A Very Pleasant Surprise

I've mentioned before here on the blog that one of the dumbest things I ever did, hobby-wise, was to give away and/or sell off the bulk of my old D&D stuff back at a point in my life when it was "obvious" that I wasn't going to be needing it any more. Yes, I know. Stupid. With a capital "S."

A few days ago I ordered a used copy of The World of Greyhawk from Amazon to replace my own long lost treasure. The condition rating on the item was given as "good" which, if you know Amazon's rating system, you'll know it's okay but not great. It's the third lowest of the four ratings for used products, above "acceptable," but below "very good" and "like new."

When The World of Greyhawk arrived in the mail today, the outside folio was beaten and battered, as one might expect on a product rated only "good." However, when I opened it, the two map sections and the gazetteer were in absolutely PRISTINE condition. Wow. The quality of the map sections especially is amazing. They truly look like they've never been used or even unfolded before.

Expecting coal, I got a diamond. A very pleasant surprise, indeed.