"Is There Any Value in Old Wargaming Magazines" Topic

I'm having to down-size my wargaming holdings and that include magazines. I have Wargames Illustrated (issues 265-286) and Miniature Wargames (issues 49-407) with all but the last 13 issues of MW in binders. All are in good condition.

Can members advise me whether it is worthwhile trying to sell these as I'd like to shift them as one or two lots rather than try selling them all individually – that of course assumes they have any value.

Thank you.

Bummer!

Sold individually you'd probably generate more income but unless you already frequently sell such things it takes forever, can be costly and you never know if anyone will buy it at all.

Value or worth here is determined by what a buyer is willing to pay. Spot check on Ebay has WI #265 for around $12 USD US.

For what it is worth i would say they are best just given to others.
I clear mine put every other month to other gamers. Their appreciation is enough. To sell old magazines will take time and patience with little or no financial reward as Peter Rightly says.
This is written from the perspective of me only having a small house with little room.
Bin 'em or give 'em.

How about giving them to a local charity shop?

Really old issues can attract the odd buyer like numbers 1 to a dozen or so. Anything newer will be a very hard sell.

I would give them away, especially to kids who may never have seen them.

I've never had much luck selling old magazines.

Also, it depends on the magazine.

MWAN's usually sell well, the glossy Brit mags only the early numbers. Some speciality mags will also sell well.

Everything has value. If the issues weren't of some value to you, even if only sentiment, you'd have recycled them already.

The trick is finding a kindred soul with a hole in his magazine collecting and some disposable quid lying about. Trust me, this will be no mean feat. OK, it's probably impossible.

The most important thing you want to insure is they land with someone who will value them, take proper care of them, and find them useful.

If you want this over and done as quickly as possible, post them in the TMP Marketplace as 2 lots, for pickup at an upcoming con you're planning to attend. If the prospective buyer is 45mins away, you can meet up earlier if convenient. Ask 1£ per issue. Low, but attractive.

If that fails, try again at 50p each. Then try 25p.

You can try e-selling. You may get good money for some issues, but inevitably you'll end up with 60% of what you have now with no more nibbles and a broken set. Postage is the poison. If you ask 1£, and the postage is 2£, and buyers think the issue worth less than 3£…

You can cart them to bring and buys, but as large lots you'll have to ask very little per issue to garner any interest. Selling them by single issue is a better plan, but you'll likely sell less than 10% per show. This will end up becoming a career choice.

I would not donate if at all avoidable. People value what they pay for. Better to hand them out as prizes.

If you're obliged to break the sets, go thru and pick out ones you particularly value. E-sale the rest. If an issue fails to sell after 3 tries put it in a pile. Sell it at a Bring and Buy for 25p, and take 10p if offered.

Sorry for the need to downsize. If it's because of a lady friend, if you ask me, keep the magazines and tell her to (insert semi polite British idiom for locating herself elsewhere.)

Generally speaking, old mags don't have much value.

Value them on EBay, document such valuation using sold comparisons, then donate them to the local library and take the tax deduction, or some other charity. I agree, though, the donation should take the form of being in place where they will be read.

Many schools have some sort of charity entity to take donations and issue receipts for donations, ask around.

agree with alot here. Usually the earlier issues sell….or specialist ones….rare issues of now defunct magazines……i try….to no avail…so….now I rip out the interesting bits and throw the rest away.

Having tried this, the answer is simply No, you would spend an inordinate amount of time to go through them and trying to sell them on their merits.

As others have noted flagship mags in thewir early issues are the oinly sellers.

A lot of older magazines are now available in digital collections so even the reference value of he old magazines has been reduced.

If all efforts fail to help sell them you will then have the problem of disposal Since magazines re made from high quality paper you may want to contact some paper recyclers in your area to come and pick them up. They will pay you something and save you the trouble of binning them yourself.

I'd have said KPinder was on the right track: they have value, but not much--I pick up individual issues for $1 USD each at US conventions, and I can pick and choose. An offer to hand them over at your next convention for a small sum will put them in appreciative hands without spending a fortune on travel or postage.

Mind you, that's WI and MW. Many of the others are not available digitally. For me, an issue of Historical Gamer or Practical Wargamer is a presumed buy. (MWAN and Battlegames would be, but my runs are complete or nearly so.)

The "newsy" portions may be dated but the history and gaming/scenarios are ageless. I have sold old issues at flea markets for 25 cents each.

From my experience trying to sell mags – NO
still got a lot could not shift the for £1.00 GBP for 12 or 10p each in the south west uk

Billy NM, even though have suggested they have some nominal money value, you have to balance that against your costs, especially in time and energy [much less costs to sell at flea markets, HMGS tables cost $$] to sell what? 3-4-7 magazines for $ 2-5-10 dollars. Only you can decide that.

My experience, I have tried many of the modes K Pinder suggested. Generally to no avail. This includes offering them for pick-up at HMGS conventions, [sending 100-200 magazines can be expensive to ship].

Advertising them here on TMP, on Face Book marketplaces etc…

The challenge truly is finding that one right person at the right time to affect a transaction.

Good luck however you elect to proceed.
[BTW, I still have complete run of MWAN and Courier, select extra issues of Tradition [the English version not the recent French] and some others…;-)]

Old issues of The General with Squad Leader scenarios can be worth selling.

I only would pay money for one that had a specific article about a project I am working on. Local gamers "loaned" some old magazines to me. Even though I didn't really want them. Now they won't take them back! I don't have room for them!

Hope not, just taken sixty WI and MW to the tip!

I have 4 Battle for Wargames (1978) on ebay no takers so far