They are indeed limited, although the production numbers are rumored to have increased with later alternate cover releases.

The alternate art covers are supposed to be exclusive to local game stores.  There is nothing prohibiting the game stores from selling these online, though, which is good for people that might not have a game store nearby.

Some of the earlier releases are more difficult to find, and are therefore more expensive.  It seems like most of the alternate covers have increased in value over time, though.

To finish my comment, I would think that someone would need to offer a discount to get someone to buy all of them at one time because other than the Volo's and Xanathar's the others are able to be found. So the price strikes me as a bit too high. If someone had none of them maybe $1500 for the convenience of getting them all at once?

stratochamp wrote in Alternate covers:To finish my comment, I would think that someone would need to offer a discount to get someone to buy all of them at one time because other than the Volo's and Xanathar's the others are able to be found. So the price strikes me as a bit too high. If someone had none of them maybe $1500 for the convenience of getting them all at once?

That is really interesting Bill! This is a topic about overall pricing and not related to that lot: there are two different ways to consider the price of a lot (or a complete series).

The first is by selling it ar a lower price than the sum of the single units. A kind of 'quantity discount'. That happens very often and it is a 'seller approach' (so very commercial).

The second is by selling the lot with a higher price than the sum of the single prices due to the fact a kind-of collection premium is recognized in it. This means that seller accounts also the time and his efforts to present a lot instead of single items. That is not a commercial approach... it is closer to the collectors'view of the value of a series.

So you are more incline to the first method... that is curious as i thought that, as a 'grand master of all collectors', you preferred the second one. Is there any reason you prefer the first one?

(Of course you have also the pricing coming from the mere sum of single prices. This is not worth a discussion...)

There is only one printing of them so they are "limited". As I mentioned it doesn't mean they can't be found. When they were first available stores had to order as many regular covers (or more) as alternate covers, so stores could not stock up on alternates and order regular versions as an ongoing regular process.

To your question Axel, I was suggesting the price point at which it would be worth it (in my opinion) for a buyer to decide to simply buy the whole lot at once, as opposed to taking one's time and acquiring the books individually. Individual book prices can obviously vary widely. when I quoted 2000 I was suggesting the price point a reasonable store would have (not too high, not too low) that group of books priced at. If one took one's time they can be had for far less. So I felt a reasonable middle ground where the time saved not searching was equaling the extra money spent came out to about $1500.

aia wrote in Alternate covers:The second is by selling the lot with a higher price than the sum of the single prices due to the fact a kind-of collection premium is recognized in it. This means that seller accounts also the time and his efforts to present a lot instead of single items. That is not a commercial approach... it is closer to the collectors'view of the value of a series.

In my view, I would think very rarely this applies, whether one is a collector or not: 1) Even if one wanted the whole thing, having the first book in one's collection will have a greater marginal value than having the second... let alone the 22nd. To suggest otherwise, it seems to me, is to suggest these books are closer to jigsaw puzzle pieces than actual fantasy books - that is, one or two by themselves aren't  of interest or useful, but rather only when owned as a set. This does not seem to be true of most collectibles I've come across (baseball card sets, etc.); 2) Collectors who already own a handful of the set incur the added inconvenience of storing/selling off duplicates, offsetting some of the benefits of an all-in-one purchase; and 3) Even collectors are mindful of competition, and recognize they may gain the books elsewhere individually for a lower price. This is because price isn't just determined by buyer's demand, but also by cost to sellers - many appear willing to sell for less.

In short, the seller seems to be looking for a very specific buyer. Namely, someone with edge case preferences about the set, who does not own any of the books already, and who has a very high time cost browsing ebay listings. More power to the seller, and he can charge as much as he wants, but I suspect it will come at a cost of having the items sit longer than they otherwise would, costing him the value of alternate uses of those funds had the 22 books been priced for a broader audience.