I mean, I love collecting RPG stuff, and I really look after all my books. I'd say that all the stuff I have is in at least excellent condition and I'm probably being really critical on that one...



Anyway, I'm looking for a hardback version of MERP second edition, just to have as a nice backup for my paperback edition and I saw this for auction:




** expired/removed eBay auction **




And the seller's also been good enough to take some other photos:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/28697569@N ... 50/detail/



... Yeah, I know!



Okay, I'm kind of hoping that after looking at at least one of those pictures you're going 'WTF'?!?!     What's this guy doing laying the book FLAT like that?! Anyone that does that can no longer describe the item as in excellent condition!  



Yeah, my standards are probably too high.

Random Code wrote: ... Yeah, I know!

Okay, I'm kind of hoping that after looking at at least one of those pictures you're going 'WTF'?!?!     What's this guy doing laying the book FLAT like that?! Anyone that does that can no longer describe the item as in excellent condition!  

Yeah, my standards are probably too high.

Umnnn.... I dont get it.
A book in excellent condition after having been opened and pictures taken of the opened book lying flat on a table; is still a book in excellent condition after closing it again.

If the guy (or lady) had stated it was in NEW UNUSED MINT SHRINK WRPPED condition, then I could see saying WTF after she took the second set of pictures.

The book is obviously in used condition and the sellers says that in at least two places.
And from all the pictures, It looks like it is in excellent used condition to me.
To me excellent used condition would mean someone had actually used the book at some time in the past.

To me, that would mean some former owner had opened it up and read the book, or at least glanced through it.
Possibly hundreds of times even.
Perhaps even (OMG) laying it flat on a table to read it, while sipping on a big glass of chocolate milk, perhaps spilling some on one of the exposed pages and then wiping it off with his hand, before turing to the next page.

Perhaps you were confusing Mint SW with Excellent Used?

serleran wrote:I am probably too liberal with my conditions -- I'd consider that book Very Good, but still worthy to sit on my shelf. I'd probably have it as a play copy, if I played MERP.

By Acaeum's grading scale, that book's at least VG.  Though I'd probably put it a touch higher, at Fine.

I'm not sure if the original poster has seen our grading scheme (http://www.acaeum.com/frontdesk/grading.html) or not, but the term Excellent has a specific, yet subjective meaning beyond "really great".  It's equivalent to what is now termed "Very Fine".  

Very Fine might be a stretch for this item, but not a huge one.  Better pictures would be required, I'd think.

Aneoth wrote:A book in excellent condition after having been opened and pictures taken of the opened book lying flat on a table; is still a book in excellent condition after closing it again.

Heh, heh. Folding the spine/book like that means that I could never say it was in excellent condition, just think of the damage its causing to the binding!

Aneoth wrote:Perhaps even (OMG) laying it flat on a table to read it, while sipping on a big glass of chocolate milk, perhaps spilling some on one of the exposed pages and then wiping it off with his hand, before turing to the next page.

(putting on best John McEnroe voice) YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!  

HermitFromPluto wrote:You may have obsessive compulsive disorder. Get thee to a shrinkery!

Absolutely. I could do with a couple of weeks off of work!

Aneoth wrote:
 
Perhaps even (OMG) laying it flat on a table to read it, while sipping on a big glass of chocolate milk, perhaps spilling some on one of the exposed pages and then wiping it off with his hand, before turning to the next page.

(putting on best John McEnroe voice) YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!  

Umnnn.......... Yeah... of course I was serious.
WHY do you ask?
Wait a second here.... are you trying to say that you have never done that?
Or something similar?
Do you play your RPG books and games and such, or do you buy only minty stuff and then place them on the shelf to simply look at, and not play?
I think the Lemur and the HermitFromPluto were right..... you DO need to visit a shrinkery.

deimos3428 wrote:To clarify, a shrinkery has nothing to do with diagnosing and healing the mental state.  Though for some collectors, it has a similar therapeutic effect.  A shrinkery is a place where they store mass quantities of collectible materials in original shrinkwrap.

Riiight... Sounds like it could be a bit of an Aladdin's Cave to many people.