| Saturday / Sunday Morning Gamer | |
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This week's Saturday Morning Game is really a Sunday Morning Gamer, as I spent all day Saturday at the second auction of Sid Sackson's amazing game collection in Keyport, New Jersey.
Sid Sackson Game Auction, Part 2
The first auction of Sackson's collection is believed to have included more than 10,000 games. This one was smaller in scale, with about 8,000 games being sold to the highest bidders.
And where the first one started with bids of $130 and $150 for sets of three boxes full of games, this one started with bids of $10 for a lot of two games and $5 for a collection of magazines. The crowd was much smaller (less than half the size, by my estimation), and prices were, overall, lower.
Certain prized games still brought in high dollar amounts -- $650 for a lot including The Next War and other war games, $325 for Infinity and several other shrink-wrapped games, $325 for a lot including Talisman, $250 for a lot of SPI boxes games, $190 for a lot including Dark Tower -- but there were many more bargains available this time around.
Other items that interested me for various reasons included:
The weather was better for this May 3 auction than it had been in November, with moderate temperatures and sunshine all day. The food also was better, and for the first time I can now vouch for the quality of hamburgers coming off the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine.
And the auctioneers, who handled the auction as well as anyone could, continued to show an occasionally humorous lack of knowledge about the world of board games. In addition to calling SPI games "spy" games, as he did at the last auction, he said the following:
In the most understandable flub, Merchant of Venus became "Merchant of Venice."
Instead of Boggle Bowl, it became "Boogle Bowl."
And my personal favorite: while selling a set of games by German publisher ASS, "Here are five more of these ass games."
This auction also was shorter than the first. After a somewhat late start around 11:15 a.m., everything was wrapped up by 4:45 p.m., just 5 hours and 30 minutes. The last auction lasted 2 hours longer than that.
Now the collection once owned by Sid Sackson is officially spread around the world. Many games from the first auction were sold on eBay, and there's no doubt that games from the second auction will find their way onto eBay as well.
Sad? Absolutely.
But, looking for the silver lining, many of these games are now being played for the first time ever. (At least three of the several dozen games I picked up in the second auction were unpunched.) Others are being played for the first time in decades.
And games are definitely meant to be played.
Games I'm Playing
While my parents were in town last weekend, we got to play several games in addition to those reported in last week's SMG:
Balloon Cup - Mom and I played this new game, which has quickly become one of my favorite two-player games. I eeked out a win, three trophies to two.
Blokus - We played this gorgeous abstract game a second time, and this time Beth won.
Clue - The Card Game - Mom decided she really liked this one, and we played four times. She won the first one, then Dad, then me, and then me again. I was luring them into a false sense of security with those first two games. Honest.
Crokinole - This was Dad's favorite of the weekend, and we played it three times. Unfortunately for him, he was never on my team -- and so he never won. With a bit more practice, however, I'm sure Dad's Crokinole skills will improve.
Star Wars Epic Duels - Another game Dad couldn't beat me at. As Darth Maul, I tore apart Anakin Skywalker. In the interest of fairness, I should point out that it wasn't really a very serious game -- the main goal was to teach him the rules so he can play with his grandson back in Texas.
Wyatt Earp - We only had time to sneak in one hand of this rummy-like card game.
Board Games Survivor Island - Amazon Edition
This week in the Board Games Survivor Island game, the classic Sid Sackson design Acquire was eliminated. Only three games remain, so be sure to make your vote count!
Boardgame Top Picks List of the Week
These are the five games I'm currently most happy about picking up at the second Sid Sackson auction. (This list is subject to revision upon further reflection!)
What's the most you've ever paid for a single board game?
Last Week's Poll Results
Which of these, my favorite new games from The Gathering 03, most interests you?
It's never too late to add your vote!
About Something Else Site of the Week
Playing games is great exercise for the mind, but not so great for the body. (No, not even flicking all those Crokinole discs counts as real exercise.) And one of my ongoing goals is to lose weight. But if I'm actually going to start shedding pounds, I need to start somewhere. And even if I ignore her advice to cut out red meat, the rest of the tips offered by About.com's Guide to weight loss, Jennifer R. Scott, will help a lot.
Green Bay Packers Notes of the Week
Interested in buying Brett Favre's house in Green Bay? It's available on eBay. Alas, the price is a bit too high for our budget.
Prediction: Someone overpays for a heck of a nice house.
Other Off-Topic Thoughts of the Week
Allen Iverson is tremendously fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to the Sixers-Pistons second-round playoff series. If Keith Van Horn keeps putting up numbers like 18 points and 18 rebounds, the Sixers will be marching into the Eastern Conference Finals.
What's That You Say?
Talk back to SMG in the About Board Games Forum.
--Erik Arneson
3 May 2003 / 4 May 2003
More boxes of various paper products -- ranging from magazine collections (Games, Tactics & Strategy, The General, and others) to Sid's personal correspondence and (who knows?) perhaps even an unpublished prototype or two -- also were available. Some sold for a pittance, but the three I was interested in, because they looked to contain a significant amount of Sackson's personal papers, all went to other buyers for $100 or more.
Boardgames Poll of the Week
Vote now!
