Questions about under-priced magic items in AD&D 1e, and non-magical weapons

[Jay R]

In a 1e game I'm playing in, the DM set up a location in which we had a low probability chance to find specific magic items for sale, at the price listed in the books. This is not (quite) as absurd as it sounds; it's only available to princes/ses.

I just bought a gem of insight for 3,000 gp, which is an absurdly low price for a permanent +1 INT and a +1 WIS as long as he holds the gem.

So what other items are under-priced in 1e that I should look for? I'm primarily interested in items useful for a 5th level wizard, with a soft limit of under 10,000 gp. But the party includes a fighter and a cleric (also currently 5th level), so other ideas could help too.

If it makes a difference, the game is set in ancient Egypt. All PCs are children of one of the 100 wives of the Pharaoh, and we are go out on adventures to prove our worthiness to succeed our father as Pharaoh. Most weapons are copper, but we have superior bronze ones.

The place to buy them is in the royal palace, so anything not available to Egypt is not available to us. We can't buy muskets or the like. But we have a low-probability chance of finding any items in the 1e books. [Not the 2e books. The DM is quite clear on that.]

What should I be looking for?

Also, what is the best non-magical weapon to buy for a Fighter with a strength of 18(77%)? He's my bodyguard, and I'd like to take best advantage of his strength. As a servant, he is not allowed to use magic.

[LibraryOgre]

Also, what is the best non-magical weapon to buy for a Fighter with a strength of 18(77%)? He's my bodyguard, and I'd like to take best advantage of his strength. As a servant, he is not allowed to use magic.

Kind of depends, obviously, on what you're needing him to do.

A ridiculously good option, though, is daggers or hand axes. With that strength, being able to make two (or more, if your DM allows specialization) leverages a lot more than most die rolls. If your DM does not allow specialization, then Long Sword and Dagger or Hand Axe are your better option; when he allows specialization, you get more out of specializing in your weapon than you do from using a long sword (I'd rather have two hand axes at d6+2 v 1 long sword at d8)

How to choose between daggers and hand axes? Again, it depends. Daggers are much better as ranged weapons... ROF 2 v. ROF1. However, they have lower damage (d4/d3 v, d6/d4) AND a worse Weapon by AC at most ACs (1 point worse at every AC but 6, 8, 9, and 10, where they are equal). So, if he's ONLY going to be melee, hand axes are the better option. If he's going to need to mix it up, daggers likely will be better.