Avalon Hill Games

One of the first strategy game companies would have to be Avalon Hill. The company began in 1958 and stormed onto the adult game market with 3 games that year. Gettysburg, Tactics II and Dispatcher. These games were based on real life situations that many people could relate. These games were not based on pure luck, they were based on thought and strategy. The game boards were played differently, you didn't move just one game piece but an entire group or infantry would be moved. The public loved this new style of gaming. Avalon Hills also employed many professionals to assure the authenticity of their games, people such as Generals, Admirals and Colonels.

Surprising the adult market that Avalon Hills thought would love these games shifted and it turns out that the age groups playing these games were 12 -19 year old. They had a "purchase piece" systems that would allow you to buy pieces of the game instead of having to go out and buy a new one and you could order full games, not online, but by mail.

Some of the more collectible games of this companies ERA would have to be the War games. Games like Jutland, Anzio and Alexander the Great were some of the earliest games. They did every war battle imaginable, from 1776 to Battle of the Bulge. Today in the collectors market it is difficult to find these games in un-punched condition. Many times the pieces, that were cardboard, are in plastic bags and collectors avoid them because of the time it takes to count all the game pieces. Well happy hunting out there.

Big Jim Lives

This weekend was a great find, Big Jim, Big Jeff and others from a series that was produced by Mattel. This was a great toy, in the style of GI Joe, where he had real cloths and he could be in different situations. Pictured is Big Jim, Big Jeff and the Rescue Rig. The toys have become very collectible in recent years. The toys had many different accessories and clothing options such as football players, hockey, policeman, fireman, hiker and so on. The most collectible of this ERA would have to be the WOLF Pack series of characters. There was also a set of figures that did not see distribution in the US that are very collectible.

Relive Your Childhood with Board Games

One of the best things about a yard sale is scoring something from your childhood. This week I found an un-played Partridge Family game. I had this game as a child and played it all the time. Why, I have no idea, the game really is not much of a game, none of those TV show board games were all that complicated, they were just good fun. For an avid game collector nothing beats finding a game that is virtually un-played. You begin to think, how could you buy a game and never play it?

The TV shows of this era had plenty of board games, there was Charlies Angels, CHIPS, Dark Shadows (cool game), and hundreds more. In my personal collection I have a few that I really had a hard time finding, Super Car, Thunderbirds, Amazing Spiderman, Outer Limits, Batman and a few others. This is what makes collecting and reliving your childhood fun and keeps this industry of collectors always looking to find that board game from their childhood exciting. Another weekend is coming so lets see what we find?

This week in garage sale land

Well spring has sprung and with this comes plenty of yard work and hundreds of flea markets and yard sales. I love this time of the year. The battle to get to that garage sale first. My only rule is to be as courteous as possible, unlike some early birds who show up and have the nerve to basically attack the individual. What I enjoy most is the thrill of the hunt, trying to find that amazing item for your own collection. My blog will focus on those finds, those items lost and those found that were damaged.

The hunt kicked off last week with a find of Lego's. My son loves Lego's and finding a bin filled with them is a golden egg at my house. My favorite sets and his are the space sets that came out in the 80's. The new sets are great but the earlier sets were better. We also found several board games some that we added to our website and others that we kept in our collection.

The one that I found finally was MB Battle Masters. I finally found a set that I could use to complete the set I had. Now I have a complete game and extra pieces to sell.

Until next weekend, happy hunting.

Garage Sale Find

I recently obtained a space helmet at a local auction. I bought it because i thought it was interesting. I brought it home and began to examine it and found a copyright on the ear that read Ziv-TV productions. Turns out that this company produced TV shows in the 50-60's. United Artists purchased the company and now the rights are property of MGM Television.

The helmet pictured is from one of their shows call "Men into Space". A sci-fi show in black and white starring William Lundigan. Turns out that Lundigan was Col. Edward McCauley on the show which this would be his helmet. The toy was produced by Ideal, a great toy company in the 60-70's, and is highly collectible and hard to find in good condition. The value of the toy is around $35-$65.00 without the box.

Holiday Board Game Buying

It's that time of the year again when everyone is scrambling to find that long lost game they had as a child or find a gift for a friend. I personally feel that receiving an original board game or toy from when I was a child is a very thoughtful gift. The worst thing that could happen is that one, you pay too much for it or two the game is not complete. Some of the most popular games today are ones that came out in the late 70’s & 80’s. The ones that seem to be the most popular based on sales on Ebay, and my site are strategy games and TV shows. One game in particular that seems to be very popular is the 1970’s Parker Brothers game Masterpiece. The game was release in several versions over time with new art added in each edition. The 1970’s version seems to be the most popular. This is a very fun game to play with the family where the object of the game is to purchase the highest amount of art without being stuck with a forgery. My kids love this game and it also teaches them about the art and the artists.

Probably the most popular game recently is the Milton Bradley game HeroQuest. The price of this game has recently shot up on the market. The game is very difficult to find complete since is contains over 50 pieces. 4 heroes face a legion of monsters in a dungeon and castle board game. The hardest things to find on the market are the expansion sets that came out later. Those are Kellar’s Keep, Frozen Horror and several others. These are small kits but command a high price to purchase.

Well have a happy holiday season, let’s hope you get the game you are looking for and bring the fun back to the table.

Obscure 3D 80's Board Games

Today we look at a growing trend in 80's-90's board games. There were a series of games putout that had a common design and have become very collectible. The 1st is "It from the Pit" made by Milton Bradley. The object of the game is to land on the treasure chest, but don't get grabbed by It From The Pit, a mechanical arm that comes up and drags you to the pit. The one drawback of the game is that it is noisy. This and other games that I mention below are 3D plastic environments, making them difficult to find in good condition. The game is fast paced and you have to move quick to get around the outside of the playing field. My family and I really enjoy playing this game.

The second game I would like to mention that is designed with a 3D plastic playing board is "Tornado Rex". This game manufactured by Parker Brothers and a great game to play. The object of the game is to move up the mountain and hope that the Tornado Rex, a spinning top, is not released down the mountain. Again a difficult game to find, in a mint box, and without a cracked mountain. If you happen to find one, keep it and play it with your family.

The other 2 games in this series of 3D games is "Fireball Island" and "Crash Canyon". Both of these games are very collectible and difficult to find complete. Well keep your eye out for these games and bring the fun back to the dinner table.