Looking For Advice On Collecting Classics

[Vault Dweller]

My collection so far consists of "modern" day gaiming, but I want to start with classic collecting, my main queries are;

- Least Expensive Console & How Much Roughly
- Quickest Console To Complete The Collection of
- Any Links To A Site Where I can get a cheap NES as my old one doesn't always work

I'll be collecting for the NES and Sega MegaDrive, but I know that they are impossible to complete so these will be more of my favourite collection rather than my goal.

[snes_collector]

A NES, Genesis, or SNES won't cost you much if you look around. You could probably get one with a few games for 40$ or so. Playstation's are even cheaper if you like that.

Most of the time fullsets for consoles are pretty expense, Nintendo 64 might be the cheapest I know of. Between NES,SNES & Genesis- Genesis is probably the least.

You can always look for NES' on ebay and you might even be able to score one from somebody on here.

[buzz_n64]

The rarest N64 games only go for around $70 (not including betas and protos) Games made from 1996-2002. 387 games.

Genesis systems are a dime a dozen. I have many, and know others who have many of them.

If you want a classic console with a small library, maybe the RCA Studio II, Microvision, Odyssey 2.

[Gameguy]

Quickest console to complete that's not incredibly rare might be the Virtual Boy. There's not many North American games out there.

[Vault Dweller]

Sounds like a good start, eventually I will go for the expensive collections, but for now I'll go for N64 and SNES, then I'll go for a small library retro.

I might try my luck at a new 72 pin for my NES, I found one for $35 if it doesn't work

[Atariguy]

Depends on what exactly do you consider retro, and whether you plan to collect complete games or are fine with carts/CDs alone. If you don't mind getting loose games, then you might want to try the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It has a relatively small library with a really high ratio of good games to bad games. Most of them are really inexpensive if you go cart alone (you can find most of them for under $10 on eBay), though there are a handful of games which go for quite a bit more.

[Emuaust]

Im not a fan of collecting for collectings sake. Buy the games and consoles you want to play.

[Vault Dweller]

Im not a fan of collecting for collectings sake. Buy the games and consoles you want to play.

Good point, it would never be just for the sake of it because I love all types of gaming, I want to broaden my horizons when it comes to consoles I've never seen before.

I'd love to go complete only, Atariguy, but I bet it's the same for everyone, some games are so old the boxes aren't in great condition, every game I have that wasn't preowned is always in great condition.

[gum_drops]

My collection so far consists of "modern" day gaiming, but I want to start with classic collecting, my main queries are;

- Least Expensive Console & How Much Roughly
- Quickest Console To Complete The Collection of
- Any Links To A Site Where I can get a cheap NES as my old one doesn't always work

I'll be collecting for the NES and Sega MegaDrive, but I know that they are impossible to complete so these will be more of my favourite collection rather than my goal.

Instead of trying to complete collections, which would consist of a ton of filler games you wont play, get some emulators and roms, play them and start making some lists of games you want.

What is your favorite classic system, genesis, nes, snes,TG16, 3DO, Neo Geo, etc? That's a good place to start.

Since you were asking about value specifics I will assume you are not sitting on a huge pile of money. Don't make the mistake of getting newbie fever and blowing through your funds. I have seen it here and on various sites. People spending thousands within a year to then turn around and dump it all because that thrill of owning expensive collections wore off or life came calling and they stretched their funds thin.

Be specific about which titles you are going after. The more specific and methodical your collecting the better off you will likely be.

[HappehLemons]

My advice is don't "collect".
Buy games you want to play, PLAY THEM and keep them afterworlds.

It's easy to get sucked in to buying a ton of games and never playing them. They don't cost much and once you have it you'll you'll figure you will always be able to play them but chances are you'll be so busy buying your next game you'll never get the chance to play all the ones you have.

[Polygon]

Well, for the mainstream classic consoles, right now from searching eBay I can tell you that the Genesis is cheaper to get the consoles, games, and accessories right now. You can easily get a system for under $40, some times with games. While the SNES, NES, and N64 people are asking no less that $50 for just console with an R/F switch and A/C adapter. Games are more expensive as well. I've been able to pick up a lot of complete Genesis games in pretty good shape for under $5. Accessories are the same story.

Just my observations of recent. Sorry, I haven't been looking at DC or PS1 recently.


My advice is don't "collect".
Buy games you want to play, PLAY THEM and keep them afterworlds.

This!!!!!!

I refuse to buy a game I don't like. Buy games that you will play because classic video games are a poor investment idea.

[Vault Dweller]

This time last year I achieved 10 platinums in 3 months and then didn't get any more for the rest of the year, just going on what gum drops mentioned, I have to take my time with this, if I lose interest by obsessing at the beginning it'll be a waste.

Thanks a lot for all the replies

[soloman]

Sega's consoles are universally cheap because they were mass produced and have little to no demand. Nintendo's consoles are plentiful but the demand is high and you'll have to pay the "Nintendo Tax" so you'll be paying a lot more than you expect. A master system, genesis (model 1 is a little more expensive), Saturn, and Dreamcast all run $20-30 at the most. The Sega CD is slowly climbing in price (and its variants like the laseractive or CDX may be out of your price range) and the 32x is slowly climbing because the failure rate on the unit is high. Sega games are dirt cheap with rare carts/cds across all systems going for pennies loose. Even rare CIB games don't go over $20 to $50. I can maybe 5 games on each Sega system which are super rare and go for over $100.

[T]

Neo Geo Pocket.

Easy to collect all north american games

[mobiusclimber]

Um, I can name several Sega console games that go for quite a bit even loose. Just off the top of my head:

Snatcher
Keio Flying Squadron
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force III
MUSHA
Dragon Force
Magic Knight Rayearth
Spiderman Web of Shadows

And, at times, Splatterhouse 2 & 3, Crusader of Centy... this is just off the top of my head. The Dreamcast, while not having any $100 US releases that I can think of, has tons of $50 games.

At any rate, what I really wanted to post about in here is that a good way to build up a quick collection is to scour Craigslist, swapmeets and yard sales in your area. Not only will you be able to get the consoles and games at a fraction of Ebay prices, but you'll end up with lots of duplicates and/or crappy games you can trade off or sell.

I would personally recommend starting with the Genesis if you need a system to focus on. There are lots of great games that are cheap and generally speaking the price for complete in box isn't as high as it is on other cartridge-based systems (since most of the boxes were indestructible). A lot of the games also tend to subvert genre norms, which is both a blessing and a curse. But if you start out with it, you might not even realize it until you play other systems.

[retroman]

Cant go wrong with a TurboGraphx16 or Atari Jaguar

[soloman]

Um, I can name several Sega console games that go for quite a bit even loose. Just off the top of my head:

Snatcher
Keio Flying Squadron
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force III
MUSHA
Dragon Force
Magic Knight Rayearth
Spiderman Web of Shadows

And, at times, Splatterhouse 2 & 3, Crusader of Centy... this is just off the top of my head. The Dreamcast, while not having any $100 US releases that I can think of, has tons of $50 games.

Which is absolutely nothing compared to Nintendo or Sony consoles in the same era. Flying Squadron is SCD's most expensive game at an average of $120 for a CIB copy with Snatcher trailing it at around $80 average. Shining Force, Popful Mail, and Earthworm Jim 3D are probably the only other SCD games that will run over $50. Dreamcast's most expensive titles are Capcom fighters... pretty much all of them. Same with the Saturn.

The number of "SUPER ULTRA RARE OMG CHECK THIS GAME OUT LOLOLOL" titles on Sega platforms is really, really tiny. If you're looking to start a collection then I can't recommend their consoles enough because pretty much every yard sale, flea market, and online lot will have a dusty box full of them going for nothing.

[The 1 2 P]

Neo Geo Pocket.

Easy to collect all north american games

Thats what I came here to post.

[Baloo]

Which is absolutely nothing compared to Nintendo or Sony consoles in the same era. Flying Squadron is SCD's most expensive game at an average of $120 for a CIB copy with Snatcher trailing it at around $80 average. Shining Force, Popful Mail, and Earthworm Jim 3D are probably the only other SCD games that will run over $50. Dreamcast's most expensive titles are Capcom fighters... pretty much all of them. Same with the Saturn.

The number of "SUPER ULTRA RARE OMG CHECK THIS GAME OUT LOLOLOL" titles on Sega platforms is really, really tiny. If you're looking to start a collection then I can't recommend their consoles enough because pretty much every yard sale, flea market, and online lot will have a dusty box full of them going for nothing.

Dude, you really are just talking out of your ass if you're saying that SEGA consoles has less expensive games than Sony consoles from the time (The PS1? Tons upon TONS of cheap shovelware shit. The only games going for anything are RPGs and Working Design titles, maybe the occasional game like Raiden Project thrown in)

The Genesis I can understand your point of view as there are a LOT of cheap games for the system, and systems are common as dirt. I can only think of maybe 5 games that go for any kind of someone high price that are US:

M.U.S.H.A. Aleste
Splatterhouse 3
Streets of Rage 3
Shining Force II
Miracle Piano

Everything else can be had for pennies on the Genesis. Which makes it a GREAT system.

However, the Master System, Sega CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast are totally different matters entirely. While the Master System's US releases are cheap and generally easy to find, anything imported from Europe or elsewhere is going to cost you BIG bucks.

The Sega CD has a lot of niche titles and RPGs, most of which weren't released on other consoles that can get pricey:

Snatcher
Popful Mail
Lunar
Lunar II
Vay
Keio Flying Squadron
Shining Force CD
Earthworm Jim Special Edition


When it comes to Saturn, Saturn titles had generally low print runs (some much lower than others), so generally EVERYTHING worth playing on the system, especially first party titles released towards the end, are going to cost you a LOT of money. If you think that having all these games being expensive isn't a lot, you have another thing coming to you:

Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force III
Shining the Holy Ark
Winning Post
Burning Rangers
Dragon Force
Albert Oddessey
Saturn Bomberman
House of the Dead
Magical Knight Rayearth
Guardian Heroes
Sonic Jam
Shinobi Legions
Die Hard Arcade
Astal
Daytona USA: CCE Netlink Edition

Not to mention the imports like Metal Slug, Psychic Assassin Taromaru, Super Tempo, Street Fighter Zero 3, Radiant Silvergun, etc. There's a lot of expensive titles on Saturn.

So don't think that

[soloman]

Dude, you really are just talking out of your ass if you're saying that SEGA consoles has less expensive games than Sony consoles from the time (The PS1? Tons upon TONS of cheap shovelware shit. The only games going for anything are RPGs and Working Design titles, maybe the occasional game like Raiden Project thrown in)

Perhaps you forgot that the PS1's RPG library alone completely dwarfs the Saturn's list of rares. In my experience the PS1 is the most expensive 32-bit era console to collect for because of its massive library. The OP also asked "Complete The Collection of" which is going to be even more difficult considering 7 years of titles and the Greatest Hits line inflated the prices of "Black Label" games. The popularity of the system, even now, has driven up demand and the average Soccer Mom who found her son's dusty box can say to herself "Wow, Playstation. This is rare stuff!"


However, the Master System, Sega CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast are totally different matters entirely. While the Master System's US releases are cheap and generally easy to find, anything imported from Europe or elsewhere is going to cost you BIG bucks.

What are you importing from Europe exactly? Most of the English language Master System's titles were available in the US. The only English non-US release I can think of is Ultima IV which is like $25 CIB. The Master System's most expensive games I've seen are about a dozen late-life Genesis ports like Outrun and Mortal Kombat. None of these should run you over $50-80 CIB.

EDIT: My out of date excel sheet tells me the most I've spent on an SMS game was The Smurfs for $150. I guess that's one to watch out for.

EDIT 2: I didn't realize so many of those SMS ports were Europe only. Thankfully there are only a handful I'm missing so I'll make "polish off Master System" my 2011 resolution.


The Sega CD has a lot of niche titles and RPGs, most of which weren't released on other consoles that can get pricey:

Snatcher
Popful Mail
Lunar
Lunar II
Vay
Keio Flying Squadron
Shining Force CD
Earthworm Jim Special Edition

Prices will vary, but I got CIB good to mint copies of Popful, Lunar, Shining Force, and Earthworm Jim last year for $30-50 each. Snatcher ran me $80 and Keio ran me $120. Vay's price dropped after the iphone version came out (you can pick it up $30 CIB easy) and the rest of SCD's titles are valueless (but really fun, don't miss out!) ports like Ecco or FMV games which I'm pretty sure most collector's use as coasters. Time Gal will probably run you the highest out of all of the FMV games but even that's becoming cheaper.


When it comes to Saturn, Saturn titles had generally low print runs (some much lower than others), so generally EVERYTHING worth playing on the system, especially first party titles released towards the end, are going to cost you a LOT of money. If you think that having all these games being expensive isn't a lot, you have another thing coming to you:

Panzer Dragoon Saga
Shining Force III
Shining the Holy Ark
Winning Post
Burning Rangers
Dragon Force
Albert Oddessey
Saturn Bomberman
House of the Dead
Magical Knight Rayearth
Guardian Heroes
Sonic Jam
Shinobi Legions
Die Hard Arcade
Astal
Daytona USA: CCE Netlink Edition

Not to mention the imports like Metal Slug, Psychic Assassin Taromaru, Super Tempo, Street Fighter Zero 3, Radiant Silvergun, etc. There's a lot of expensive titles on Saturn.

So don't think that

Astal is dirt cheap now, but you're right most of those games go for $80 minimum CIB. However, after three years of collecting I noticed a trend among Saturn sellers (particularly on eBay and goodwill) in that they love selling in massive lots which are always cheaper than individually priced items. Scouring eBay right now I see lots starting at .99 for Dragon Force + Sonic Jam + Shining Force III + Burning Rangers CIB. Snipe the crap out of those things and you'll build up your collection cheaply. Look for auctions that end in the third week of the month (as market trends show people are strapped for cash during that time) and auctions that end early morning PST or EST time when most Americans are asleep. I got my CIB copy of Guardian Heroes on eBay for $40 sniping one auction. I try to avoid direct trading of Sega games because the fanbase is very passionate which means a higher price for me.

I'm saying the PS1 is rightly an expensive console to collect for because A) sellers are stingy, B) sellers are generally non-gamers who're familiar with the console due to popularity, and C) the PS1 has about 7 years worth of titles that flew by under the radar. Good luck finding LSD: Dream Emulator (at all) or Harmful Park for less than $200. If it's an RPG that didn't suck, expect to pay $50 CIB minimum and RPGs made up good part of the PS1's library. If a game has a Greatest Hits counterpart, the "BLACK LABEL EDITION ULTRA RARE NVR B4 SEEN OMFG!!!111" listing is can be 300% more expensive than the regular copy. Final Fantasy 7 sold what, 500k copies of its initial print run in America? Why is it then that everyone wants $70 minimum for it? Gimme a break.

Larger stock + higher popularity + shark sellers = more expensive collection.

EDIT: Now if OP really wants to piss his pants, I'll just say "Neo Geo AES". People will inspect the lines on the cartridge to determine how many times it was inserted. The creases on the generic cardboard box can totally fluctuate the price. Serial number matches the box? Triple the price.

SNK inadvertently (or maybe purposefully?) created a rabid collector's market by tracking each individual copy sold. Then you have games with print runs in the teens and good god, I've never seen so much money fly around.

[mobiusclimber]

It isn't about bulk, or at least it wasn't when I was replying to it. You specifically talked exclusively about expensive titles, not "you have to buy a bajillion games, so obviously the PS1 is the most expensive!" Probably if I stopped and counted up the expensive games on the PS1 it would end up being the most expensive, tho the price drop on many of the pricier games has hurt that count a bit (Suikoden 2 is down to less than $100, Valkyrie Profile down to $50, etc). Oh and FF7 sells for $40 now or less, nowhere close to $70.

But compared to NES or SNES, I think the Sega consoles have just as many expensive games. In fact, I'd rank the Saturn behind the PS1 for having the most. No, there are no Stadium Events or NWC games, but baring obvious flukes, there aren't that many expensive titles on either system. The N64 and Gamecube have almost none.

But my point was really to just say that Sega systems have plenty of expensive titles, not to get into some pissing match over it. You can state what you paid for what games, but those prices aren't average. I've lucked out myself several times, but I'd never tell someone that that's what they should expect to pay.

Be aware is all I'm saying. If you're going for a full set, know what games are going to give you a headache (and a depleted bank account). To give you an idea of which system would be cheapest to go after, there's an N64 full set (cart only) on Ebay right now for a little over $2000. I can guarantee any Sega (save for Game Gear) or NES or SNES would be twice that at least.

[jonebone]

Wow all kinds of false information in this thread. Who values a Sega Genesis cart only set at $4k? I'm not even sure if the CIB set would be valued that high.

PS1 is ridiculously expensive due to both quantity and the amount of RPG content. Saturn and Dreamcast might have some studs, but the small library is going to make it very cheap to finish when compared to PS1.

[tom]

You haven't been collecting classics unless you do Atari 2600 VCS, Colecovision, Intellivision and Vectrex.

[Richter Belmount]

Collect turbo grafx 16 its a combination of extremely fun games to obescure classics people havent played.

[Tron 2.0]

Cant go wrong with a TurboGraphx16
I laugh at that choice given the current price gouging for it.

[Trebuken]

A US Sega Master System collection is your best choice.

Settle for a non-US Sonic the Hedgehog and it is an easy yet worthwhile collection. Plenty of good games, classic games.

Neo Geo Pocket is meh. Great handheld, some good games, some tough to find ones, small selection...couldn't hurt to at least have one and the easiest to find games.

An Atari 5200 or 7800 collection can be fun as well. A few expensive titles but otherwise not too challenging. Also some homebrew options from AtariAge and GoodDealGames.

Jaguar/TurboGrafx - A complete collection is expensive, a good collection is achievable.

Nintendo 64 is a good choice to collect for next. You could start with it but because it is 300ish titles with a handful of good imports I'd not start with it. Buy boxes and inserts for as many as you can but don't limit yourself. You can resell your carts on ebay for about waht you paid for them if you later want a complete version.

Buying only the games you want is not always successful. Some games are obviously not worth collecting, but those games are usually dirt cheap. Often there are games that are gems that either you have never heard of, forgotten, or that you simply appreciate more than others. That's a reason to go for the complete collection. If you have the space and money a complete collection won't cost much more than just buying the good games, which are often the priciest.

System prices themselves are going up quickly, espeacially in the box so you might consider just grabbing a few systems with a few games each.