Why a Warhammer 40,000 Book Just Sold for $3,150 on eBay

A Warhammer 40,000 publication conscionable sold connected eBay for an eye-watering $3,150 — leaving fans stunned.

A signed and numbered constricted variation of Dan Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 novel, Hive, went for the immense sum connected the auction tract connected Sunday aft implicit 50 bids pushed up the eventual merchantability terms to an astronomical level.

But wherefore would a Warhammer 40,000 publication bid specified a interest successful the archetypal place? There’s a unsocial backstory to this peculiar mentation of Hive, which released successful modular formats successful May.

12/2000 of the unreleased constricted variation of Hive. Image credit: eBay.

Games Workshop, which owns and operates the hugely fashionable grimdark acold aboriginal mounting chiefly for tabletop wargames, had announced a constricted tally of signed and numbered premium editions of Hive for merchantability lone successful Warhammer stores. This sparked an uproar wrong the community, with immoderate saying it was unfair of Games Workshop to merchandise this coveted constricted variation successful Warhammer stores lone erstwhile not each fans person a store wrong reaching distance. In response, Games Workshop caved to the FOMO pressure, canceling the merchandise of the constricted variation and launching a non-limited, print-on-demand mentation without the signature online instead.

Some thought that Games Workshop had destroyed these constricted editions of Hive retired of fearfulness they would extremity up going for immense sums connected auction sites. Well, that’s precisely what happened, with what is thought to beryllium the lone transcript made disposable to bargain publically since the play backmost successful May.

Photos of the publication amusement it to beryllium fig 12 of 2,000. “This would beryllium a precise awesome transcript to person for immoderate Warhammer collector, unsocial and 1 of a benignant possibly nary others retired there, each the archetypal were canceled and the caller people volition not person writer signed oregon constricted successful quantity,” reads the description. "Let the champion Black Library enthusiast triumph this auction, and instrumentality ownership of a portion of Warhammer Black Library history." The listing worked, with a confirmed merchantability of $3,150 connected Sunday, August 9.

It’s unclear however this transcript of Hive escaped containment, but the bidding shows the immense involvement from fans successful this peculiar mentation of Hive. That’s possibly not a surprise, fixed the FOMO unit from hobbyists sparked a uncommon accelerated U-turn from Games Workshop itself. Still, fans can’t rather judge however overmuch it’s gone for. The merchantability was called “absurdity,” “insanity,” and “next level delusional,” connected a Black Library subreddit thread afloat of scorn for the winning bidder.

“Paying truthful overmuch much than what the POD volition outgo successful a fewer months conscionable for a signed and numbered leafage that was glued in... bonkers,” different added. “I tin instrumentality a formation to England to Dan Abnett's adjacent nationalist quality and person excavation signed and it would inactive beryllium little than fractional the terms this idiosyncratic conscionable paid,” different instrumentality said. “Hey Dan, tin you constitute 69/420 connected excavation too signature?” different joked.

The merchantability sparks a fig of questions. How did this transcript travel into the possession of the seller? (We’ve asked.) Did it originate from a Warhammer store oregon elsewhere? Were store managers told to destruct their copies arsenic fans believe, oregon were they kept successful a warehouse somewhere, gathering dust? Are determination different copies retired successful the wild?

What we bash cognize is this mentation of Hive is present 1 of the astir costly Warhammer 40,000 books of each clip — possibly adjacent the astir costly ever (who knows what goes connected with backstage sales?).

There is immense involvement successful each things Warhammer 40,000 close present — and this involvement extends acold beyond the confines of the tabletop game. A important information of the Warhammer 40,000 assemblage is chiefly funny successful the stories that underpin its universe. Stories similar Hive, which delves heavy into the crushed level effect of the fertile and record humans of a sprawling hive satellite to... definite things that hap to it that are truly not precise bully for anyone, springiness fans a person look astatine the Warhammer 40,000 beingness distant from the galaxy-shaking exploits of the Space Marines. But past determination are blockbuster video games specified arsenic Space Marine 2, Amazon animated anthologies, and of people the upcoming Henry Cavill cinematic beingness to contend with. In short, if determination ever was a clip for a Warhammer 40,000 publication to merchantability for thousands of dollars, it’s now.

Speaking of Dan Abnett, fans are inactive waiting for the celebrated Black Library writer to decorativeness his beloved Bequin trilogy. He’s indicated that Pandaemonium won’t beryllium released until Games Workshop itself catches up lore wise. Fingers crossed that happens sooner alternatively than later.

We’ve got plentifulness much connected the satellite of Warhammer 40,000, including archetypal details connected Henry Cavill’s Amazon TV series, our champion mentation for who Cavill volition play successful the show, and the announcement of the caller Deathwatch animated series.

Image credit: eBay.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].