Video Game Collecting 0

[Bronty]

A) How long have you been collecting, B) what's a favorite game or game related item you have, C) and why do you collect?

 

I'll start - a) I'm 20 years deep at this point, having started in 2002 (the same time I joined this forum, eek).    b)  Original artwork for a few nes and snes titles.   c) Mainly from nostalgia.    Most of what I considered the most interesting eras of comics happened before my time (with the exception of the mid to late 80s books).   With games I feel like I was there for the Silver Age (NES) of that material, and so it pushes the nostalgia button pretty hard for me.  

 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by Bronty

[Makmorn]

A)Been collecting since around 2010, playing since pong. B)Favorite Game? Sonic/Metroid/Final Fantasy C) I have been a gamer for years, it just seemed natural.
 

[Mijael.Levy]

A) Been recently collecting retro games since 2020 but i started playing in 1985. B) My favorite game i have is Snes Chrono Trigger. C) I collect for nostalgia particulary on NES , SNES and PS1 games 

 

[WolverineX]

On 10/13/2022 at 1:55 PM, Bronty said:

A) How long have you been collecting, B) what's a favorite game or game related item you have, C) and why do you collect?

 

I'll start - a) I'm 20 years deep at this point, having started in 2002 (the same time I joined this forum, eek).    b)  Original artwork for a few nes and snes titles.   c) Mainly from nostalgia.    Most of what I considered the most interesting eras of comics happened before my time (with the exception of the mid to late 80s books).   With games I feel like I was there for the Silver Age (NES) of that material, and so it pushes the nostalgia button pretty hard for me.  

 

 

Where is the best place to buy sealed/graded video games?  I have one from my childhood (chronotrigger) I've been wanting to buy and wasn't sure if there were places you recommend looking other than ebay?  

[Makmorn]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:18 PM, WolverineX said:

Where is the best place to buy sealed/graded video games?  I have one from my childhood (chronotrigger) I've been wanting to buy and wasn't sure if there were places you recommend looking other than ebay?  

That's pretty expensive no matter where you find it, at least for an authentic cartridge. Check Facebook marketplace, flea markets, estate sales and local stores. Lukie games has one, but at $363 just for the cart. with no photos of it. They have been selling on eBay for around $200 so $363 is a bit high IMO.

You should probably get a SNES cartridge tool to open it up and verify it, before you buy one locally. There are reproduction cartridges out there, so be aware.

Keep in mind they will eventually have a video game marketplace here, so you might find one here.

If you are trying to buy a sealed copy, good luck, none have sold on eBay for a while. If you are wealthy enough for a sealed graded copy,(around 20k+/-) keep checking Heritage and Goldin auction houses.

I always got outbid on that game (sealed), hasn't changed in the last 12 years..

Edited October 31, 2022 by Makmorn

[WolverineX]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:52 AM, Makmorn said:

That's pretty expensive no matter where you find it, at least for an authentic cartridge. Check Facebook marketplace, flea markets, estate sales and local stores. Lukie games has one, but at $363 just for the cart. with no photos of it. They have been selling on eBay for around $200 so $363 is a bit high IMO.

You should probably get a SNES cartridge tool to open it up and verify it, before you buy one locally. There are reproduction cartridges out there, so be aware.

If you are trying to buy a sealed copy, good luck, none have sold on eBay for a while. If you are wealthy enough for a sealed graded copy,(around 20k+/-) keep checking Heritage and Goldin auction houses.

I always got outbid on that game (sealed), hasn't changed in the last 12 years..

Geez 20k. That's crazy

[Bronty]

On 10/31/2022 at 10:08 AM, WolverineX said:

Geez 20k. That's crazy

Well, true, but it cost what $80 or something in 1995 and someone had to keep it unopened all this time?   Before not opening games was a thing?   Its asking an awful lot.

You could probably get a nice cib copy for 2k or something.

[Makmorn]

There is a CIB on eBay for $800 or best offer, the manual looks pretty beat though. Not a horrible price.

[Makmorn]

On 10/31/2022 at 10:12 AM, Bronty said:

Well, true, but it cost what $80 or something in 1995 and someone had to keep it unopened all this time?   Before not opening games was a thing?   Its asking an awful lot.

You could probably get a nice cib copy for 2k or something.

I have a friend that used to be division manager for EB, one day we took a couple of cases of Final Fantasy 7 to some stores in Orlando. We have talked about if we had only known, we would have bought a case and set it to the side. Hindsight is so 20/20.

[WolverineX]

On 10/31/2022 at 10:26 AM, Makmorn said:

I have a friend that used to be division manager for EB, one day we took a couple of cases of Final Fantasy 7 to some stores in Orlando. We have talked about if we had only known, we would have bought a case and set it to the side. Hindsight is so 20/20.

What games do you own?  I don't really have much though I have a batch of unopened PS VITA games, which I love.  I am debating if I should own them or not.

[Makmorn]

On 10/31/2022 at 2:54 PM, WolverineX said:

What games do you own?  I don't really have much though I have a batch of unopened PS VITA games, which I love.  I am debating if I should own them or not.

Mostly I have PlayStation 1 games, I also have some SNES, N64, Game Cube, Sega Genesis, PS 2, 3, 4, 5, Xbox, Xbox 360 & Xbox One games.

I mostly try to collect games that I played and liked, I have some that are graded that may not ever be worth a whole lot. Not everything that I enjoyed has been affordable to collect either, fortunately I didn't play many NES games, so never tried to collect them. I have most of what I have been looking for, but always looking for the ones I missed early on. There are some SNES & N64 games I still look for, can't afford them, but I look. I am missing a couple PS1 games too, but I have the majority of them. One of them I am missing is Twisted Metal, missed every chance I had on that one early on, now it's impossible as they have sold for as much as $156k in the last couple of years. Decent game, but not worth that. Hopefully the crazy prices are a thing of the past, non-collector speculators have jacked up the prices on games making it difficult for the average collector, I think they moved on to Pokemon cards, inflating that market.

Basically, collect what you like and enjoy, wouldn't be much fun otherwise.

I'm going to send a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 for grading and it's not very old, I just want a slabbed copy. I really enjoyed that game both single player and multiplayer. Your PS VITA games are older, hopefully in good condition, and if you can spare the money, then do it. There were some good games on that system.

Edited November 1, 2022 by Makmorn

[WolverineX]

On 10/31/2022 at 10:12 AM, Bronty said:

Well, true, but it cost what $80 or something in 1995 and someone had to keep it unopened all this time?   Before not opening games was a thing?   Its asking an awful lot.

You could probably get a nice cib copy for 2k or something.

So I was just looking at a few fortnite slabs on heritage and ebay for someone and I noticed that the Details on the back of the Wata slabs have different facts.  Some have 4 facts, some only have 1.  Is it normal that the details section isn't standard even for the same game?

[Bronty]

On 11/5/2022 at 1:05 PM, WolverineX said:

So I was just looking at a few fortnite slabs on heritage and ebay for someone and I noticed that the Details on the back of the Wata slabs have different facts.  Some have 4 facts, some only have 1.  Is it normal that the details section isn't standard even for the same game?

I wouldn't say its standard, but I suspect that those facts are stored on a database and that it gets added to over time.

[WolverineX]

On 11/7/2022 at 1:02 PM, Bronty said:

I wouldn't say its standard, but I suspect that those facts are stored on a database and that it gets added to over time.

The strange thing is the fortnite details are less in the newer slabbed in 2022 vs 2020.  

[Bronty]

On 11/7/2022 at 2:47 PM, WolverineX said:

The strange thing is the fortnite details are less in the newer slabbed in 2022 vs 2020.  

Hmm… interesting!

[WolverineX]

On 11/9/2022 at 6:29 AM, Bronty said:

Hmm… interesting!

For example,  this was slabbed in 2022 and only had one line but if you look Ebay,  the ones on Ebay have a lot more details. 

 

https://imgur.com/a/kmWjWOz

Edited November 9, 2022 by WolverineX

[alexgross.com]

okay i am not a video game collector, i am a comic collector. but my son who is 8 is obsessed with them. and as a former atari 2600 and intellivision owner back in the 70s and 80s, i totally appreciate the collectibility and nostalgia angle in collecting graded older games, just like comics. 

but when we saw this in the current heritage auction catalogue, i was a bit gobsmacked. it's graded by another company, but it received a 10, which heritage describes as a "very rare" grade for a game from this era (5 years ago). 

please tell me why i am not a smart person for thinking this is ridiculous, since the game is in a plastic case. are we not grading the game based on a 5 cent plastic case? the paper artwork inside the case on my son's identical game is just as perfect as this one. it's the case itself that gets dings or scratches on it once opened, or apparently even unopened. 

this game is already at 1k. ?!? clearly the grading companies are betting that there are collectors who love the idea of collecting absolutely perfect 10 graded games, much like with comics. but at least with comics, we are talking about the book itself, not a cheap little plastic case. seems like a purely manufactured market for something otherwise completely not collectible in any special way. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by alexgross.com

[Makmorn]

Yep, a 5 cent plastic seal is the difference between a 9.8 and a 10.0 with a game

And.. a 1 cent rusty staple is the difference between 9.8 and a 9.0 with a book

Not sure what the original cost has to do with either one

It's pretty tough to get high grades with games, I have purchased new games from a store, carefully taken it home and stored carefully, only to have it get a 9.6 A++

This one I bought at BestBuy, paid extra for a bag (they are not free at my local store) made sure it was handled with gloves and still not a 10 or even a 9.8. Stuff happens between the opening of the case, placing on the shelf, and cashiers that don't care. Had a cashier at Walmart drop my games on the floor, and yes it damaged a couple of them. Not sure how you think getting a 10 isn't a challenge.

Also, here is a structurally sound 9.8 Planet comics, it had a small amount of surface rust on the top staple (1 cent variety) and it received a 9.0, check the graders notes.

Condition is everything, book or game. Personally, I wouldn't pay extra for a modern game with a 10, that's not much of a challenge, a challenge still, but nothing compared to a SNES, or any cardboard box game with a 10. (which I have not seen very often) 10's usually only come from a case that is untouched, even then most will be of the 9.8 variety, and it's easier to get a modern case of games than a case of older games. Just like comic bundles, don't know if you have ever seen that, but sometimes they are in bundles, top few and bottom ones have grooves from the binding, but there are some sweet copies in the middle.

Edited April 20, 2023 by Makmorn

[alexgross.com]

On 4/20/2023 at 9:48 AM, Makmorn said:

Yep, a 5 cent plastic seal is the difference between a 9.8 and a 10.0 with a game

And.. a 1 cent rusty staple is the difference between 9.8 and a 9.0 with a book

Not sure what the original cost has to do with either one

It's pretty tough to get high grades with games, I have purchased new games from a store, carefully taken it home and stored carefully, only to have it get a 9.6 A++

This one I bought at BestBuy, paid extra for a bag (they are not free at my local store) made sure it was handled with gloves and still not a 10 or even a 9.8. Stuff happens between the opening of the case, placing on the shelf, and cashiers that don't care. Had a cashier at Walmart drop my games on the floor, and yes it damaged a couple of them. Not sure how you think getting a 10 isn't a challenge.

Also, here is a structurally sound 9.8 Planet comics, it had a small amount of surface rust on the top staple (1 cent variety) and it received a 9.0, check the graders notes.

Condition is everything, book or game. Personally, I wouldn't pay extra for a modern game with a 10, that's not much of a challenge, a challenge still, but nothing compared to a SNES, or any cardboard box game with a 10. (which I have not seen very often) 10's usually only come from a case that is untouched, even then most will be of the 9.8 variety, and it's easier to get a modern case of games than a case of older games. Just like comic bundles, don't know if you have ever seen that, but sometimes they are in bundles, top few and bottom ones have grooves from the binding, but there are some sweet copies in the middle.

i take your point on the silliness of the planet comics not getting the grade it seems to deserve. still, grading comics on some basic level makes sense because some people want to collect an old comic that appears to be perfect in every way. the collectible item itself is being evaluated for condition. rusty staples are an issue because they can affect the book, soiling its pages with brown rust stains. it is usually the corners of a 9.9 comic that differentiate it from a 9.6 or 9.4 grade. 

with a graded video game, we seem to have established the fact that, with modern games, it is a little plastic box (with rounded corners in the case of switch games) that is being evaluated. not the label artwork (hidden under the plastic sleeve) nor the game cartridge itself. i get that with games, the item itself is the total package. and with a 20 year old game, i get the impulse to collect the highest grade possible. but with a modern game like the one i referenced, cgc and their competition titrating the distribution of a couple of 10s just seems a blatant ploy to milk the market. of course this is also done with modern comics too. 

[Makmorn]

Yeah, I get what you're saying, and the contents of a 10 sealed game are no different than an 8.5 of the same game (if both are sealed) The same is true for comics though, rarely are the contents of the book graded, unless someone wrote in it or cut out a coupon. Page quality is all you normally get on the contents of a comic. BTW, they do grade the artwork on the game cases, but unless it's damaged under the seal, you never hear about it, I know from personal experience.

Chasing grades is what people do, and we are all guilty of it. I used to do it more than I do now, yeah I will watch a 9.9 or 10, but bid on it? Not likely, unless it's in the same price range as a 9.6/9.8 of the same book or game. (unlikely)  Are they handing out more 10's than they should? Possibly, but I am not going to buy one unless it goes super cheap. What's annoying or good, depending if you are buying or selling, is the number of 9.9 or 10's, drives down the value of the 9.8's and 9.6's, if you are wanting a decent copy cheap then it's a good thing. I have about 20 switch games to be graded, but have held off due to the number of 10's for some of them, mine will likely be 9.8's at best. I will still get them graded, but older stuff is going to be graded first because there are too many in super high grade with these newer games. By the time I get around to grading my switch games, they might not be worth the grading fees. I will still get most of them graded, just to have graded copies, but there's no rush.

I can't tell the difference between a 9.8 and 10, but I don't look at everything with a microscope, if it looks good, I send it. Then again, I am usually happy just to have a decent graded copy of some things, doesn't have to be perfect.

Edited April 22, 2023 by Makmorn