Your best "I didn't know that was rare!" moments?

[Tanooki]

I'm sure I have a few, but one that sticks out I suppose is the copy of Dracula X I have that I bought new/retail back in the day. No box anymore of course, but the game and manual are in amazing shape. I was surprised around even 5-10 years ago finding crazy people already lining up with a benjamin at retail wanting that darn game. I just won't let it go, like it too much.

[wingzrow]

PAssed on alien vs. predator just this morning for the Super Nintendo. Who knew it was worth $15-$20?

[Steve W]

I've got three instances that pop into my head right now.

(1) I had found a third-party Atari 2600 game in a Movie Trading Company store, where nearly all of their pre-NES carts tend to get the blanket price of $1.99. About a month later I'm looking through the Video Game Trader magazine and I look up the game, Rescue Terra I, and find out it's one of the more collectible games on the system and goes for something like $120.

(2) Shortly after buying an Atari Jaguar, I kept up with all game development for the system and had my eye on a game that sounded pretty interesting, called A.I.R.C.A.R.S. that was supposed to come out late 1994. Well, Atari rejected it because it was such a poor game (and let's face it, Atari didn't exactly have high standards) and eventually the developers made batches themselves and sold them by mail. I bought one, played it a small amount, then set it aside feeling a bit like it wasn't worth the wait. Then a few years back I look at the rarity listing to find that it's pretty high up there, since most people had the common sense to stay away from the stinker of a game.

(3) I was out at the local flea market at the booth I had previously bought a boxed Astrocade at, and looking at the NES carts (which I don't collect for and shouldn't have been wasting my time with) I saw a weird looking cart that I thought was worth the three bucks he wanted for it (well, technically it was five altogether for the cart and a CD from comedian Pablo Francisco, but I consider the NES game to be the larger fraction of that five bucks). It was a Myriad Six-In-One cart. Minutes after posting about the discovery on Atari Age I had two people send me PMs wanting to buy it, so I knew I had something good and rare. I held on to it for some time but then my car's air conditioning went out and I couldn't take another Texas summer without it, and I had my sister put it up on eBay since I've never bought or sold anything there before or since. I had about three messages from people all over the world asking me to end the auction early and sell it to them under the table, which I refused. Eventually that loose cart sold for $660! I never even played the game, since I don't have a working NES.

[101011]

Mine would be a DK 64 yellow "Bananna Bunch" controller.

I picked it up at a Value Village thrift store for a couple of bucks. It was about a year after that I found out what I had. I remember that day though... I stopped at a local games store on the way home and thought about bringing it in to trade with some other stuff I had found. I didn't, I guess because it was different? I don't know. I usually know or find out shortly there after what I've found but for some reason, like I said, it was about a year later that I found out what they go for. Funny thing is, I recently sold it to that same store. It's probably worth more now than it was then however.

[Astrosmash]

There's probably others, but offhand, buying Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena for PlayStation new for $29.99. Now it seems to be going for anywhere from $80 to well over a hundred, depending on condition. Great game too.

[kedawa]

76in1 for NES.

I had always just assumed that all bootleg multicarts were as good as the 76in1, just with different numbers of games.
It wasn't until years later that I discovered how utterly shitty most multicarts are, and by that time my brother had lost track of the 76in1.

[BetaWolf47]

I have had gargoyle's quest II for many years and while it is one of my favorite games of all time I didn't realize it was so rare until recently.

Heh, I want that game. I actually have it factory sealed, but I want a copy I can play, dangit!

[Tanooki]

Ehhh it's a game just open it up and play it. It's a weird one in that it's a fun and well made post-SNES release NES title from Capcom that has no value. It's not like it's a sports title or something while others like Snow Bros, Mighty Final Fight, and the Duck Tales and Rescue Rangers sequels go for a heap.

[BetaWolf47]

Ehhh it's a game just open it up and play it. It's a weird one in that it's a fun and well made post-SNES release NES title from Capcom that has no value.

Loose and CIB. Not falling for it.

[dementia_]

I recall picking up a CIB Lords of Thunder for Sega CD for $5 at a thrift store. I had no idea it went for $60-$70.

[Tanooki]

Falling for what? Sorry I'm not an uptight collector who wants to play the predatory reseller fox, or the crank that will slab a game in airtight plastic like it was a picasso with the questionable graders at VGA who don't even follow their own set standards.

I see a game I want I'll play it. If I see a sealed one someone isn't gouging on and it's cheap, I'd open it.

[Firebrand118]

Ehhh it's a game just open it up and play it. It's a weird one in that it's a fun and well made post-SNES release NES title from Capcom that has no value. It's not like it's a sports title or something while others like Snow Bros, Mighty Final Fight, and the Duck Tales and Rescue Rangers sequels go for a heap.

Wow that would make the value plummet. Not cool man.

[Atarileaf]

I'm not a big Intellivision fan but I did pick up some CIB games from a local online ad for $4 each and a few were kind of rare, especially CIB and in mint shape like Worm Whomper, Triple Challenge, and Fathom all of which I eventually sold for some serious coin - ie several hundred bucks.

[Scotterpop]

Oh man, just a few weeks ago I passed on picking up a Gamecube component cable from a local thrift store for about 5 bucks. I had NO IDEA it was worth upwards of $100. A component cable worth that much... really?!? Still kicking myself for that one...

[scaleworm]

Oh man, just a few weeks ago I passed on picking up a Gamecube component cable from a local thrift store for about 5 bucks. I had NO IDEA it was worth upwards of $100. A component cable worth that much... really?!? Still kicking myself for that one...

I'll one up that. A game stop, local, dumped all of their boxes for GC and DS...just carried discs/cards for older systems. I always ask for them when I am there. Got a FREE from the store in house garbage can (they think I'M the Ass) a blue GC nintendo component cable....
EEDEE-Ots

I love the trash... their trash...

[RASK1904]

When I first stated collecting Nes I had a friend give me my Bandit Kings of Ancient China. Who knew that was rare? Not me. It is stiil the only one Ive ever seen. Thanx again, Dave.

[Tanooki]

Wow that would make the value plummet. Not cool man.

Maybe I don't view video games as an investment like gold, oil or stocks. It's a game, I say play it and enjoy it as the designers intended. That's all I'm getting at. I thought this was more of a gamer site whereas NA is more collector oriented.

[Aussie2B]

It's sort of 50/50, but even if someone is more of a gamer than a collector, I'd think people would be more inclined to sell a sealed game and use a portion of the money to buy a used copy rather than open up the sealed game and flush money down the toilet.

Reminds me of a member we used to have who would buy all of his games to play, except he was insistent on buying everything brand new because he was uncomfortable with the idea of used goods. So he'd pay the super high prices to get classic games sealed only to immediately rip off the plastic.

[Tanooki]

Eh well I can respect that, you never know where things have been.

I for one, I bought all the bits and triwings needed to crack open any Nintendo or Sega(I have a SMS) cart and I give them a nice sterilization inside and out with 91% alcohol. I don't want that stuff on my hands or in the system either mucking it up. I figure if I can get it clean enough I'd put my mouth on it, it's good. Perhaps if I was just rolling in $100s like the money man on those Geico commercials I'd do what that guy does too but I'm not.

There's one dude over at NA who on occasion buys brand new games and opens them up to play them, but he also does it partly to spite people who get all up in other peoples business for daring to open up a sealed game like it's their right to do so given it's not their property. He cracked open a VGA case on a Gun Nac a couple years back, and then just sealed copies of Stinger and Panic Restaurant(this one done at the trade show while others starting having varying reactions from amusement, stunned, or actually mouthing off or screaming like it was murder.)

[Press_Start]

Bomberman 2 - NES - Saw it for $7, but I'm not a big bomberman fan so I decided not to pick it up, I found out later that day that it was selling for around $70, I tried going back to get it, and it had sold already.

Wacky Races - NES - Saw 2 copies in the same store each for under $10, I had no idea they were rare until months later and by then they were long gone... haven't seen a copy since. They are on ebay around $100.

Ugh. I remember buying both of those for around $20 and $30 respectively....in the last year or two alone. Even back then I thought I paid too much, still do now. Heck, a Parodius CIB (PAL) jumped from $40 to over $100 in the last 30 days.

Are we sure there ain't a whole network of resellers/collectors pricehacking to ridiculous heights? I mean $30 games becoming $100 gold bricks in a short time period smells very fishy, imo.