The box is in nice, never-been-opened condition with no rubbing wear and the original shrinkwrap in nearly perfect condition (save one 1/2" piece that has peeled from the center of the top box lid). The box top has creases in each corner from having had something set atop it, several very tiny, very faint score marks from bumping around all these years, and two 1/8" dents in the lower right corner where something poked the box. One of these 1/8" dents has punched partly through the shrink and partly into the box.

This item is the boxed set #1 of RPGA miniatures that were produced by TSR’s miniature line in 1985/86. The set was made available only to RPGA members. This set has been sitting, still shrink-wrapped, in Bill's cabinet since then. The set was meant to be used with RPGA module #3 The Forgotten King, also made available only to RPGA members. According to Bill, it was never issued with the sale of the module but sold separately.

The buckle is structurally sound and shows wear only on one particular area, on the raised surface of the lizard men legs nearest the center and to the upper serifs of the "bb" of "Hobbies" at the bottom center.

This auction is for a brass finished TSR belt buckle featuring their early Lizard Man Logo (based on the original artwork that appeared in D&D Supplement I: Greyhawk by Greg Bell). TSR first offered this belt buckle to it's customers in the late 1970's. Bill wore this buckle while he worked for TSR in the early days of the RPGA. He gives an account of the history of TSR belt buckles hereafter:

"During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, TSR had belt buckles made using their Lizard Man logo as the basis for the buckle. The first buckle had 2 lizard men on it and it was finished in a brass finish. This version was very popular but it had one flaw—the catch for the belt holes was very weak and a bad habit of breaking off. I know because I had the initial buckle replaced and that lasted for about a year before the catch broke again. The next one I bought was only worn a few times before it was assigned to a box in my file cabinet.

The 2nd TSR [Wizard Face Logo] buckle was made by a different firm, Bergamont Brass, and it was very sturdy. I never heard of any of the catch’s breaking off of these buckles. I bought one but never wore it.

The history of the RPGA belt buckles is a very interesting story in itself. As the Assistant Coordinator of the RPGA, it was my duty to research new product that only members of the RPGA could purchase. So it was inevitable that a RPGA belt buckle be one of those products. The casting was again assigned to Bergamont Brass, but this time there were different finishes chosen. The first finish was the platinum finish with a Red enamel background, only 3 of those were made and they given to Gary Gygax and Kevin and Brian Blume. The next finish was the platinum background but with a Blue enamel. Only 6 of those were made. I got one which I still wear to this day. The 2nd went to Frank Mentzer. The remaining 4 may have been given out, but I have no idea of who may have gotten them.

The 3rd finish was a copper finish and there were 20 of those made. They were to be awarded to RPGA AD&D tournament winners. Only 2 of the copper ones were awarded and the remaining 18 may have collected dust without ever being awarded and then disappeared.

The last finish was the regular pewter finish and it was this finish that was offered to RPGA members for sale. There were approximately 200 of these made and by the time I left employment with TSR/RPGA, over 60 were sold. Just what happened to the others is anybody’s guess. You can look in early issues of the Polyhedron (the RPGA magazine) to see the original membership items to see the buckle.

The copyright date on the back of the rectangular buckles is incorrect; the buckles were all produced in 1983 and onward. But the artwork for the copyright was from a 1980 TSR product."

Wow! The very first style of belt buckle offered by TSR and one actually worn by one of it's employees. This 1978 classic will make a perfect addition to any collection!

The buckle is MINT! It is structurally sound and shows no wear at all it is like new!

This auction is for a brass finished TSR belt buckle featuring their Wizard Face Logo. TSR first offered this belt buckle to it's customers in the early 1980's.

Bill gives an account of the history of TSR belt buckles hereafter:

"During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, TSR had belt buckles made using their Lizard Man logo as the basis for the buckle. The first buckle had 2 lizard men on it and it was finished in a brass finish. This version was very popular but it had one flaw—the catch for the belt holes was very weak and a bad habit of breaking off. I know because I had the initial buckle replaced and that lasted for about a year before the catch broke again. The next one I bought was only worn a few times before it was assigned to a box in my file cabinet.

The 2nd TSR [Wizard Face Logo] buckle was made by a different firm, Bergamont Brass, and it was very sturdy. I never heard of any of the catch’s breaking off of these buckles. I bought one but never wore it.

The history of the RPGA belt buckles is a very interesting story in itself. As the Assistant Coordinator of the RPGA, it was my duty to research new product that only members of the RPGA could purchase. So it was inevitable that a RPGA belt buckle be one of those products. The casting was again assigned to Bergamont Brass, but this time there were different finishes chosen. The first finish was the platinum finish with a Red enamel background, only 3 of those were made and they given to Gary Gygax and Kevin and Brian Blume. The next finish was the platinum background but with a Blue enamel. Only 6 of those were made. I got one which I still wear to this day. The 2nd went to Frank Mentzer. The remaining 4 may have been given out, but I have no idea of who may have gotten them.

The 3rd finish was a copper finish and there were 20 of those made. They were to be awarded to RPGA AD&D tournament winners. Only 2 of the copper ones were awarded and the remaining 18 may have collected dust without ever being awarded and then disappeared.

The last finish was the regular pewter finish and it was this finish that was offered to RPGA members for sale. There were approximately 200 of these made and by the time I left employment with TSR/RPGA, over 60 were sold. Just what happened to the others is anybody’s guess. You can look in early issues of the Polyhedron (the RPGA magazine) to see the original membership items to see the buckle.

The copyright date on the back of the rectangular buckles is incorrect; the buckles were all produced in 1983 and onward. But the artwork for the copyright was from a 1980 TSR product."

Wow! A MINT condition belt buckle from the golden days of TSR! This 1980's classic will make a perfect addition to any collection!

The buckle is excellent condition! It is structurally sound and shows only some minor scratches along the upper right and lower left edges mainly and two tiny 1/16" ding along the bottom right edge. There are also a few very, very slight nicks above the "RPGA". Overall it is a beautiful buckle.

This auction is for a pewter finished TSR RPGA belt buckle featuring the RPGA 20-Sided Die Globe Logo. TSR first only offered this belt buckle to it's RPGA members in the early 1980's. Only 2,000 were ever made!

Bill gives an account of the history of TSR belt buckles hereafter:

"During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, TSR had belt buckles made using their Lizard Man logo as the basis for the buckle. The first buckle had 2 lizard men on it and it was finished in a brass finish. This version was very popular but it had one flaw—the catch for the belt holes was very weak and a bad habit of breaking off. I know because I had the initial buckle replaced and that lasted for about a year before the catch broke again. The next one I bought was only worn a few times before it was assigned to a box in my file cabinet.

The 2nd TSR [Wizard Face Logo] buckle was made by a different firm, Bergamont Brass, and it was very sturdy. I never heard of any of the catch’s breaking off of these buckles. I bought one but never wore it.

The history of the RPGA belt buckles is a very interesting story in itself. As the Assistant Coordinator of the RPGA, it was my duty to research new product that only members of the RPGA could purchase. So it was inevitable that a RPGA belt buckle be one of those products. The casting was again assigned to Bergamont Brass, but this time there were different finishes chosen. The first finish was the platinum finish with a Red enamel background, only 3 of those were made and they given to Gary Gygax and Kevin and Brian Blume. The next finish was the platinum background but with a Blue enamel. Only 6 of those were made. I got one which I still wear to this day. The 2nd went to Frank Mentzer. The remaining 4 may have been given out, but I have no idea of who may have gotten them.

The 3rd finish was a copper finish and there were 20 of those made. They were to be awarded to RPGA AD&D tournament winners. Only 2 of the copper ones were awarded and the remaining 18 may have collected dust without ever being awarded and then disappeared.

The last finish was the regular pewter finish and it was this finish that was offered to RPGA members for sale. There were approximately 200 of these made and by the time I left employment with TSR/RPGA, over 60 were sold. Just what happened to the others is anybody’s guess. You can look in early issues of the Polyhedron (the RPGA magazine) to see the original membership items to see the buckle.

The copyright date on the back of the rectangular buckles is incorrect; the buckles were all produced in 1983 and onward. But the artwork for the copyright was from a 1980 TSR product."

Wow! A belt buckle in really nice condition, only 2,000 ever made, and available only to members of the RPGA! This RARE 1983 classic will make a perfect addition to your collection!

The buckle is excellent condition! It is structurally sound and shows only some minor scratches and 3 to 4 tiny 1/16" dings along the edges. There are also two very, very slight, very tiny nicks along the line above the "RPGA" and scratches on the line above "TSR. Overall it is a beautiful buckle.

This auction is for a copper finished TSR RPGA belt buckle featuring the RPGA 20-Sided Die Globe Logo. The RPGA only gave very few of these to RPGA members who had won them as awards for tournaments. Only 20 were ever made, making them incredibly rare!

Bill gives an account of the history of TSR belt buckles hereafter:

"During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, TSR had belt buckles made using their Lizard Man logo as the basis for the buckle. The first buckle had 2 lizard men on it and it was finished in a brass finish. This version was very popular but it had one flaw—the catch for the belt holes was very weak and a bad habit of breaking off. I know because I had the initial buckle replaced and that lasted for about a year before the catch broke again. The next one I bought was only worn a few times before it was assigned to a box in my file cabinet.

The 2nd TSR [Wizard Face Logo] buckle was made by a different firm, Bergamont Brass, and it was very sturdy. I never heard of any of the catch’s breaking off of these buckles. I bought one but never wore it.

The history of the RPGA belt buckles is a very interesting story in itself. As the Assistant Coordinator of the RPGA, it was my duty to research new product that only members of the RPGA could purchase. So it was inevitable that a RPGA belt buckle be one of those products. The casting was again assigned to Bergamont Brass, but this time there were different finishes chosen. The first finish was the platinum finish with a Red enamel background, only 3 of those were made and they given to Gary Gygax and Kevin and Brian Blume. The next finish was the platinum background but with a Blue enamel. Only 6 of those were made. I got one which I still wear to this day. The 2nd went to Frank Mentzer. The remaining 4 may have been given out, but I have no idea of who may have gotten them.

The 3rd finish was a copper finish and there were 20 of those made. They were to be awarded to RPGA AD&D tournament winners. Only 2 of the copper ones were awarded and the remaining 18 may have collected dust without ever being awarded and then disappeared.

The last finish was the regular pewter finish and it was this finish that was offered to RPGA members for sale. There were approximately 200 of these made and by the time I left employment with TSR/RPGA, over 60 were sold. Just what happened to the others is anybody’s guess. You can look in early issues of the Polyhedron (the RPGA magazine) to see the original membership items to see the buckle.

The copyright date on the back of the rectangular buckles is incorrect; the buckles were all produced in 1983 and onward. But the artwork for the copyright was from a 1980 TSR product."

Wow! The rarest TSR belt buckle you will likely ever see at auction! It is in really nice condition, only 20 were ever made, and very few of those were awarded to a handful of RPGA members for winning RPGA tournaments! This EXTREMELY RARE 1983 buckle is a true crown jewel for your collection!

The buckle is nice condition! It is structurally sound and shows only some minor scratching along the edges of the face and the lettering in the center of the face. There is also a small, 1/16" spot of rust showing to the metal hasp attached to the back, where the belt is attached to the buckle (a dab of household oil should eliminate this problem). Overall it is a beautiful, incredibly rare buckle.

This auction is for a very special, INCREDIBLY RARE prototype of a pewter finished TSR RPGA belt buckle featuring the RPGA 20-Sided Die Globe Logo. This prototype has the area around the globe burnished to a high silvery shine. The later production version for RPGA members had a darkened background. When the prototype came in both Bill and Frank Mentzer thought that the area was not as shiny as they wanted and so opted for the darkened background to contrast better with the 20-Sided Die Globe Logo. That makes this prototype one of the rarest buckles ever produced for TSR. Only 3 ever made!

Bill gives an account of the history of TSR belt buckles hereafter:

"During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, TSR had belt buckles made using their Lizard Man logo as the basis for the buckle. The first buckle had 2 lizard men on it and it was finished in a brass finish. This version was very popular but it had one flaw—the catch for the belt holes was very weak and a bad habit of breaking off. I know because I had the initial buckle replaced and that lasted for about a year before the catch broke again. The next one I bought was only worn a few times before it was assigned to a box in my file cabinet.

The 2nd TSR [Wizard Face Logo] buckle was made by a different firm, Bergamont Brass, and it was very sturdy. I never heard of any of the catch’s breaking off of these buckles. I bought one but never wore it.

The history of the RPGA belt buckles is a very interesting story in itself. As the Assistant Coordinator of the RPGA, it was my duty to research new product that only members of the RPGA could purchase. So it was inevitable that a RPGA belt buckle be one of those products. The casting was again assigned to Bergamont Brass, but this time there were different finishes chosen. The first finish was the platinum finish with a Red enamel background, only 3 of those were made and they given to Gary Gygax and Kevin and Brian Blume. The next finish was the platinum background but with a Blue enamel. Only 6 of those were made. I got one which I still wear to this day. The 2nd went to Frank Mentzer. The remaining 4 may have been given out, but I have no idea of who may have gotten them.

The 3rd finish was a copper finish and there were 20 of those made. They were to be awarded to RPGA AD&D tournament winners. Only 2 of the copper ones were awarded and the remaining 18 may have collected dust without ever being awarded and then disappeared.

The last finish was the regular pewter finish and it was this finish that was offered to RPGA members for sale. There were approximately 200 of these made and by the time I left employment with TSR/RPGA, over 60 were sold. Just what happened to the others is anybody’s guess. You can look in early issues of the Polyhedron (the RPGA magazine) to see the original membership items to see the buckle.

The copyright date on the back of the rectangular buckles is incorrect; the buckles were all produced in 1983 and onward. But the artwork for the copyright was from a 1980 TSR product."

Wow! An INCREDIBLY RARE, prototype belt buckle in nice condition, only 3 ever made, and never released! This INCREDIBLY RARE 1983 belt buckle will be a true crown jewel for your collection!