NES 10-Yard Fight factory seal?

[y-bot]

I got this at a thrift store awhile back and I was wondering if this is factory sealed. There is nothing to lead me to believe it is not factory sealed except it doesn't have the trademark horizontal line on the back. Did this game come sealed differently than later NES games? The edge of the inner flaps on the top of the box show no signs of ever being opened. Thanks for your help!

y-bot

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/th_DSC03018.jpg (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC03018.jpg)
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/th_DSC03017.jpg (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC03017.jpg)
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/th_DSC03016.jpg (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC03016.jpg)
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/th_DSC03015.jpg (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC03015.jpg)
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/th_DSC03014.jpg (http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC03014.jpg)

[horseboy]

The shrinkwrap seems a bit loose, but that is in damn fine condition if it isn't factory shrinkwrap. I have only heard about NES games being sealed with the horizontal line, so I dunno.

[Bronty-2]

that is not factory sealed.

[GnarlyNES]

I would agree with the statements above. The shrinkwrap looks to be a bit loose, and you would think that a game manufactured by Nintendo would have the legendary horizontal seam. The box looks to be mint, but for all we know there could be the Ebola virus sealed inside.

[wallydawg]

if you don't mind I'd like to get a professional opinion on three sealed games I found a week ago. I posted these in the finds thread before, didn't get an opinion (that I saw anyways) and I'm too lazy to start my own thread. :P

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/4172/frontsealedbf3.jpg
side seals photo (http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/5323/sidesealaf6.png)
back horizontal seals photo (http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/8312/horizontalsealmo7.jpg)

unfortunately the corners on Super Mario World are chipped and it has a hell of a lot of shelf wear

[GnarlyNES]

Wallydog, your games look pretty legit to me, but I am not professional.

[Jumpman Jr.]

Definitely not. Thats a poor attempt at one too.

[y-bot]

@Jumpman Jr.- Can I show it to you at CGE? Are you guys just looking at the seal? It doesn't look like the box has ever been opened. I suppose something could have happened to the shrinkwrap and a store resealed it before selling it. I got it from a thrift store so the chances of someone resealing it to deceive someone are low.

y-bot

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Are you guys just looking at the seal? It doesn't look like the box has ever been opened. I suppose something could have happened to the shrinkwrap and a store resealed it before selling it. I got it from a thrift store so the chances of someone resealing it to deceive someone are low.

y-bot
I was thinking the exact same thing...but if someone did do that, it may be new and unused, but it's technically not a "factory seal", which is what you originally asked about.

Wallydog, your games look pretty legit to me, but I am not professional.
Agreed...and I think it's doubtful anyone would fake those to sell them for $2.99 at Goodwill.

[boatofcar]

As far as I know, all black box games came with the black Nintendo sticker on the flap of the box. Do you see the remnants of a sticker up there? Other things you can check are for "crows feet" around the corners, showing a disturbance in the cardboard where the box might have been opened.

[Bronty-2]

As far as I know, all black box games came with the black Nintendo sticker on the flap of the box. Do you see the remnants of a sticker up there? Other things you can check are for "crows feet" around the corners, showing a disturbance in the cardboard where the box might have been opened.

that's just incorrect.

[Bronty-2]

I suppose something could have happened to the shrinkwrap and a store resealed it before selling it. y-bot

Right, this happened quite a lot. Your copy is probably the next best thing to factory, but not factory.

[y-bot]

Right, this happened quite a lot. Your copy is probably the next best thing to factory, but not factory.

I think this is what must of happened because there is no way that box has ever been opened. Thanks for your expertise.

y-bot

[boatofcar]

that's just incorrect.

Care to elaborate? In which cases were the stickers used vs. shrinkwrap?

[Bronty-2]

Care to elaborate? In which cases were the stickers used vs. shrinkwrap?

Canadian NTSC games published by nintendo were sealed with stickers, as were PAL games.

US NTSC black boxes - the great majority of copies did not have sticker seals. Just wrap as per normal. You'll find many, many, many more copies without stickers than with. Of all of my sealed US black boxes I only have stack-up with sticker.

[PingvinBlueJeans]

US NTSC black boxes - the great majority of copies did not have sticker seals. Just wrap as per normal. You'll find many, many, many more copies without stickers than with. Of all of my sealed US black boxes I only have stack-up with sticker.
I could be wrong, but I believe only the earliest copies of black box games had the black/silver Nintendo sticker (games manufactured mid-1986 and earlier). I've got Stack-Up and Donkey Kong with stickers myself.

[Jumpman Jr.]

Yeah, you could show it to me at CGE if you want for me to get a closer look. I'm not that much of a sealed expert like Bronty is, but I'll give'r a gander.

[Bronty-2]

I could be wrong, but I believe only the earliest copies of black box games had the black/silver Nintendo sticker (games manufactured mid-1986 and earlier). I've got Stack-Up and Donkey Kong with stickers myself.

Right, when you do find a stickered copy its always/usually an early (hangtab) box, but I think its unlikely that every game manufactured mid 86 or earlier (or thereabouts) came with the sticker. If that was true I would expect to see a much higher percentage of hangtab black boxes with the sticker, and yet most copies of even the hangtab black boxes don't have the sticker. Then again, I guess the install base would still have been really low pre xmas 86 so maybe its that simple.

It might also have been a geographic thing - let's say they had a bit of excess capacity in the canadian plant in early 86 and the stickered games were made for the US market there to help out US production (and since that factory wouldn't have had a wrap machine, sealed with stickers). Any number of possibilities could explain it, but whatever the reason it wasn't a very long-lasting or widespread thing. Bottom line though is that most of the black boxes, even the hangtab boxes, were not stickered.

Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about this..

[PingvinBlueJeans]

Right, when you do find a stickered copy its always/usually an early (hangtab) box, but I think its unlikely that every game manufactured mid 86 or earlier (or thereabouts) came with the sticker. If that was true I would expect to see a much higher percentage of hangtab black boxes with the sticker, and yet most copies of even the hangtab black boxes don't have the sticker. Then again, I guess the install base would still have been really low pre xmas 86 so maybe its that simple.

Well, you have to remember that NES sales didn't go fully national until late autumn of 1986 (just before the Christmas season), so the installed base was relatively small indeed. NES sales started in the New York City area in October '85 and continued in the Los Angeles area in February '86. My theory is that the stickered NES games are mostly from these initial shipments before sales went national, which is what makes them so rare.


It might also have been a geographic thing - let's say they had a bit of excess capacity in the canadian plant in early 86 and the stickered games were made for the US market there to help out US production (and since that factory wouldn't have had a wrap machine, sealed with stickers).

That's also very possible.


Any number of possibilities could explain it, but whatever the reason it wasn't a very long-lasting or widespread thing. Bottom line though is that most of the black boxes, even the hangtab boxes, were not stickered.

Agreed. Like I said, I have Stack-Up (released 10/85) and Donkey Kong (released 6/86) with stickers, so they were definitely using stickers in some capacity until mid-'86 at least. Like you, I have several other black boxes with hangtabs that lack stickers.


Would love to hear from anyone who knows more about this..
I would as well...this is all pure speculation on my part, as I did not purchase any of these game new when they were released. I'd love to hear from someone who bought a NES at launch in '85.