Trading

I've never traded a game show in my life. But I can see how the hobby could get to be habit-forming, like collecting stamps or even, gasp, game show blogging. There's a Facebook site for those infected by the trading bug, and it looks like a weird sort of nerdy fun.

As with any group of seriously dedicated nerds, it can be tough to break into the game show trading world. A poster on Game Show Forum laments...

Since last summer I've been trying to get into the game show trading circuit...I've contacted many traders, most of whom were long out of the circuit (have not traded since 2012 or so), ignored me completely, or responded back to me but declined to trade with me.

Other posters give some advice to our frustrated novice. Since this is an oldies board, one guy takes a swipe at GSN. But he also counsels the novice to tape GSN originals, which could be in demand in future years as traders hunt for prized but now rare relics.

This actually might be wise guidance. If you had a complete set of, say, Inquizition, you could probably set up a pretty good trade. I know I'd be interested. Except I've never traded in my life, and I don't have anything to offer for the prized possession.

Of course, YouTube is, in a way, the trader's bane. The ocean-sized video site has so much material from so many obscure and forgotten game shows, that only fanatical completists won't be satisfied. But I get the feeling that your typical game show trader is a fanatical completist.

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