A MOST AGREEABLE PASTIME

I sold all my old games magazines back in around 2007, and at the time I remember being surprised about how much they went for. I distinctly recall selling the first issue of EDGE for around £25, which I was delighted with. But the price of old magazines has rocketed in recent years as these old issues get rarer and rarer – I dread to think how much that first issue of EDGE is worth now.

But I was surprised to discover today that there’s an even older and rarer issue of EDGE. Issue Zero was produced as a dummy copy of the magazine that could be passed to potential advertisers as a way to show them the magazine that they would be buying advertising in before the first issue arrived. It features the same 14 pages reproduced eight times, which include a smattering of example content.

Only a handful of these dummy issues were ever made. Cam Winstanley, former editor of Amiga Power, recently found one in a box and has put it up for sale on eBay at £449. So far there’s one bidder, but it will be interesting to see how far the auction goes. It’s a pretty steep asking price, but it’s also an incredibly rare piece of gaming history.

Cam said on Twitter that he’s feeling nervous now: “Realising I had one has put the fear into me, though. I now constantly check on it to make sure that it’s sitting comfortably, away from strong light sources, sticky fingers and spillable glasses of Vimto. At this rate, I might have to hand-deliver it to whoever wins the auction.”

And in response to Cam’s tweet, former Official Nintendo Magazine staffer Chris Scullion has revealed that ONM had a similarly rare dummy issue, although he regrets not grabbing one for himself. I wonder how many more super-rare gaming magazines are out there?

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