View Full Version : Most collectable retro console
McGuffin
04-14-2009, 01:02 PM
What is the most collectible retro consoles? Most classic game collectors have Atari's and Nintendo's for sentimental value. Is there anybody collecting the rare consoles because of the monetary value? I saw on eBay that an original Magnavox Odyssey is now worth over 600 dollars. Will Atari Jaguars, 3D0's or Neo Geo's be more valuable in the future? I found this page of those rare consoles.
http://www.bill-mcminn.com/commentary/retroconsole.html
eugenek
04-14-2009, 01:10 PM
I just wanted to say, that page you linked to is dead wrong. On what planet is a sega master system worth $150?
Pantechnicon
04-14-2009, 01:42 PM
I just wanted to say, that page you linked to is dead wrong. On what planet is a sega master system worth $150?
Planet Canada. I think his figures are all based on CAD's.
Anyway, the most collectible system is the Atari 2600. It has a comparatively large library, a diverse range of hardware incarnations, extensively documented history, is easily modifiable and has nearly universal appreciatory value as both a nostalgic item and an important early chapter of video game history.
Oh, wait...you're in this mostly for the money, right? (McGuffin, indeed...:hmm:)
eugenek
04-14-2009, 01:47 PM
Planet Canada. I think his figures are all based on CAD's.
Anyway, the most collectible system is the Atari 2600. It has a comparatively large library, a diverse range of hardware incarnations, extensively documented history, is easily modifiable and has nearly universal appreciatory value as both a nostalgic item and an important early chapter of video game history.
Oh, wait...you're in this mostly for the money, right? (McGuffin, indeed...:hmm:)
Even so...$150 Canadian is $123 American, which is still quite...wrong.
Pantechnicon
04-14-2009, 01:53 PM
Even so...$150 Canadian is $123 American, which is still quite...wrong.
Agreed. I guess, much like the stars, the dazzling light of speculative avarice just shines a little brighter up North.
Ed Oscuro
04-14-2009, 01:55 PM
The most collectable system is the Mega Drive since there's like a bazillion and one variants out there, and it has a large library of good games.
Or maybe I could say any one-off prototype or M2 3DO because you can collect the hardware but that's about all you'll be doing with it.
GrandAmChandler
04-14-2009, 02:05 PM
I personally vote the Tiger R-Zone.
Xian042
04-14-2009, 02:15 PM
depends on what exactly you mean by collectable, do you mean a system that has lots of games to collect, or something really rare that poses a challange?
but going by what I consider collectable, I'd go with NES or 2600. Not because of nostalgia, but because depending on how serious you want to get with the collecting there is something for everyone. You could start off with a collection of great common games, then step it up to complete games, then go further into rare games, then even more serious with 1 offs and homebrews. You will probably never get everything, and everyone will have something different, and you will constantly learn of new games you didnt know existed. (noobs anyway)
I collect Genesis/Mega Drive for personal nostalgia.
RagedGamer
04-14-2009, 03:16 PM
Sega CDX and Neo Geo are two that come to mind
Cinder6
04-14-2009, 03:25 PM
Collecting to have a lot of fun games to have, cheaply: 2600, NES, or Genesis
Collecting to have something worth way too much money: Neo Geo
Whether you enjoy playing the 2600 can be dependent on what you grew up with. (Note that I said "can"!)
without a doubt:
http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=201348&g2_serialNumber=2
k8track
04-14-2009, 05:18 PM
(McGuffin, indeed...:hmm:)
Yep. I couldn't help but notice that this door opened just after another one was closed. Not making any specific connections just yet, but I'm watching.
klausien
04-14-2009, 05:28 PM
Fantastic Tom. Just beautiful.
In terms of collectability, for both value (high & low) and general desirability, I would say the NES is #1, hands down. The library has its share of golden age style games from the early years, and develops all the way up to and beyond its immediate successors in terms of complexity. It was the king of its era, like the 2600 or the Playstation 1 & 2, but the Nintendo mystique is probably why it remains so much more collectable. Nintendo's characters are almost as respected, though certainly just as recognizable, as the Disney and Warner Bros. stables at this point.
eskobar
04-14-2009, 05:29 PM
One of the most expensive consoles is the TurboDuo .... also turbografx-16 has gained much more interest lately; if you get a sealed or mint TD or TG-16 now, it will probably raise its value/time versus any other console.
Virtual Boy also has kept high prices for a mint or new system, but i think that many special editions of any console are worth hundreds .... like the NES Deluxe Set complete in mint condition.
Gameguy
04-14-2009, 05:42 PM
Agreed. I guess, much like the stars, the dazzling light of speculative avarice just shines a little brighter up North.
No, most Canadian collectors I've come across aren't that insane. $15 Canadian seems like a decent amount for one, I still pass on them at $10 at thrift stores. For the most part to me a $5 game is worth $5, if it sells for $5 US it's the same as $5 Canadian. I'd only use the exchange rate for really rare games.
I'd say these days the NES is the most collectible system, it used to be the Atari 2600 several years ago. I'm mostly into the Genesis, but I can tell most other people aren't when compared to Nintendo systems.
Atarileaf
04-14-2009, 06:04 PM
If you want to collect systems based on rarity then I say get a 360. A working 360 10 years from now will be damn near impossible to find. Hell, you can barely find one now
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
eskobar
04-14-2009, 06:06 PM
If you want to collect systems based on rarity then I say get a 360. A working 360 10 years from now will be damn near impossible to find. Hell, you can barely find one now
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
hehehehehe, good tip :D
If you want to collect systems based on rarity then I say get a 360. A working 360 10 years from now will be damn near impossible to find. Hell, you can barely find one now
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
good show
spot on spot on
A CIB Halycon is #1, followed by a CIB Adventurevision. In terms of value anyway. In terms of fun, that's purely opinion.
An Epoch Pocket Computer (+ the 5 games) is very hard to find, also the Palmtex Super Micro of course.
lakerstowin
04-15-2009, 03:09 AM
If you want to collect systems based on rarity then I say get a 360. A working 360 10 years from now will be damn near impossible to find. Hell, you can barely find one now
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
Funny funny funny, and might be true.
An Epoch Pocket Computer (+ the 5 games) is very hard to find, also the Palmtex Super Micro of course.
The Entex Select-A-Game and Bandai Pippin (US ATWORLD version) are also not easy at all to find.
j_factor
04-15-2009, 03:27 PM
Doesn't Genesis have the largest number of variant systems? That would make it the most collectible console. :)
Joe West
04-15-2009, 03:33 PM
Most collectables: AES Home console, & MVS Conz
98PaceCar
04-15-2009, 04:52 PM
Doesn't Genesis have the largest number of variant systems? That would make it the most collectible console. :)
I would think the 2600 would take that honor, if you are counting import variants as well as domestic. There are a ton of oddball 2600s from South America and it seems more are found all the time. Though I'm not much of a Genesis fan so I am a bit unaware of how many variants there are out there.
The 1 2 P
04-15-2009, 05:01 PM
I'd say an X-Eye will continue to become sought after for future generations, even though there are many other Genesis/Mega Drive options. Even a Nomad is still very much in demand and holds it's value quite nicely.
NESGamer24
04-15-2009, 05:01 PM
I'd have to say NES or Atari. But I saw Mega drive up there in another post. Lots of games for that. When I think of most collectible i think of peripherals also. The NES had many.
j_factor
04-15-2009, 07:25 PM
I would think the 2600 would take that honor, if you are counting import variants as well as domestic. There are a ton of oddball 2600s from South America and it seems more are found all the time. Though I'm not much of a Genesis fan so I am a bit unaware of how many variants there are out there.
There are lots of Mega Drive variants, in North America and abroad. In the US we have the main 2 models, the Genesis 3 by Majesco, the CDX, the X'Eye by JVC, the Nomad, and the LaserActive by Pioneer; plus there were multiple revisions of the model 1 and model 2. In Brazil they made several different versions of the system with a different selection of built-in games. In Europe they had the Multi-mega (same as CDX), and the Mega PC by Amstrad. In Japan they had the Mega Jet semi-handheld, the Tera Drive computer by IBM, and a Mega Drive and Mega CD compatible boombox from Aiwa, as well as the Multi-mega and two different versions of the Wondermega (X'Eye). Samsung sold the Super Gam*Boy and Super Aladdin Boy in South Korea. Plus there are slight regional differences with the standard model 1 and 2 for Australia, the PAL Asia area, France (secam), eastern Europe, etc.
Jimid2
04-15-2009, 07:48 PM
An Epoch Pocket Computer (+ the 5 games) is very hard to find... {snip}
Oooh... I gots one of those! MIB w/ games... At least two of the games are kind of fun, too! ROFL
http://web.ncf.ca/fl475/pockets/Epoch2.jpg
It's not the rarest handheld though... just try and find a Gamate in good shape!
Cornelius
04-15-2009, 08:23 PM
probably bending the rules, but the Game Boy line has a near impossible number of variants you could try to collect. Just by major system release there's GB, GBPocket, GBLight, GBColor, GBA, GBASP, GBMicro, and maybe one or two I'm forgetting. Then consider all the color and special edition variations... egads!
Oh, and hardware add-ons! e-reader, lightboy, battery packs, printer, diabetes tester... wasn't there a sewing machine deal?
Ryaan1234
04-15-2009, 08:24 PM
I saw on eBay that an original Magnavox Odyssey is now worth over 600 dollars.
A Magnavox Odyssey's eBay value is about $600.
Ummm.... Those guys must be on drugs or something. The most expensive Odyssey that I currently have on my records sold for $149.99. The cheaper ones brought $40 and $102.
I also noticed on Bill's Commentary that the pictured Odyssey is autographed by Ralph Baer. Was that taken into account when he (they?) saw it on eBay? Seriously, searching "highest priced" on completed items is never the best way to assess the value of something because you're taking many different variations of the same item into account, like sealed and boxed versions, and alternate versions of systems (i.e. the green N64). Just because a sealed or boxed system brings a lot of money doesn't mean the average collector would pay that price for any old game system. I've never seen an Odyssey bring anywhere close to $600, so I assume the one in question could've been the autographed one in the pic, but even the $149.99 one on eBay was complete, with a case and everything. Heck, the $40 one was complete. I don't know.
I'm sorry for this little rant, but it's articles like these that give people the wrong ideas about the value of game systems. I've actually been to garage sales and had people decide to not sell me a game system because they decided they could "get a lot more money on craigslist or eBay" (which is sometimes true, but I digress)
Still digressing, I think that the NES is the most collectible system. It has a large library of games and it's pretty accessible to your average collector.
hoaryhag
04-15-2009, 11:40 PM
If you want to collect systems based on rarity then I say get a 360. A working 360 10 years from now will be damn near impossible to find. Hell, you can barely find one now
(tongue planted firmly in cheek)
Good one.
A collection is just something a person decides to collect. Collectible is a label added by sellers and collectors to raise value.
You can collect lint balls, don't necessarily make them valuable.
Rarity= value in my opinion only if the item is worthwhile in the first place.
I am getting very tired of dealers buying up games to jack up the price, the sellers on ebay buying up turbo games to try and rip the rest of us off, you know what I am talking about.:argue:
Icarus Moonsight
04-16-2009, 10:33 AM
probably bending the rules, but the Game Boy line has a near impossible number of variants you could try to collect. Just by major system release there's GB, GBPocket, GBLight, GBColor, GBA, GBASP, GBMicro, and maybe one or two I'm forgetting. Then consider all the color and special edition variations... egads!
Oh, and hardware add-ons! e-reader, lightboy, battery packs, printer, diabetes tester... wasn't there a sewing machine deal?
Embroidery actually. It's a stitch to find too. :p
Howie6925
04-16-2009, 01:17 PM
I just wanted to say, that page you linked to is dead wrong. On what planet is a sega master system worth $150?
What about planet turkey -$249:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Sega-Master-System-Sonic-Game-Included-RARE_W0QQitemZ400038596726QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo _Games?hash=item400038596726&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318