TOP 20 Most Expensive Sealed games of all time

[Dark_Sol]

I decided to write an article about top 20 most expensive games from ntsc and pal (20 in total for both). 10 was way too low as there were many interesting sales. I've gathered some info from different records , past sales and my own knowledge. So please help me with this.

What do you think are they? Spanning from NTSC to PAL. All platforms.

The nes ones are of cause insane. Like the ones which bucky won. I guess these are most expensive i've seen.
What about those?
Stadium Events NTSC US - 41300$ the second one was about 22k$ and possibly did not sell.
Mega Man 1 NES NTSC? 2700$? what about second one?
Bubble Bobble 2 NTSC US - 5199$
Little Samson - 5500$
Flinstones Dinosaurs Peak - 12k-16k?
Chrono Trigger VGA 90 - 3k?
Castlevania Symphony of the Night PAL - 3049GBP in august 2010. It did not sell maybe, but still. rea price about 1-1,5k gbp
EVO VGA 90 - 3500$
Ogre Battle for SNES = 3000$
Dead Space LE = 3300$ topps? i cannot remember
Elemental Gearbolt Assassin's Case - how much was it last time? 1700 euro?
Uncharted 2 Among thives hunter edition - 2,5k-4k?
final fantasy 2 snes - 3-4k?
SUPER MARIO WORLD neuf sous blister - £1,733.65
ZELDA 2 blister 1152€ in 2009 ~ 1k GBP
£1200 for Super Mario World — PAL-UK (Yellow Box)
Secret of Evermore PAL - I think 1,000+ GBP.
3,000 gbp Mega Man X
2,800(?) gbp Mario All Stars / World
2,250 Super Mario Bros 1 VGA 80 was it pal or ntsc? original black seal?
1,200(?)gbp Mega Man 4 VGA 90 PAL?
1,000 gbp Zelda Links Awakening PAL?
2,000(?) gbp Zelda ALTTP VGA 95
Dracula X vga95 for pooch for 3.5k?
Aero Fighters SNES NTSC - 1.5-2k?
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Limited Edition Adventure Set (PAL) 2k euro?
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages Limited Edition 2k euro?

what about DK Jr. Math BB sealed? Duck Hunt? Contra Force?


also would be interesting to know about some black box nes games, if some were over 2k and more.. I lack knowledge there...

:good2: Thanx for all input both real and rumoured. Your motherfucking hardcore collector from ass off the world. :good3:

too bad i didn't save those retarded french blisters..

[Porksta]

Is this speculative values or are you only looking for actual recorded sales? I would imagine a sealed Kizuna Encounter would be worth something.

[Dark_Sol]

Those prices are real. Sales and private deals and auctions. Kizuna would indeed cost a fortune.. as well as Magical Chase.. i cannot remember how much was it. 1.5k or 2k?

[TurboGenesis]

where is Air Raid for the Atari 2600?!?

[Dark_Sol]

where is Air Raid for the Atari 2600?!?
Was it sealed? How much was the price? I cannot remember really

[Dark_Sol]

found some info:

Magical Chase: $2901.01 (16 Bids, 92 watchers)
Ended: Jul-04-09 17:00:00 PDT

also i forgot KID ICARUS. A couple of guys have it here..

[Dark_Sol]

i also remember music machine for atari also sold for some insane price..
ahh found it: The Music Machine for Atari 2600 sold on eBay by seller ms.sierramarie for $5250.00 USD on Oct. 10, 2009.

edit: 6000$ in 2010

also anyone can support these NIB prices?
http://www.rarityguide.com/atari2600_view.php?SortDirection=desc&SortField=6&recordsPerPage=20
i've never seen a sealed air raid.

[tom]

VCS games sealed would go for loads of money.
Air Raid approx $60.000
Birthday Mania approx $70.000
Red Sea Crossing approx $ 80.000

[Dark_Sol]

Even more for VAG maybe!

[VertigoProcess]

Was it sealed? How much was the price? I cannot remember really

It was loose forgot exact amount but it was over 3k...

[Dark_Sol]

Well. The CIB sold for 31k. but atariguide lists a NIB for 28k. i guess that's bullshit

[tom]

Yes, 28k is not enough, it's now way more.


How about my Lucky Dime Caper for SMS, not only a Limited Edition shrinkwrapped, but still has the original white bands around it.
I reckon it's worth at least 5k
http://roomofdoom.powweb.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=197858&g2_serialNumber=1

[tom]

i also remember music machine for atari also sold for some insane price..
ahh found it: The Music Machine for Atari 2600 sold on eBay by seller ms.sierramarie for $5250.00 USD on Oct. 10, 2009.

edit: 6000$ in 2010

also anyone can support these NIB prices?
http://www.rarityguide.com/atari2600_view.php?SortDirection=desc&SortField=6&recordsPerPage=20
i've never seen a sealed air raid.

Haha funny guy, until recently nobody seen a cib Air Raid.

That list is a bit low nowadays, they have risen far more, whilst others, like Mangia, should be lower.

Some VCS games weren't sold sealed, nevertheless, still NIB, and Air Raid might be one of those, and maybe also Birthday Mania and the recently found Red Sea Crossing and Extra Terrestrials.
Think about it, Red Sea Crossing and Birthday Mania only exist once, the value for those is tremendous.

Red Sea Crossing:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-red-sea-crossing_20276.html

Birthday Mania:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-birthday-mania_18568.html

Air Raid:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-air-raid_16186.html

Extra Terrestrials:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-extra-terrestrials_27608.html


.

[xelement5x]

The Elemental Gearbolt Assassin Case is pricy, but I don't think it's the sealed game that makes it worth that much; it's probably the special embossed case and Guncon/Memory Card covered in GOLD that make it valuable. ;)

I got a new/sealed version of Elemental Gearbolt last year for like $30.

[tom]

Also extremely rare sealed would be Tigervision Matterhorn on A8 and On-Line Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash for Vic 20

[Buyatari]

Where is that SE sale from? I don't think that one was confirmed. I'm pretty sure the most expensive SE was bought by that goofball who keeps listing it on eBay for a higher price. He has done more to hurt the value than anyone.

[Griking]

Haha funny guy, until recently nobody seen a cib Air Raid.

That list is a bit low nowadays, they have risen far more, whilst others, like Mangia, should be lower.

Some VCS games weren't sold sealed, nevertheless, still NIB, and Air Raid might be one of those, and maybe also Birthday Mania and the recently found Red Sea Crossing and Extra Terrestrials.
Think about it, Red Sea Crossing and Birthday Mania only exist once, the value for those is tremendous.

Red Sea Crossing:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-red-sea-crossing_20276.html

Birthday Mania:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-birthday-mania_18568.html

Air Raid:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-air-raid_16186.html

Extra Terrestrials:
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-extra-terrestrials_27608.html


.


I know that this is just personal opinion which probably means nothing to anybody but I consider a lot of the really rare and obscure Atari 2600 games such as these to be nothing more than old school home brews. The fact that someone may have sold them in their shop doesn't make them official releases in my mind. Of course this doesn't reduce the coolness factor or what some may pay for them but really the only thing that prevented anyone and everyone from making their own Atari games and selling them from their garage back then was the know how and their ability to get their hands on the chips..

[Bojay1997]

I know that this is just personal opinion which probably means nothing to anybody but I consider a lot of the really rare and obscure Atari 2600 games such as these to be nothing more than old school home brews. The fact that someone may have sold them in their shop doesn't make them official releases in my mind. Of course this doesn't reduce the coolness factor or what some may pay for them but really the only thing that prevented anyone and everyone from making their own Atari games and selling them from their garage back then was the know how and their ability to get their hands on the chips..

I personally agree with you. Although I have been loudly argued against on Atari Age for holding that opinion, I just don't consider many of these extremely small run Atari 2600 games to be "commercial" releases. Yes, somebody may have gotten a small chain of shops to stick them on a shelf by essentially walking in and saying "hey, will you take a few of these to sell on consignment", but they had zero distribution, no marketing, no mass production, etc...in an era where commercial releases had all of that stuff. It really is like the proverbial guy who bottles his own BBQ sauce or salad dressing and sells it at a local farmer's market. It's technically being sold to the public, but it's far from a commercial product.

[Hawksmoor]

How about a sealed Mr. Boston - Clean Sweep for Vectrex?

[tom]

I know that this is just personal opinion which probably means nothing to anybody but I consider a lot of the really rare and obscure Atari 2600 games such as these to be nothing more than old school home brews. The fact that someone may have sold them in their shop doesn't make them official releases in my mind. Of course this doesn't reduce the coolness factor or what some may pay for them but really the only thing that prevented anyone and everyone from making their own Atari games and selling them from their garage back then was the know how and their ability to get their hands on the chips..

Except they're were not homebrews but commercial releases and actually count in any rarity guide.

[tom]

Where is that SE sale from? I don't think that one was confirmed. I'm pretty sure the most expensive SE was bought by that goofball who keeps listing it on eBay for a higher price. He has done more to hurt the value than anyone.

The 40k + sale never went through.

[tom]

How about a sealed Mr. Boston - Clean Sweep for Vectrex?

I think that's a homebrew like Griking mentioned.

[Buyatari]

I know that this is just personal opinion which probably means nothing to anybody but I consider a lot of the really rare and obscure Atari 2600 games such as these to be nothing more than old school home brews. The fact that someone may have sold them in their shop doesn't make them official releases in my mind. Of course this doesn't reduce the coolness factor or what some may pay for them but really the only thing that prevented anyone and everyone from making their own Atari games and selling them from their garage back then was the know how and their ability to get their hands on the chips..

The first games by Lord British and Sierra would also be "homebrews" then along with the Apple 1. What really matters is when a game was sold not where it was made. If it was during the lifespan of the system then it should count. Homebrew is a horrible term and some prefer the term aftermarket which covers all of what most people mean when they say homebrew or reproduction.

[Dark_Sol]

The 40k + sale never went through.
How do you know? Proof or rumors?
i thought pooch won and paid for it. AS well as gold NWC. :roll:
it's the second vga75 copy from an asshole which hopefully didn't sell.

[Dark_Sol]

also please post prices. Not only : "game this and game that would prolly..."

[tom]

Air Raid approx $60.000
Birthday Mania approx $70.000
Red Sea Crossing approx $ 80.000

I'm glad I did

[Dark_Sol]

you forgot: tetris. 1.000.000.000.000.000.000$ approx

[Bojay1997]

The first games by Lord British and Sierra would also be "homebrews" then along with the Apple 1. What really matters is when a game was sold not where it was made. If it was during the lifespan of the system then it should count. Homebrew is a horrible term and some prefer the term aftermarket which covers all of what most people mean when they say homebrew or reproduction.

While I understand your argument, I feel it can be distinguished on the basis that those releases were what I would consider to be "pre-commercial" or so early that the industry itself was still being put together and frankly, those particular publishers/programmers went on to really dominate the industry when it became professional and truly commercial. To me, those later cartridge 2600 games are not much different than when the guy at the local computer store in the mid to late 80s was selling games he or friends had created on discs with dot matrix printed stickers and photocopied packaging. Yes, the software was being "sold" during the lifespan of the Commodore 64 or Apple II, but I would hardly consider it commercial. He had essentially missed that narrow window of people selling their own games in baggies before there was any real organized distribution and publishing system for computers.

I feel the same way about the new Sega Dreamcast releases. They have no connection to Sega and don't even work on every Dreamcast, so to me they are simply home-brews being sold, not commercial releases. I also think people tend to forget that it became much easier to obtain the physical raw materials needed to produce 2600 games, especially if all you were making was a very tiny quantity and while learning to program the 2600 was never simple, there were quite a few people who had figured by the time the crash began.

[mb7241]

A while back (around a year ago, maybe as long as 18 months ago), a VGA 80 sealed Dragon Warrior IV sold for $3000 from Bryan's Video Trader's website.

[tom]

you forgot: tetris. 1.000.000.000.000.000.000$ approx

On atari vcs yes (that'll be a cool find), on any lesser console no.

[Sunnyvale]

On atari vcs yes (that'll be a cool find), on any lesser console no.


...atari vcs... any lesser console...

I have to agree, Tom. You, sir, have taste.

[xelement5x]

On atari vcs yes (that'll be a cool find), on any lesser console no.

I believe he's referring to this copy (http://www.ebay.com/itm/130557974178) of Tetris for the Sega Mega Drive (rare indeed if it's not a bootleg). He says in the listing he originally paid 11000 € for it.

[BeaglePuss]

Flinstones Dinosaurs Peak - 12k-16k?


Those prices are real.


also please post prices. Not only : "game this and game that would prolly..."

A sealed Flintstones Surprise at Dinosaur Peak has never sold for $12-$16K.

Good luck on the article!

[Dark_Sol]

Well tell me the price then since you know it. I know about offers , they were in that range.

[tom]

I have to agree, Tom. You, sir, have taste.

Well, thank you, you're very kind.

[BeaglePuss]

Well tell me the price then since you know it. I know about offers , they were in that range.
I'm confused. Is the article about offers or sale prices? If it's about actual sales prices, what good is a range when the game sold outside of it?

If you want to know details about actual sales figures for Surprise at Dinosaur Peak, feel free to shoot me a PM. I'd love to help you out.

Again, good luck with article! It sounds like it's shaping up to be a good one.

[Dark_Sol]

OK will pm you. As for the article it will indeed shape up. Just need actual data,not trolls lik tom.

[ProgrammingAce]

http://i.imgur.com/XpCiM.gif

This thread is a giant circle-jerk

[tom]

OK will pm you. As for the article it will indeed shape up. Just need actual data,not trolls lik tom.

Now now don't be jealous if you have no VCS knowledge. Learn it. Or ship out.
Your website with that foul language speaks volumes about your personality.

[BeaglePuss]

http://i.imgur.com/XpCiM.gif

This thread is a giant circle-jerk

Ctrl+R, Ctrl+R, Ctrl+R...

[Dark_Sol]

Now now don't be jealous if you have no VCS knowledge. Learn it. Or ship out.
Your website with that foul language speaks volumes about your personality.
I only need ACTUAL SALES. No bullshit please, VCS or not :bday:

[Griking]

The first games by Lord British and Sierra would also be "homebrews" then along with the Apple 1. What really matters is when a game was sold not where it was made. If it was during the lifespan of the system then it should count. Homebrew is a horrible term and some prefer the term aftermarket which covers all of what most people mean when they say homebrew or reproduction.


In a lot of ways older Atari games are much like computer games in that anyone had the ability to create one and sell them in any corner store or garage they wanted to. Atari wasn't able to control third parties the way later console manufacturers were able to.

Akalabeth was originally created as a school project by Richard Garriott and then later sold only in the Computerland where he worked. This qualifies as homebrew to me. Garriott later signed a publishing deal with California Pacific to market the game which is where things get a little murky as I have no idea how large a publishing company California Pacific was.

And we're just going to have to agree to disagree with the any game counts no matter where it was made theory. If as an amateur I designed a game that ran on the Xbox360 today and only sold one copy on eBay it shouldn't be considered as one of the rarest Xbox360 games ever in 25 years from now. However you're offering the same credibility to many of these extremely rare Atari games. Again, I'm not trying to say what should and shouldn't be valuable, it's up to buyers to decide what they want to spend their hard earned money on.

[Drath]

If you're looking for sales on eBay, I came up with a good search:

http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?_nkw=sealed&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=1249&_okw=sealed&_oexkw=&_adv=1&LH_Complete=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=200&_fpos=Zip+code&_fsct=&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=16&_dmd=1&_ipg=200

Searches for completed auctions in order of price with the term "sealed" in the Video Game category.

For your needs, you can scroll through the list and find the ones that say "SOLD" in green.

*EDIT* Upon further inspection, it seems like eBay only archives past sales so long, so you won't be finding some of the huggest ones in there :(

[Sunnyvale]

I'm just confused as to what the OP is doing here... So far, I've seen no verification for any claims of prices. A price guide is a great idear, but without some verification, worthless. "I know of the offers" is not something I'm going to base jack shit on, sorry. I can say 'I sold SMS KO Boxing NIB for 1,000,000', couldn't I? Ebay completed listings, recent forum sales, public auctions... These matter. Anything else is worthless to those of us who don't 'know for sure'.

[Dark_Sol]

Well. Collecting sealed games is not a big market. We all know most collectors who buy and sell these games. So most prices are known and veryfied, private or not.

[tom]

A few are, not most. Many sales even from ebay cannot be verified.
Air Raid for 31.000+ can, as Wonderoo7 purchased it, it was cib but not sealed.
Here's another VCS game going for $3000 and upwards

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/magicard.jpg

MagiCard form Commavid, sold in a zip-bag (could be considered seald) in three versions (white label, blue label, cicuit board, with the blue label being the rarest version.

[tom]

Some info about Extra Terrestrials

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/gd201111et.jpg

The hunt for the box is on.

[megasdkirby]

Never knew about that game, Tom.

I am so thankful I don't collect sealed games...!

[Sunnyvale]

Well. Collecting sealed games is not a big market. We all know most collectors who buy and sell these games. So most prices are known and veryfied, private or not.

http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/huh.jpg

[Dark_Sol]

Some info about Extra Terrestrials

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/gd201111et.jpg

The hunt for the box is on.
This is not what i need. The article would be about sealed games sold. Not about some uber rare games found in garage.

[megamaniaman]

While I understand your argument, I feel it can be distinguished on the basis that those releases were what I would consider to be "pre-commercial" or so early that the industry itself was still being put together and frankly, those particular publishers/programmers went on to really dominate the industry when it became professional and truly commercial. To me, those later cartridge 2600 games are not much different than when the guy at the local computer store in the mid to late 80s was selling games he or friends had created on discs with dot matrix printed stickers and photocopied packaging. Yes, the software was being "sold" during the lifespan of the Commodore 64 or Apple II, but I would hardly consider it commercial. He had essentially missed that narrow window of people selling their own games in baggies before there was any real organized distribution and publishing system for computers.

I feel the same way about the new Sega Dreamcast releases. They have no connection to Sega and don't even work on every Dreamcast, so to me they are simply home-brews being sold, not commercial releases. I also think people tend to forget that it became much easier to obtain the physical raw materials needed to produce 2600 games, especially if all you were making was a very tiny quantity and while learning to program the 2600 was never simple, there were quite a few people who had figured by the time the crash began.

This feels a little like NES snobbery. Well whatever, there are still extremely rare sealed Atari 2600 games that would fit your definition of commercially released games.

River Patrol: Game would go for $5,000 sealed easily, and probably for much more. Tigervision made this game along with 9 other games for the system. Jawbreaker, and Miner2049er were pretty popular titles.

Lochjaw: Was pulled off the shelves after the makers of Jaws the movie sued them over the name. Name changed to Shark Attack instead. Lochjaw though was sold in stores. Just not that long though. Another game that would probably bring at least $5,000 sealed. Apollo was a pretty big game company back in the day.

Music Machine: It is apparent this game was sold nationwide in various Christian book stores. Not really a guy who went to a local store to ask for it to be sold. Music Machines are pretty regular occurance on Ebay as well. It is just that the sealed game is extremely hard to get. This one as mentioned sold for $6,000

Out Of Control: Was made by the boardgame company Avalon Hill. They made 5 games for the system. They had a somewhat popular title with London Blitz. I would say a sealed game would go for $3,000 since a boxed version goes for $2,000.

[Dark_Sol]

what about all those?

Video Life Commavid 1982 17000.00 8700.00 3100.00
Lochjaw Apollo 1982 9100.00 3500.00 682.00
Karate Ultravision 1987 7400.00 5000.00 905.00
Gauntlet Answer 1983 7020.00 2930.00 1380.00
Mangia Spectravision 1983 6800.00 3050.00 720.00
Eli's Ladder Simage 1982 4980.00 2445.00 1400.00
Music Machine Sparrow 1983 4400.00 2684.00 411.00
Out of Control Avalon Hill 1983 2600.00 1000.00 350.00
River Patrol Tigervision 1984 2210.00 1094.00

[Bojay1997]

This feels a little like NES snobbery. Well whatever, there are still extremely rare sealed Atari 2600 games that would fit your definition of commercially released games.

River Patrol: Game would go for $5,000 sealed easily, and probably for much more. Tigervision made this game along with 9 other games for the system. Jawbreaker, and Miner2049er were pretty popular titles.

Lochjaw: Was pulled off the shelves after the makers of Jaws the movie sued them over the name. Name changed to Shark Attack instead. Lochjaw though was sold in stores. Just not that long though. Another game that would probably bring at least $5,000 sealed. Apollo was a pretty big game company back in the day.

Music Machine: It is apparent this game was sold nationwide in various Christian book stores. Not really a guy who went to a local store to ask for it to be sold. Music Machines are pretty regular occurance on Ebay as well. It is just that the sealed game is extremely hard to get. This one as mentioned sold for $6,000

Out Of Control: Was made by the boardgame company Avalon Hill. They made 5 games for the system. They had a somewhat popular title with London Blitz. I would say a sealed game would go for $3,000 since a boxed version goes for $2,000.

Actually, I started collecting in 1987 and the 2600 was the first system I collected for. In fact, I didn't start collecting NES until the mid-90s. It's not really about snobbery, it's just that at some point all of us have to decide what we want to focus on in our collecting. Games that have zero nostalgia value for me because they were literally some guy in his garage hand assembling them and then convincing local stores to stick them on the shelf long after that wasn't a real way of conducting business (i.e. the industry had become professionalized and had marketing, distribution and other structures in place) just doesn't rise to my personal level of what I consider worthy of spending my money and time collecting. I mean, there are plenty of people who collect modern homebrews, so obviously others disagree with my definition, so that works out perfectly because I'm not competing with them to drive up prices of what they consider to be worthy of collecting.

[megamaniaman]

Actually, I started collecting in 1987 and the 2600 was the first system I collected for. In fact, I didn't start collecting NES until the mid-90s. It's not really about snobbery, it's just that at some point all of us have to decide what we want to focus on in our collecting. Games that have zero nostalgia value for me because they were literally some guy in his garage hand assembling them and then convincing local stores to stick them on the shelf long after that wasn't a real way of conducting business (i.e. the industry had become professionalized and had marketing, distribution and other structures in place) just doesn't rise to my personal level of what I consider worthy of spending my money and time collecting. I mean, there are plenty of people who collect modern homebrews, so obviously others disagree with my definition, so that works out perfectly because I'm not competing with them to drive up prices of what they consider to be worthy of collecting.

And like I said, River Patrol, Lochjaw, Music Machine, and Out Of Control fit your definitions for commercially released.

[portnoyd]

I go to Michigan for a week and this is the dreck that pops up.

Honestly, who gives a shit? And if you can find someone who gives a shit, find a really big stick and start hitting them. Hard.

[DreamTR]

Some info about Extra Terrestrials

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/gd201111et.jpg

The hunt for the box is on.

LOL, uh....that doesn't make it a valid release. Especially considering where it went. A couple of hundred? We'd have seen them pop up.

And to top that off, I thought this thread was about "sealed" games, a bunch of games mentioned in this thread you wouldn't even be able to "locate" sealed. I mean, people collect what they want, $10,000 more for a piece of shrinkwrap around the game = whatever, I prefer to play my games but there is so much shadiness with Atari 2600 games anyway....Gauntlet? those random Malagai PROM chips? Those "weird" games aren't really even commercial releases...everything else is definitive on every other system but with the high rate of copying going on Neo Geo and Atari stuff are very ludicrous when you equate value to what you are getting (real vs fake)

[Hawksmoor]

I go to Michigan for a week and this is the dreck that pops up.

Honestly, who gives a shit? And if you can find someone who gives a shit, find a really big stick and start hitting them. Hard.

Sadly, lots of people give a shit. The same people that collect sealed games, examine seams in shrink wrap, and send games to get graded by ridiculous companies like VGA. They're rabid speculators and quite a few of them are regulars on DP. We'll need lots of sticks.

[DreamTR]

Sadly, lots of people give a shit. The same people that collect sealed games, examine seams in shrink wrap, and send games to get graded by ridiculous companies like VGA. They're rabid speculators and quite a few of them are regulars on DP. We'll need lots of sticks.

I mean everyone has their thing I suppose, but it just irks me a little that the conversations of a lot of sites for collecting revolve around multi screw variants and sealed games....logic doesn't make sense with it and if someone starts using the "but you can make a cardboard box for Stadium Events herpderp argument" instead you really aren't seeing how "shrinkwrap" and screws, common items on every cart as opposed to the actual art element are somehow worth more logically...yes, I know that is the case but wow is all I have to say to how cray it has become but kudos to VGA for finding a way to make a living with it..

[Buyatari]

In a lot of ways older Atari games are much like computer games in that anyone had the ability to create one and sell them in any corner store or garage they wanted to. Atari wasn't able to control third parties the way later console manufacturers were able to.

Akalabeth was originally created as a school project by Richard Garriott and then later sold only in the Computerland where he worked. This qualifies as homebrew to me. Garriott later signed a publishing deal with California Pacific to market the game which is where things get a little murky as I have no idea how large a publishing company California Pacific was.

And we're just going to have to agree to disagree with the any game counts no matter where it was made theory. If as an amateur I designed a game that ran on the Xbox360 today and only sold one copy on eBay it shouldn't be considered as one of the rarest Xbox360 games ever in 25 years from now. However you're offering the same credibility to many of these extremely rare Atari games. Again, I'm not trying to say what should and shouldn't be valuable, it's up to buyers to decide what they want to spend their hard earned money on.

Sure you can call it a homebrew if you like but you can't call it an aftermarket product which is why I prefer the after market label for all the stuff made after a system is viable and commercially supported.

[Buyatari]

I mean everyone has their thing I suppose, but it just irks me a little that the conversations of a lot of sites for collecting revolve around multi screw variants and sealed games....logic doesn't make sense with it and if someone starts using the "but you can make a cardboard box for Stadium Events herpderp argument" instead you really aren't seeing how "shrinkwrap" and screws, common items on every cart as opposed to the actual art element are somehow worth more logically...yes, I know that is the case but wow is all I have to say to how cray it has become but kudos to VGA for finding a way to make a living with it..

Believe it or not this is all because the NES games are just too common. So once these guys buy up everything sans Stadium Events they still have the bug and so they in a way have to invent new rarity to keep it going. While some of this exists on the Atari scene it is no where near as severe because they are plenty enough unique rare carts to keep everyone busy for a lifetime.

[Zebbe]

Top 20 potentially most expensive sealed games of all time:

Any 20 games sold by Dark_Sol.

[Sunnyvale]

http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/monkey_smile.jpg

[Hawksmoor]

I mean everyone has their thing I suppose, but it just irks me a little that the conversations of a lot of sites for collecting revolve around multi screw variants and sealed games....logic doesn't make sense with it and if someone starts using the "but you can make a cardboard box for Stadium Events herpderp argument" instead you really aren't seeing how "shrinkwrap" and screws, common items on every cart as opposed to the actual art element are somehow worth more logically...yes, I know that is the case but wow is all I have to say to how cray it has become but kudos to VGA for finding a way to make a living with it..

Yeah, I have to say I find it really pretentious and silly. This is just my subjective opinion, but games are meant to be played. That's why they were created. To spend thousands, or tens of thousands, on a sealed game strikes me as absurd, but I understand the psychology behind it; "I want something that few, or no, other people have so I can feel special."

It reminds me of the comic book boom in the 90's when there were 100 variant covers for every damn comic and some of the variants were supposedly super rare. Yawn. I pity those that need sealed games (that sit on their shelves and collect dust) to feel special or have some measure of Internet notoriety. Just another example of seeking fulfillment through materialism, which is a sad dead end.

[8-bit-dreams]

Wow. Id be really glad if i got a hand even just even one of those :)

[Buyatari]

Yeah, I have to say I find it really pretentious and silly. This is just my subjective opinion, but games are meant to be played. That's why they were created. To spend thousands, or tens of thousands, on a sealed game strikes me as absurd, but I understand the psychology behind it; "I want something that few, or no, other people have so I can feel special."

It reminds me of the comic book boom in the 90's when there were 100 variant covers for every damn comic and some of the variants were supposedly super rare. Yawn. I pity those that need sealed games (that sit on their shelves and collect dust) to feel special or have some measure of Internet notoriety. Just another example of seeking fulfillment through materialism, which is a sad dead end.

Games were meant to be sold and make money for the company. They do not have hopes and dreams of being played one day.

In most every field of collecting you see the very best items put in plastic or behind glass for protection. This is not a bad thing. The fact that this is happening with games is just a credit to the industry that is now a part of our culture.

[DreamTR]

I can't wait to sell more of my sealed newer system stuff and trade down for packaged.....I need to start doing that again

[Hawksmoor]

Games were meant to be sold and make money for the company. They do not have hopes and dreams of being played one day.

Perhaps from the publisher's perspective. Developers make games for people to play. What you're suggesting is akin to buying a new car and then never, ever driving it or buying a new TV and never turning it on. I understand that the publishers, auto companies, and television manufacturers are only concerned with their bottom lines, but that doesn't mean there is no intent of use for the products they provide.


In most every field of collecting you see the very best items put in plastic or behind glass for protection. This is not a bad thing. The fact that this is happening with games is just a credit to the industry that is now a part of our culture.

There are also many, many fields of collecting where that isn't the case. Watch an episode of Antiques Roadshow and you will see myriad pieces of furniture, fine china, toys, jewelry, etc. that aren't shrink wrapped, hermetically sealed, or otherwise insulated from use, yet many of these items are worth far, far, far more than even the most expensive sealed game.

[Sunnyvale]

Perhaps from the publisher's perspective. Developers make games for people to play. What you're suggesting is akin to buying a new car and then never, ever driving it or buying a new TV and never turning it on. I understand that the publishers, auto companies, and television manufacturers are only concerned with their bottom lines, but that doesn't mean there is no intent of use for the products they provide.

The developers made the game to make money. They weren't trying to bring joy to the world's geeks. They were trying to get rich, or at least eat.

As for a car, if someones buys a 2011 Toyota, odds are they'll drive it. However, if I buy a '67 Chevelle convertable with less than 100 original miles, it's worth way more than one with a rebuilt engine. Would you drive that Chevelle?


There are also many, many fields of collecting where that isn't the case. Watch an episode of Antiques Roadshow and you will see myriad pieces of furniture, fine china, toys, jewelry, etc. that aren't shrink wrapped, hermetically sealed, or otherwise insulated from use, yet many of these items are worth far, far, far more than even the most expensive sealed game.

Well, it's hard to find factory-sealed china, but toys, jewelry, books, posters, clothing, records... All of these demand much higher premiums when unused. There is no field of collecting where used is better than or equal to new. Look up WWII helmets on Ebay. A nice, pretty, clean never saw battle helmet sells for about $50 for a US GI issue. One with a bullet hole through it and rusted out from 50 years in a field sells for $10, if you're lucky. Which one carries the history? Don't matter though, the pretty one sells for more.

But don't take more word for it:

http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?rt=nc&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=nos&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

[Hawksmoor]

The developers made the game to make money. They weren't trying to bring joy to the world's geeks. They were trying to get rich, or at least eat.

You're arguing that profit is their sole motivator. I don't believe that to be true. Guys like Miyamato, Kojima, Suzuki, and Itagaki are creative artists in their own right. Their creations just happen to be interactive. The bottom line is that games are meant to be played. You're welcome to disagree, but that's how I see it. Not merely video games, but any game; chess, football, dominoes, billiards, whatever.

A person can collect any object they wish and not use it, and in so doing redefine for themselves what the purpose of the object is. For them that supersedes anything else. That doesn't mean said object doesn't have an intended purpose or use. We can agree to disagree.


As for a car, if someones buys a 2011 Toyota, odds are they'll drive it. However, if I buy a '67 Chevelle convertable with less than 100 original miles, it's worth way more than one with a rebuilt engine. Would you drive that Chevelle?

What if they bought a 2011 Toyota and didn't drive it? Does that mean the car doesn't have an intended purpose, that being to be driven and used? They bought the 2011 Toyota and decided for themselves that its purpose is to sit in a garage and gather dust. Your logic would seem to assert that the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and lets it gather dust in their garage unused is just as valid and rational as the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and drives it.

The Chevelle example is a lot more difficult to argue with. However, even the most rabid car collectors, to my knowledge, drive the cars they collect. Jay Leno and his airplane hanger full of classic cars comes to mind. He drives them. Still, point taken.


Well, it's hard to find factory-sealed china, but toys, jewelry, books, posters, clothing, records... All of these demand much higher premiums when unused. There is no field of collecting where used is better than or equal to new. Look up WWII helmets on Ebay. A nice, pretty, clean never saw battle helmet sells for about $50 for a US GI issue. One with a bullet hole through it and rusted out from 50 years in a field sells for $10, if you're lucky. Which one carries the history? Don't matter though, the pretty one sells for more.

But don't take more word for it:

http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?rt=nc&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=nos&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

That's not true at all. Plenty of used items are worth more than new and a lot of times it comes down to who used them. A jersey worn and used by Jackie Robinson would be worth considerably more than a brand new jersey from the same time period. A chair owned and used by a former president would be worth more than an identical, new chair.

History, or provenance in collecting terminology, matters a great, great deal. Old furniture with signs of heavy use and age, called patina, are more desirable than old furniture that has been kept polished and glistening.

[tom]

LOL, uh....that doesn't make it a valid release. Especially considering where it went. A couple of hundred? We'd have seen them pop up.

And to top that off, I thought this thread was about "sealed" games, a bunch of games mentioned in this thread you wouldn't even be able to "locate" sealed. I mean, people collect what they want, $10,000 more for a piece of shrinkwrap around the game = whatever, I prefer to play my games but there is so much shadiness with Atari 2600 games anyway....Gauntlet? those random Malagai PROM chips? Those "weird" games aren't really even commercial releases...everything else is definitive on every other system but with the high rate of copying going on Neo Geo and Atari stuff are very ludicrous when you equate value to what you are getting (real vs fake)

Here's more info for this 'valid' release:

The company that created Extra Terrestrials, Skill Screen Games was created as a games division of a company called Telcom Research. Telcom Research is a successful company that started in 1968 and is still around today. Check out their website at http://www.telcomresearch.com/. The effort to produce Extra Terrestrials cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. A professional programmer named Herman Quast was hired and paid to reverse engineer 2600 games and to create a new game. I have met Herman personally. He still works as a programmer doing work on embedded systems. Herman disassembled 2600 games to determine how the system worked and how to create new games. Skill Screen Games spent $15,000 to create molds and tooling in order to produce their first game. I'm told that the molds are still packed away somewhere at Telcom Research. Professionally printed labels, manuals and boxes were created for the game. Unfortunately none of the manuals and boxes are known to still exist.

Due to numerous problems, the company did not get Extra Terrestrials finished in time for the 1983 Christmas season. By the time the game was completed in early 1984 the video game market had crashed. As a result, major distributors refused to work with Skill Screen Games to distribute their first product. In an attempt to recover their investment, the owners of the company tried selling the games directly to local game retailers. As the 2600 market had collapsed, very few stores purchased copies of the game.

So I certainly wouldn't call Extra Terrestrials a "homebrew". Skill Screen Games did what most other companies did - they reverse engineered the 2600 and created their own games. Professional packaging and marketing was planned. They were just too late.


Shame that, obviously it would had been released sealed, being a professional release.

[Sunnyvale]

You're arguing that profit is their sole motivator. I don't believe that to be true. Guys like Miyamato, Kojima, Suzuki, and Itagaki are creative artists in their own right. Their creations just happen to be interactive. The bottom line is that games are meant to be played. You're welcome to disagree, but that's how I see it. Not merely video games, but any game; chess, football, dominoes, billiards, whatever.

I agree they were designed to be played, but they were produced, refined, and developed intensely to make money. Without profit in the picture, we probably wouldn't have video games at all. The tech never woulda got half that far, IMO.

And you point out Jackie Robinson's jersey later on down... Is that a sports object to be played with as well? I doubt you think so.


A person can collect any object they wish and not use it, and in so doing redefine for themselves what the purpose of the object is. For them that supersedes anything else. That doesn't mean said object doesn't have an intended purpose or use. We can agree to disagree.

I can concur with you here.


What if they bought a 2011 Toyota and didn't drive it? Does that mean the car doesn't have an intended purpose, that being to be driven and used? They bought the 2011 Toyota and decided for themselves that its purpose is to sit in a garage and gather dust. Your logic would seem to assert that the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and lets it gather dust in their garage unused is just as valid and rational as the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and drives it.

If they have the money and a hard-on for cherry cars, then yes, it's every bit as logical. It's like my NES collection. 3 boxed, all minty and pretty, never touched. And one covered in stickers from '89. (I'll add a pic in a bit. I had to keep it!). I beat on the beat one, and dust the boxes on the others occassionaly. I'm not alone there.

Edit: http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/gkids-13.jpg


The Chevelle example is a lot more difficult to argue with. However, even the most rabid car collectors, to my knowledge, drive the cars they collect. Jay Leno and his airplane hanger full of classic cars comes to mind. He drives them. Still, point taken.

Well, without googlin up Jay Leno's car collecting habits, I would strongly assume; Hell, I'd bet my CDX that he's got a car or two he hasn't done anything but test driven, and even then quickly, and never again. No matter how much money you have, only a handful of the trully bad-ass cars exist untouched, and a hardcore collector like him is well aware of this.


That's not true at all. Plenty of used items are worth more than new and a lot of times it comes down to who used them. A jersey worn and used by Jackie Robinson would be worth considerably more than a brand new jersey from the same time period. A chair owned and used by a former president would be worth more than an identical, new chair.

Each example you cite has specific reasons as to why. Notice the WWII helmet ain't worth crap with a patine unless Patton wore it; then it's a buck or two. Private Joe's helmet? Better shine if he wants any money for it. Anythime you attach a personailty to an item, it gains value. What do you think a hanky that sopped up Kobain's brains would sell for? How about if it were sealed immediately after sopping up them brains, and documented as such?

And I am willing to bet that in both examples you cited there, a collector does not use said item. Maybe sit in the chair softly once, or wear the jersey once (soak up some of that history), but as a loungechair or a game jersey? No way. One in a million, maybe.


History, or provenance in collecting terminology, matters a great, great deal. Old furniture with signs of heavy use and age, called patina, are more desirable than old furniture that has been kept polished and glistening.

History is crucial, yes. This is why SNES games don't demand what NES games do, and why people will go after 2600 carts that by modern standards would be pirated crap. History, provenance. Back in those days, video games were a fad, a kid's toy. Now, they're a selling feature for a phone. They've become part of history, a huge part of pop culture. And like a Harley for the bikers, the trully rare, historical bikes don't get used.

http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n629/ConneticutLeatherCompany/67ab93edb2a4ce694f0b5455c30d7bb1.jpg

And how much more would this sell for if you could show it had never turned over?

[DOAsaturn]

History is crucial, yes. This is why SNES games don't demand what NES games do, and why people will go after 2600 carts that by modern standards would be pirated crap. History, provenance. Back in those days, video games were a fad, a kid's toy. Now, they're a selling feature for a phone. They've become part of history, a huge part of pop culture. And like a Harley for the bikers, the trully rare, historical bikes don't get used.

As much as I think the sealed market is a little nuts...I mean games are meant to be played...I too am guilty of speculating a bit. So if SNES doesn't demand the levels of NES, how about the modern market for sealed? Most "rare" or in-demand modern games keep their original price when used (an originally $60 game going for $60 used), but their can be a solid 2x or more markup on sealed.

A couple examples for Wii. Fritz Chess sealed sold for $109.99 recently (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wii-Fritz-Chess-New-/290631117547?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item43aaf6eaeb). That's a near 6x markup from the original $19.99 retail price. I don't have examples but One Piece: Unlimited Adventure also sold for $130ish awhile back on ebay and is often posted sealed at higher prices.

[Bojay1997]

As much as I think the sealed market is a little nuts...I mean games are meant to be played...I too am guilty of speculating a bit. So if SNES doesn't demand the levels of NES, how about the modern market for sealed? Most "rare" or in-demand modern games keep their original price when used (an originally $60 game going for $60 used), but their can be a solid 2x or more markup on sealed.

A couple examples for Wii. Fritz Chess sealed sold for $109.99 recently (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wii-Fritz-Chess-New-/290631117547?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item43aaf6eaeb). That's a near 6x markup from the original $19.99 retail price. I don't have examples but One Piece: Unlimited Adventure also sold for $130ish awhile back on ebay and is often posted sealed at higher prices.

The problem with this analysis is that for every "rare" or in-demand modern game, there are literally hundreds which collapse in value and remain easy to find for years. Added to this is the fact that lots more people are collecting today than were just 5-10 years ago. I truly believe that in the next decade, there is going to be a serious collapse in the prices of many games on the secondary market as people realize that what they thought was "rare" was really pretty common but temporarily hard to find.

[Sunnyvale]

Added to this is the fact that lots more people are collecting today than were just 5-10 years ago. I truly believe that in the next decade, there is going to be a serious collapse in the prices of many games on the secondary market as people realize that what they thought was "rare" was really pretty common but temporarily hard to find.

As more collectors enter the field, the games will inherently become harder to find. Prices on some things might drop, but rarity lists are pretty accurate anymore, and regioanl rarity only matters when shipping is high. Even if a case of 100 NIB NES SMB's popped up, the price won't drop much, as there is thousands who want them, and only 100 more added to the market.

[Buyatari]

You're arguing that profit is their sole motivator. I don't believe that to be true. Guys like Miyamato, Kojima, Suzuki, and Itagaki are creative artists in their own right. Their creations just happen to be interactive. The bottom line is that games are meant to be played. You're welcome to disagree, but that's how I see it. Not merely video games, but any game; chess, football, dominoes, billiards, whatever.

If you want to give life to an inanimate object then go work at Disney. Games have no hopes or dreams of one day being played. The publisher could care less what happens to a particular sealed game 20 years after it was sold. Now even if the publisher does want something... really since when do we care about what the publisher wants? The consumer does what the consumer wants with it.



A person can collect any object they wish and not use it, and in so doing redefine for themselves what the purpose of the object is. For them that supersedes anything else. That doesn't mean said object doesn't have an intended purpose or use. We can agree to disagree.


They don't redefine anything to themselves. Only your understanding is redefined.



What if they bought a 2011 Toyota and didn't drive it? Does that mean the car doesn't have an intended purpose, that being to be driven and used? They bought the 2011 Toyota and decided for themselves that its purpose is to sit in a garage and gather dust. Your logic would seem to assert that the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and lets it gather dust in their garage unused is just as valid and rational as the person that buys the 2011 Toyota and drives it.

If a rich man buys 100 different cars and puts them in a museum then a rich man buys 100 cars and puts them in a museum. Nothing is redefined. No hopes and dreams are squashed. If the cars are all made by Ford then he just may get an invite from Ford to the company party at the end of the year reserved for dealers.



The Chevelle example is a lot more difficult to argue with. However, even the most rabid car collectors, to my knowledge, drive the cars they collect. Jay Leno and his airplane hanger full of classic cars comes to mind. He drives them. Still, point taken.

If a rich man buys a car and drives it then he buys a car and drives it.



That's not true at all. Plenty of used items are worth more than new and a lot of times it comes down to who used them. A jersey worn and used by Jackie Robinson would be worth considerably more than a brand new jersey from the same time period. A chair owned and used by a former president would be worth more than an identical, new chair.

History, or provenance in collecting terminology, matters a great, great deal. Old furniture with signs of heavy use and age, called patina, are more desirable than old furniture that has been kept polished and glistening.

They are not worth more because they are used but because of who used them. By that use they have become modern day relics and people pay a premium for relics. They don't pay a premium for beat up items.

If the winning strategy is to make fun games then companies will do just that or at least the best they they can. Your argument would not explain the loads of shovelware for the Wii or the crappy movie licenses we get.

Yes Mario games are good but they outsell all the others. They aren't made that well because Mario is alive and they want the best for Mario. They are made that well because he outsells all the other games on the market and makes Nintendo bags and bags of money.