Better to collect rare titles first or commons?

[Draven]

I've been buying NES games for close to 10 years now, but only began considering myself as a collector for the past 2 years or so. I remember picking up some rarer/popular titles 10 years ago on the cheap. Now (mostly due to ebay, I assume) these same games are WAAAY more expensive. Do you think it's best to collect rare games first so they don't keep going up later or common, not so popular ones first just to get your collection rolling (that's what I did)? Or are we just screwed and everything is going to follow this trend?

[AMG]

I would collect both at the same time. If you see a good deal on a rare one, just grab it while you're collecting. Have fun and just go with the flow.

[Tupin]

Both at the same time, just pick up rare ones when you find them at a reasonable price.

[rpepper9]

Get the ones that are fun to play. Don't let your collection sit around collecting dust!

[TheRealist50]

If I don't already have it, I buy it. I do keep an eye out for rares but I don't go hunting just for rares.

[norkusa]

I always found it easier to collect the rare stuff first. Rare stuff tends to go up in value over time while common titles drop, so you can save a bit more money in the long run by doing rares first.

[Iron Draggon]

just collect whatever you desire that your budget will allow... if you can get a good deal on a rare game, go for it, but don't worry about passing up the expensive ones if you have to... there will always be another one for sale... but sometimes common games can be a real bitch to find at times, so never assume that just because it's common, you'll be able to find another one... I know it sounds crazy, but really commons can be way more elusive than rares... so it's best to snag all the commons you can whenever you can, and don't sweat the rares... if you do that often enough, eventually you'll end up with some games that become rare after you get them... commons tend to become scarce as the years roll by... they just have a way of disappearing... but rares will always pop up sooner or later, especially if you coax them out by waving enough cash around... rares can be the easiest games to find...

[Draven]

just collect whatever you desire that your budget will allow... if you can get a good deal on a rare game, go for it, but don't worry about passing up the expensive ones if you have to... there will always be another one for sale... but sometimes common games can be a real bitch to find at times, so never assume that just because it's common, you'll be able to find another one... I know it sounds crazy, but really commons can be way more elusive than rares... so it's best to snag all the commons you can whenever you can, and don't sweat the rares... if you do that often enough, eventually you'll end up with some games that become rare after you get them... commons tend to become scarce as the years roll by... they just have a way of disappearing... but rares will always pop up sooner or later, especially if you coax them out by waving enough cash around... rares can be the easiest games to find...


Think Gyromite or the other donor carts used for adaptors will eventually become rare?

[otaku]

collect what you can afford and will play. Thats what I've always done

[bones11]

collect whatever piques your interest, don't worry about rarity. NES game prices seem to have peaked in the past couple of years. Personally I think a lot of NES prices will go down in the next few years, similar to the trend in 2600 game prices. But that's just me:-/

[Steven]

Both at the same time, just pick up rare ones when you find them at a reasonable price.


This.

Also, as others say, buy the games that interest you, rare or not. Don't buy a game just to have it because it's rare. Well, I guess whatever floats your boat mate, but my personal advice is to concoct a list of games you want to buy/play, and look for them all at the same time. If you focus on just rares, you might miss a good deal on the other wants, and vice versa.

Always good to be flexible and open whenever a deal strikes, rare or not.

[Trebuken]

Are you aiming for a complete set?

If you are I would go for the commons first, espeacially if you use ebay. There are many opportunities for combined shipping on commons and they can be very cheap, usually. Just save up with the intention of buying as many as you can at once, set a maximum you'll pay per game, say $7 (shipped) each. Then buy all the games in that range. Then move up to the $10 games and do the same. When your at about 500 NES games you'll have to go to one or two at a time unless you get lucky or have money to play with. Saving money on shipping is the key. When your browsing for the commons get an idea of what some of the rare games sell for so you know how much you'll need for them and you'll also be careful not to spend too much on them. Most games are listed regularly enough that you do not need to win it on your first go. Bid $15 for a gmae, if that doesn't win it go to $18 the next time, and so on...

If your not aiming for a complete collection then clearly, buy games your going to play or have some lasting value...

[darkslime]

Well, I'm not sure if you're looking to collect by looking in the wild, or looking online.

If you want to find all games in the wild like I do most of the time, just buy everything you can get for a reasonable price, rares or commons, including doubles. Then trade the doubles for stuff you want online or to a game store.

If you want to get it all online or for ebay prices in a game store, I would recommend buying whatever you actually want to play first, whether its rare or common.

[Aussie2B]

For older games? I don't really see a point of purposely seeking out one or the other. Just take the good deals when they come. I mean, even if you did manage to get all the rares first, what satisfaction would you get in collecting when all you have left is sports games and crap?

Now if you want to talk about games when they're still relatively current, a little educated prediction goes a long time in saving yourself the trouble of finding and affording high-demand games later on. I'm a big fan of RPGs myself, so when I saw a PS1 or PS2 RPG marked down to, say, $10 brand new, I knew that once it's long out-of-print it's probably not going to sell for much less than that used on eBay, so I may as well pick it up brand new. Obviously, publishers, series, obscurity and other factors should be taken into account when determining what may be expensive later on.

[Ze_ro]

When I decided to go for a complete Dreamcast collection, I intentionally went after the rare games first, figuring that it would be the most difficult part, and that I would find a lot of common games in the process. While it mostly worked, I ended up getting somewhat burned out on the process, and by the time I'd gotten everything I considered good and worthwhile, I no longer had interest in getting the rest of the mediocre stuff.

Your milage may vary.

--Zero

[grolt]

Go for both, but go for eBay lots for the best bang for your buck. Starting out is great, because you can buy huge lots on the cheap and practically use every title. When you get near the end though, it's definitely more costly, rare items or not. The thing I have learned, too, is that even if rare items only come up once in a blue moon, wait for a good price before you take the plunge. Almost every game can be got for much cheaper than the usual asking price if you are patient enough. It took me two years, but I got a Panzer Dragoon Saga for what worked out to a profit after I sold the other games off. Same thing too with Buster Douglas Boxing.

Make sure you play the games, too. My passion for collecting is always kept alive because I'm always trying out new games that I've collected but never played. You'd be amazed at all the gems you have sitting in your closet!

[StakeRaiser]

If you are collecting NES games, you are better off going for enjoyment and getting what you can cheap

Some games you may never have unless you want to spend over 500 bucks for, like the Panesians and Stadium Events

[kupomogli]

Unless you're going for complete sets like some of them I've seen here, I wouldn't go for any unless they're rare or you like them.

Why buy a bunch of common games that you don't like at all? I own 400-500 games and I've honestly sold every game except a few that I don't enjoy. There are alot that I've sold or traded while I was younger to get other games, but when I was about 14 or so I haven't sold or traded anything that I actually liked since(I'll be 25 at the end of this month so it's been a long time since I've sold a game that I've enjoyed at all.)

[Chainclaw]

I think a better way of wording the question might be to replace rare with expensive, and common with cheap. You'll always find rare games for cheap, and there are a lot of expensive commons (see Final Fantasy 7).

I tend to more or less go with half of my gaming cash a month for commons, and the other half for an expensive game. For example, this month I have bought Segata Sanshiro for Saturn for $60, and have probably spent another $60 or so on a bunch of random cheap games.

[Press_Start]

Unless you're going for complete sets like some of them I've seen here, I wouldn't go for any unless they're rare or you like them.


He's right, cause complete sets take up a LOT of time and space to accomplish and maintain. As a TG16 collector, its commons over rares as Ebay tend to have them for ridiculous prices and I don't feel like enabling the price-gougers. For me, patience is the key to a complete and financially smart goal. A good deal will come, if not tomorrow, then the day after.

[RASK1904]

If you just started collecting and it's cheap buy it. I would think you realy couldn't tell a game you never saw from a game you never saw thats rare. I've bought games on a hunch thinking they might be rare and bubkis! A snes game for 5 bucks or Atari 2600 games for .50. I'll take all the 2600 games please. One system is easier to remember too. Only 780 or so. Good luck.
Thanx RASK1904:rockets:

Ps. Just becuase they say it's "rare" don't mean it is!!!

[DigitalSpace]

When I start collecting for a system, my first purchases usually consist of a few games that were major wants and cheap games that look decent (it's especially nice when I pick up a game I didn't know about for a buck and then find out that it's a hidden gem). If I come across rare titles, or "high demand" titles that are priced cheaply but usually go for a lot more, I'll get them, but they aren't my first priority.

[Draven]

I guess alot of the price gouging has to do with my generation? If Atari prices have dropped and NES has gone up is it because of the ages collecting? I have a decent job now and make enough to support my hobby, like alot of other 20-something year-olds that are collecting. Most of us are just now able to spend the money necessary to recapture our youth (which goes the same for movies: Transformers coming out, GI Joe in the works, etc and that's why they're being made now). I guess the Atari collector boom began with 30-somethings then dwindled down when their collections became complete or satisfactory. Think this has anything to do with the pricing out there?

[Scawt]

I mostly went for the commons first. There's a store here (Chicago) I buy games from, so I'd go in and spend $40 or so on a handful of common 2600 games. I keep an eye on eBay, garage sales etc, for rarities but I went for commons first.

I feel like you need to get the staples before you take the next step.

[emceelokey]

If you're specifically going fo collection then I would hunt down rares first then build your way up from that. Get the rares first the everything else should be easy.

For me, I'll typically just buy whatever I run into that isin't an old sport game. If you're in a spot where there's a bunch of stuff that you can choose from but don't have enough money to buy everything (garage sale, thrift store, pawn shop) I'll pick up stuff that I haven't seen as often. For example, if I ran into a Sonic Adventures 2 for DC and 102 Dalmations for DC (or some other crappy game) I'd go for the 102 Dalmations just because I haven't seen it so much. It may not be rare but I know I haven't seen it as often as I've seen Sonic Adventure battle 2.

[Zebbe]

I collect Mega Drive and I went with the rare ones first. Feels good, now I can sit back and just buy cheap games I like.