Some Old PC Games With Manuals, Maps, Technology Trees, Unit Charts, etc.

[Mutant Platypus]

Hello! I'm cleaning out some old games I have, and the local stores won't take PC games any more! Silly copy protection technologies... these games are so old they either don't have any copy protection or their copy protection consists of a CD key that isn't verified online.

But I don't expect the games to have value derived from the ability actually play the game. Most - if not all - of them can be bought and downloaded for about $5 a pop, and they aren't that obscure. I'm really trying to sell the stuff they came with if they have any collector's value: manuals, boxes, reference cards, poster-sized maps, cloth maps, technology trees, unit charts, original CDs, etc. (Is there a name for all this extra stuff beyond manuals and discs? Miscellanea?)

Do these have any value? None of them are sealed in box, but some materials are like new. I have the boxes for some of them, but not for any of the REALLY old ones that came in big boxes. They are all U.S. releases. I also have all manuals, maps, and the stuff in the box that wasn't a registration card, seizure warning, or advertisement. I started to detail each item and its condition, but figured I'd ask if there's any value in them in the first place. Feel free to request any extra details you may want, as I can't post in the marketplace for 10 days or so.

All games listed here I have the manual, figurines, maps, etc. for except the ones marked with an asterisk. ALL of them have been opened / used. None are sealed in box. If there would still be interest in any despite them not being new, please let me know.

Baldur's Gate	Map of Baldur's Gate / Map of the Sword Coast Quick Reference Card
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast	Quick Reference Card
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn	Quick Reference Card Map of Amn / Athkatla
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	Quick Reference Card
Icewind Dale	Quick Reference Card Cloth Map of Icewind Dale
Betrayal in Antara
Forgotten Realms Archive: Silver Edition	Hillsfar Translation Wheel Pool of Radiance Translation Wheel
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	Pewter Lightsaber
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind	Pewter Ordinator Figurine Soundtrack Booklet: The Art of Morrowind Map of Vvardenfell
The Elder Scrolls 3: Tribunal	Map of Mournhold
Neverwinter Nights	Versus Books Gameplay Guide Versus Books Worldbuilder Guide Cloth map of Neverwinter: City and Environs
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Final Fantasy VII (4-CD PC Edition)
Fallout 2	*Jewel case and disc only
Homeworld	Technology Tree / Quick Reference Card
Homeworld 2
Age of Mythology	Norse Technology Tree Greek Technology Tree Egyptian Technology Tree
C&C - Red Alert
C&C - Red Alert: The Aftermath
C&C - Red Alert 2	Triangular Freestanding Reference Card
C&C - Tiberian Sun	Reference Guide
Starcraft	Technology Tree
Starcraft: Brood War	*Jewell case only
Warcraft II
Warcraft III
Rome: Total War	Roman Technology Tree / Gameplay Map
Medieval: Total War Battle Collection	Building Chart / Unit Chart
Medieval II: Total War (Gamestop Limited Edition)	Gameplay Map Building Planner / Unit Planner
Deus Ex	*CD only
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Black & White
Black & White: Creature Isle	Prima Official Strategy Guide
Black & White 2
City of Heroes [td]Prima Official Game Guide Map of Paragon City
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri	Technology Tree
Civilization III
Civilization III: Conquests
Civilization III: Play the World
Civilization IV	Tech Tree and Specifications Chart
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Rise of Nations
Call to Power 2	Technology Tree / Unit and Building Chart
Master of Orion 3	Keyboard Shortcut Card
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3	Holographic Box Art
Doom 3	Keyboard Reference / A Note of Warning
Half-Life 2	*No manual, just discs and keyboard reference

[Gameguy]

Silly copy protection technologies... these games are so old they either don't have any copy protection or their copy protection consists of a CD key that isn't verified online.

Besides Half Life 2 which needs to be registered to a specific Steam account and can't be transfered once activated.

Most of the games are worth around $1-$5 each if that, I can't see any titles that stand out as valuable.

[Bojay1997]

Besides Half Life 2 which needs to be registered to a specific Steam account and can't be transfered once activated.

Most of the games are worth around $1-$5 each if that, I can't see any titles that stand out as valuable.

Agree for the most part. Depending on what version some of the games are (big box original release, small box rerelease or DVD case), a few could go for $20or more, but the games you listed are only of any significant value sealed and even then, all of these are super common.

[Mutant Platypus]

Agree for the most part. Depending on what version some of the games are (big box original release, small box rerelease or DVD case), a few could go for $20or more, but the games you listed are only of any significant value sealed and even then, all of these are super common.

Hmm, well, none of them are sealed. Some of the boxes have CompUSA stickers on them, though. They're not around anymore, maybe that's worth something? If I ever feel like playing them again I can get them on the cheap through a download store, likely in more compatible and higher resolution versions. Some are even starting to pop onto Android and iOS, which I'm particularly excited about.

I've removed some of the newer games from the list.

Are manuals, maps, etc. ever worth anything on their own? Nobody is looking to complete a set? (If I could only get the quick reference card for Baldur's Gate...) Or is my stuff just not rare enough? I ask because I have some Game Boy and Super Nintendo game manuals, often without the game itself, and to see if I should hold on to the maps in the hopes that they become more valuable. (Maybe a hipster would ironically buy one at an art festival, and hang it on their ironic wall, or use the cloth map to ironically clean their glasses...) I didn't ask about them in this thread because I got the feeling pricing on cartridge-format games is easier to find.

Thanks for your help!

[Gameguy]

Agree for the most part. Depending on what version some of the games are (big box original release, small box rerelease or DVD case), a few could go for $20or more, but the games you listed are only of any significant value sealed and even then, all of these are super common.

Yeah, but I noticed something he mentioned.

I have the boxes for some of them, but not for any of the REALLY old ones that came in big boxes.

To me that means most of the items that would have been desirable aren't anymore, at least not for a really decent amount. Games really need to be complete to have significant value, mostly because most people would have thrown out the boxes. Plus the description for some of the games doesn't make me think everything is in perfect shape. Several of those titles I've had complete but sold them for about $5 each, I don't really see much being more valuable than that in less than perfect shape.


As for inserts and manuals being valuable, it depends on the game. They'll still be worth something to people looking to complete copies they already have, but for the most part most people won't pay much for them. The people willing to pay more money would do so for something already complete so they won't have to do any more work. I actually just got a pile of spare PC manuals and inserts last week from a thrift store about to throw them out, I paid $0.50 for the whole pile. I hesitated to even pay that much but I didn't want to see them trashed, I'm hoping they'll be useful eventually.

[Mutant Platypus]

Yeah, but I noticed something he mentioned.


To me that means most of the items that would have been desirable aren't anymore, at least not for a really decent amount. Games really need to be complete to have significant value, mostly because most people would have thrown out the boxes. Plus the description for some of the games doesn't make me think everything is in perfect shape. Several of those titles I've had complete but sold them for about $5 each, I don't really see much being more valuable than that in less than perfect shape.


As for inserts and manuals being valuable, it depends on the game. They'll still be worth something to people looking to complete copies they already have, but for the most part most people won't pay much for them. The people willing to pay more money would do so for something already complete so they won't have to do any more work. I actually just got a pile of spare PC manuals and inserts last week from a thrift store about to throw them out, I paid $0.50 for the whole pile. I hesitated to even pay that much but I didn't want to see them trashed, I'm hoping they'll be useful eventually.

Yeah, they're certainly not new. A few of them are starting to fall apart, as I actually USED them. (What kind of kid got games complicated enough to need manuals? Seriously. I'm not being snarky towards you, here. I was really 10 years old when Red Alert came out. I couldn't have been more than 12 when I first got it.) I didn't know the current demand is so well met by current supply. I was hoping I might have a gem or two, but it appears not. I didn't think realize that I couldn't find results on sales for Baldur's Gate in this forum was because there was plenty of supply to meet demand. Actually, after a second search of eBay, I found the U.S. releases of Baldur's Gate, sealed in box, are only going for $30. I doubt my USED stuff is worth shipping, if that's how much the sealed in box is going for. Thanks for taking a look at the list, though! I'll keep watching to see if someone is interested and eventually get pictures in a sale thread, but I'll probably throw it all out in a couple weeks if there's no interest.

[Gameguy]

I didn't mean to offend you or anything, it's just I've seen plenty of people hoping to get insane amounts for PC games just because they're old when they've originally sold millions of copies. There was someone else who posted somewhat recently who inherited a bunch of PC games and asked about the value, he saw some ebay auctions that sold for large amounts as buy-it-nows so he wanted full price for all games, but only selling everything together in bulk. That's with everything untested and these were mostly older floppy disks that tend to fail after a few decades. I have no idea if he actually sold them but it's hard to sell games in bulk when they're different titles from different genres from different years. I think these games were mostly complete though, while yours mostly aren't.

Some people will still want them, I just doubt you'll get $20 each or more per game. More people are into older console games than PC games so there's less demand for PC titles unless they're something really obscure or really in demand. There's always a problem with compatibility as people tend to only have new PCs so that's another reason for lower demand, and as you mentioned many of these games are already available now online for cheap. Plus, your games aren't really that old. If they were from the 80's or early 90's rather than mid to late 90's they'd probably be more valuable.

I started playing games when I was 4 and always kept the packaging and manuals for everything, console and PC games included. I know most people don't do that but it's what I want to find when buying games, I don't pay much otherwise.

[Tokimemofan]

I didn't mean to offend you or anything, it's just I've seen plenty of people hoping to get insane amounts for PC games just because they're old when they've originally sold millions of copies. There was someone else who posted somewhat recently who inherited a bunch of PC games and asked about the value, he saw some ebay auctions that sold for large amounts as buy-it-nows so he wanted full price for all games, but only selling everything together in bulk. That's with everything untested and these were mostly older floppy disks that tend to fail after a few decades. I have no idea if he actually sold them but it's hard to sell games in bulk when they're different titles from different genres from different years. I think these games were mostly complete though, while yours mostly aren't.

Some people will still want them, I just doubt you'll get $20 each or more per game. More people are into older console games than PC games so there's less demand for PC titles unless they're something really obscure or really in demand. There's always a problem with compatibility as people tend to only have new PCs so that's another reason for lower demand, and as you mentioned many of these games are already available now online for cheap. Plus, your games aren't really that old. If they were from the 80's or early 90's rather than mid to late 90's they'd probably be more valuable.

I started playing games when I was 4 and always kept the packaging and manuals for everything, console and PC games included. I know most people don't do that but it's what I want to find when buying games, I don't pay much otherwise.

I agree, I can't count the times I have seen someone ask $20+ for Myst or Riven, IT TOOK ME A YEAR to get rid of a near mint big box pair of those, I couldn't even give them away!

[Mutant Platypus]

I didn't mean to offend you or anything...

And I didn't mean to come across as offended. Quite the opposite, I'm grateful. I added that extra ditty about not being snarky because I was afraid you might think I was offended. I probably should have just left that whole thing out. Serves me right for going off topic . I understand that used stuff is worth less than new stuff. I bought this stuff to play it, not re-sell it, so I feel like I already got my money's worth. (Though there's nothing wrong with collecting, either. Remember Beanie Babies? ...Yeah, I had a collection of those. I still have a couple bears in their special plastic boxes somewhere. The only one that isn't in a box is a dragon, because he's just plain cool. I think I still have a small coin collection somewhere...) I understand that sometimes people start off at outrageous asking prices. I'm here to avoid that, and you've helped me do so.

The whole reason why I'm dumping this stuff is because it has grown LESS valuable. The code for these games aren't hard to find if you want to play them. I understand that. (The rest of this paragraph is rambling about what publishers have done to recapture the market for old games. Feel free to ignore it.) If you don't want to get a bootlegged copy, you can even buy a re-release for less than $7. (In fact, Red Alert is now freeware. Yet there are still people asking for $350 for the Playstation version on eBay. Some of the original creator's of Baldur's Gate are working on a new version with a little added content, and plan to release it for $10.) And you wouldn't have to deal with "please insert disc X" or virtual drives.

Believe me, I don't expect anyone to buy this stuff in order to be able to actually play the game. I thought about putting it on eBay, but then I felt like I'd just be ripping off someone who doesn't know they can get a better version of this stuff for less than it would cost to mail these materials. At least here I can be sure I'm dealing with knowledgeable people.

I was hoping that maybe - just maybe - the boxes and inserts might be worth something to someone. Now I know what to expect. I'm only a tiny bit disappointed, as it took me like 30 minutes to separate all the manuals and discs into Ziplock gallon freezer bags or back into their respective boxes. (Sarcasm back on. Curse-my-luck sarcasm, not curse-you sarcasm) 30 minutes! I demand at least $10 compensation. $20/hr is pretty fair, if you ask me

(Did you notice I like parenthetical statements?)

[Vkmies]

I also got the Morrowind SE. Would love to know how much it's worth. Seen the Ebay listings go a bit all over the place, from about $80-$300. Anyone know how much were made?