Microsoft's Accidental Collectibles

Microsoft's history is full of unintentional collectibles. A rare piece of Microsoft history could be hiding on your shelf - literally. In a future Antiques Roadshow, hosts might get excited about mint-condition Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows packaging with a sticker instead of the printed Tetris promotion.

Veteran Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen explained that using stickers instead of printing what was in the box was due to licensing issues. The company hadn't secured rights for Tetris before the first print run, so they went ahead with what they had.

The Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows debuted in 1990, along with Windows 3.0. Three more iterations followed, including a Best Of version in 1994 and another for Windows CE later in the decade. The packaging included floppy disks with card games, Minesweeper, and Tetris, but it almost didn't.

Chen recalled that negotiations to license Tetris hadn't concluded at the time of the first print run. To avoid wasting production, Microsoft added a sticker when the deal was done. Later print runs incorporated the sticker into the box art, making the original version rare.