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AD&D RARE item id help! TSR BOXES
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Lazerrus
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Post Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 4:40 pm 
 

Hello all.  After emailing Scott (The Sage) he also recommended I post this here in the forum also.  He too has not seen these before.   I just recently purchased a couple of items I have never seen before.  I would like to know if any of you have any info on these.  I have a AD&D Player's Handbook and a DMG that are in dead mint unused and never shelved condition.  But what is rare is the boxes they came in.  They appear to be shipping boxes straight from TSR.  However there are no shipping labels on the boxes themselves but a checklist marking what book is in each box.  The boxes have the TSR logo as well as the AD&D logo on them.  I have included some photos of them in detail and the copies of the books also.  I know the books are original to the boxes and are later printings to help date.  What I believe is rare here are the boxes not so much the books.  I am wondering if these were inner TSR staff copies? As a collector I had to have them when I saw them.  I keep them bagged as you can see from the photos. Thanks for any help in advance.

Bagged...
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Unbagged...
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Backside....
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Unfolding....
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Unfolding second fold....
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Fully opened DMG
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Fully opened PHB
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Number code on end of PHB box...
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Number code on end of DMG box...
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Post Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:01 pm 
 

Yep, we used those in '83-86 or so when shipping individual books.
Uncommon in any condition; normally we shipped case-lots.
These would have been used primarily by the Mail Order Hobby Shop (the new incarnation of the old Dungeon Hobby Shop).

FM

I have a dozen or two original TSR boxes, but only in 2-3 larger sizes. And mine are all beat up; been using them to store games for 30 years.

ps: Window is defined by MM2 (1983) and the move to 2e (1989), and very probably limited by UA (1985, not included on the list). So these would be fairly rare. We fixed the misspelling as soon as we printed a new batch of boxes, iirc. (Tiny diets?) Musta been the Sloans again and their Research & Product Engineering (R.a.P.E.) Department... :/


My friends Dave & Gary made a quantum leap in entertainment. Remember them.
  

Lazerrus
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Posts: 24
Joined: Sep 28, 2013
Last Visit: May 17, 2015

Post Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:27 pm 
 

Thank you soooo much for the info! I love digging into TSR history and am very happy to have them in the collection and preserved. Is this Frank M? I'm honored good sir. The only problem is as a collector I now have to aquire an entire set Hahaha :D
  
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