It's more than a game, it's a memory

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that every storage unit has a story behind it.  Well, I was reminded last night that many items that we sell have stories behind them, too.

Last year at a big sale sponsored by the Historic Macon Foundation in Macon, GA, I picked up a Monopoly game based on the city of Macon, GA. Local businesses, many now defunct, made up the squares.  It was cool because it made me a little nostalgic for my formative years, all of which centered around Macon, and I had frequented many of the businesses featured on the game. Plus, ever the “picker,” I thought someone on eBay might just be willing to pay a little more than the $5 that I paid for the game.

After some fruitless research, I decided to list the game high, $299, with Best Offer.  Unfortunately, it has sat in my store, well watched, but, ultimately, unbought.

Last night, out of the blue, I received a question about it.  “Did it have instructions or any other information?”  I checked the game; no instructions. I relayed the information to what I hoped was a potential buyer.  Turns out, she wasn’t a potential buyer, but the creator of the game.  Here is what she wrote:

“The reason that I am asking is that I, along with my husband and other friends, made this game. Most of the "properties" on the board were at the time owned by our friends. We made the game (~1988) as a fund raiser for our childrens PTA. And raised around 20 thousand dollars. We sold them for $20.00. Good luck with your auction.”

I felt a little sheepish about my high asking price, given the back-story of the game, and, especially, when confronted by one of the game’s creators.  However, I got over that fast because it got me thinking. 

Raising $20,000 at $20 per game means they sold at least 1000 to 2000 games, not a real big production run.  Given that the game was produced 24 years ago, and I haven’t seen another copy during my many years of “picking” in the area, plus Terapeak has no record of it in the past year, it might be possible that I have one of the last copies in existence.

Suddenly, my $299 seems … reasonable.