Fraud / Reprinted manuals, art, sticker labels

[y9784]

I recently purchase several Sega Genesis titles from an online retailer. All items specified original box and manuals included. I got the games and found that the games' labels, cover art, manual looked incredibly sharp--like brand new. One might get excited by the condition but something just seemed strange that 20-some year old titles didn't have a scratch or lost any of their shine in their laminated paper.

As I studied scans online, object placement looked accurate. It is difficult to judge color since that depends on the techniques used for the scanned image. However, I did notice the Arial text looked way too sharp. Finally I noticed a smudge on the cover of one manual as if after printing, someone rubbed against the ink before it dried. I did see some scans online for this cover which show some other small aberrations, but since I do not have an original to compare against, I would like to ask the community to look at this manual and compare it against theirs.

I love the games, but it feels like I am buying some cheap counterfeit knock-off. I'm hoping someone out there has this cover with similar issues.

Here are some detail pics of the manual for Gadget Twins.

[wiggyx]

I'd put a good amount of money on repro.

The area that's affected looks completely untouched in the close up that you provided. I really doubt that the original art was damaged before going to press and that all the original covers have that same blemish. If it was original, then there would be some sort of damage to the paper itself, which there doesn't appear to be.

Pretty sad when a quick google search landed me on a good, clean scan of the cover art, which has a nice big logo that could've easily been cut and pasted. If someone's gonna make repros and try to pass them off as original, then they should at least try and do a good job of it :/

http://www.covergalaxy.com/forum/att...sleeve-001.jpg

[Rickstilwell1]

with Genesis it is pretty hard to tell though. They were pretty cheaply made in the first place, especially the ones that came in cardboard boxes and black & white manuals

[Gameguy]

Why would anyone make a repro of Gadget Twins? It's not worth much, why not make a repro of a better game? I think it was legit and just not played much.

[SpaceFlea]

That looks perfectly normal to me, and I highly doubt it's a repro. That's very common damage found on many Genny game manuals. It's caused by the cartridge rubbing against the manual. It's just wear over time. I have it on a few manuals with games that I bought brand new in the day. The wear is in the exact same spot as yours. If you line up where the edge of the cart comes into contact with the manual when the case is shut, you'll see it hits right in that spot. Don't worry about it.

[y9784]

The manuals are really difficult to differentiate form known (gosh! my trust is broken) originals in my collection. Some manuals have different paper stock for the interior pages. They feel more rough and are not laminated. The gadget twins one is the same shiny paper all the way through.

Why would anyone make a repro of Gadget Twins? It's not worth much, why not make a repro of a better game? I think it was legit and just not played much.

I feel the same way. Ruin your store's BBB rating over a $3 profit. I did get Granada as well with manual and box w/ cover art. That game complete goes for $40 or so, correct? I didn't pay that much.

[y9784]

That looks perfectly normal to me, and I highly doubt it's a repro. That's very common damage found on many Genny game manuals. It's caused by the cartridge rubbing against the manual. It's just wear over time. I have it on a few manuals with games that I bought brand new in the day. The wear is in the exact same spot as yours. If you line up where the edge of the cart comes into contact with the manual when the case is shut, you'll see it hits right in that spot. Don't worry about it.

I've never seen this even when I bought games new in the 90s. I just think it is quite odd for the obscure titles I chose that they were all in brand new shape. The biggest issues being the really sharp copyright text and the laminate paper showing no wear at all.

[y9784]

This is the scan I found online with similar damage which SpaceFlea says is more common than I think.

http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/...2230-A&type=ms

[wiggyx]

The manuals are really difficult to differentiate form known (gosh! my trust is broken) originals in my collection. Some manuals have different paper stock for the interior pages. They feel more rough and are not laminated. The gadget twins one is the same shiny paper all the way through.



I feel the same way. Ruin your store's BBB rating over a $3 profit. I did get Granada as well with manual and box w/ cover art. That game complete goes for $40 or so, correct? I didn't pay that much.

@ BBB rating!

Seriously, nobody cares about the BBB anymore. They're a useless relic of yesteryear, almost completely irrelevant in the 21st century.

[jonebone]

Dude, we're talking Gadget Twins. No one is going to waste time making a reproduction of that since it would probably cost more than you'd sell it for. Stop being paranoid. If it were a super expensive game, then you could have some reason to be concerned. This is just normal wear on a normal manual.

[sloan]

I've said it in threads before: I print repro labels and cover art as needed for my personal collection. I get games through thrifts that are missing clam shell liners, have ripped labels, missing labels, et al. I am not going to leave those games in that condition just to appease those who call it "fraud". IMO, it is not fraud intended to bilk some unknowing person of his or her money. My only intent is to make my collection look as close to original as possible. Plus, I consider it preservation of items that might otherwise meet the landfill. The more gaming items preserved for future generations, the better.

[Gameguy]

I've said it in threads before: I print repro labels and cover art as needed for my personal collection.

This is why I hate it when people replace labels or cover art, it just makes it harder to verify anything later on as legitimate or reproduction.

[wiggyx]

This is why I hate it when people replace labels or cover art, it just makes it harder to verify anything later on as legitimate or reproduction.

Yeah, that is a concern, for sure. It's getting easier and easier to make fairly legitimate looking repro labels at this point too. Almost any of us could do so in our homes with our PC and an inexpensive printer.

This is one of those things that changes the game a bit. Almost anything that's collectable/valuable has been the victim of fakes and reproductions at some point. This sort of thing is a good indicator that classic games are indeed a serious collectable at this point and that we all need to be hyper vigilant when purchasing such things. As if game collecting wasn't enough of a PITA...

[Emperor Megas]

Seems a little extreme to be troubled by what people do with their person things.

[wiggyx]

I think his concern is that those "personal" items may eventually find their way back into the market.

[Buyatari]

I doubt Gadget Twins is a copy but the only way to tell a copy for sure is to compare it side by side with one known to be authentic.

[Gameguy]

I think his concern is that those "personal" items may eventually find their way back into the market.

This. People eventually sell off their games or collections, or die and their family does this. It's not like it would be easy to tell the difference between a new label and an original as the replacements are made to look and feel the same, and these aren't something that you expect would be replaced due to normal wear.

I personally have a copy of MUSHA with a damaged label, I'm not going to replace it. I'm going to find another copy in better condition.

[Parodius Duh!]

This thread is hilarious.

Sometimes printers, Yes, even big time Sega's printers at the factory can make mistakes. Not everything is printed at the same location, etc. Theres so many factors that could explain this off. Its legit, nobody in their right mind would make a repro of this game.

[Emperor Megas]

I think his concern is that those "personal" items may eventually find their way back into the market.

But is that really a big deal? It's just a video game in someone's collection after all. There is a chance that it could end up in the resale market, sure, but it's not like it's a car with the VIN numbers swapped or anything. FTR, I'm absolutely not saying he's 'wrong' for feeling the way he does, I just think that it's a little extreme to hate people making replacement labels and cover art for their games. A lot of people in this hobby are extreme though, IMO.

[101011]

Maybe a prime example would be my copy of moonwalker,

I got the game with a genesis I bought. It actually came in a master system box though. I remember that because I made them try to guess what what was inside the box when I sold it at the games store. It had instructions and he had just died, I remember that too. Also, I had just recently come across this site http://www.thecoverproject.net/ Long story short, My "personal collection" just got a little better. I don't really care that it's a reproduction and would not pass it of as one but if I were to "die and have family members sell off my games" I would not want anyone to think that this an actual copy so, this is what I did. I wrote REPRO COVER on the back. I realised after I did this however, that the entire back side is plastered with "Likon - DIGITAL INKJET PAPER". Oh well, this has to be enough to satisfy any doubt. No?

-FYI-

I am also currently installing glob chip pirate versions of Snow Brothers, Bubble Bobble part 2 and megaman 6 with famicom adaptors inside of nes carts. HA!

My personal collection is about to get just a little better