. owned by a former game designer). Totally insane.
Re: Record sale price for Holmes Basic Set? « Reply #14 on Mar 14, 2011, 8:30pm »
It's more like a personal museum (dragon hoard?). As arcadayn notes, each of those copies is a different printing or was owned by a particular TSR employee. Stratochamp has been doing this for a long time. He was the first person to buy a copy of an Orange B3 at a Gen Con auction in the early 80s.
When I was in elementary school and learned to play D&D, my friend and I imagined the ultimate collector with so much D&D that he was in danger of being buried by his collapsing piles of books. Now I have seen such a collection, though better organized.
If I found a copy of a Holmes set in shrinkwrap, I would sell it. But I like the idea that some shrinkwrapped copies are still out there (although interior condition is always a Schrodinger's cat).
"Story tellers are always careful to point out that the reputed dungeons lie in close proximity to the foundations of an older, pre-human city, to the graveyard, and to the sea.” - Holmes rulebook
Zenopus Archives - Holmes Basic D&D - website & blog
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