Restoring systems using swapped OE parts and value

[Niku-Sama]

Terms I may use: cause I know some of you may not be privvy

OE = Original Equipment
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer


ok so this is something I have been thinking for a while, has the "scene" gotten to the point where if the parts being used are not the original parts the system / game shipped with does it affect the value?
Think of it like in terms of restoring a car and theres the term where its "numbers matching" usually refers to all of the serials across the OE power train all match to what the OEM would have on file, some times it goes beyond that.

for an example in the gaming world. a SNES, they go yellow some times you get a half yellow or a full yellow. Lets say this one in particular is fully yellowed and the shell is not salvageable. you have one that looks good but doesn't work. so you swap the working guts into the good shell. the serial number on the yellowed one is for a SHVC sound motherboard and the serial number on the good shell is a one chip. both of these are dirt common systems but if you knew it had taken place would it affect the value of the system at that point?

another, more real, example

about a month ago I won this auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331476056876?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I was after a square button famicom, I cant tell if that system (scroll down a bit) is a square button famicom but I see the box is and that in it self is most of the value of that particular version of the system.
but that system looks super bad from the top view. usually the bottom part of the famicom is ok, the tops almost do a SNES like yellowing on top of being 33 years old (its basically the first run famicom)
so this one is missing a big chunk in the back top, the red flappy over the cart slot and who knows what else. I have a good top from a "non working" round button famicom. assuming everything works, swap the tops and have a good looking square button and a crappy looking round to mod. would it still affect the value.

also famicoms usually have a serial number on the box on the system and in the manual if I had a complete setup with manuals and the serial numbers didn't match would it affect the value of the system in your mind?


as for that auction. it shipped about a month ago so I have roughly 2 more months to wait, and yes i'll probably sell off one of the saturns but I have to check them out before I do any thing

edit:
I cross posted this on Famicom World

[Gameguy]

To me, if the serial numbers are supposed to match then that would be the most important thing that matters. If there's no serial number issue, then swapping identical parts shouldn't be a problem. Ideally everything would be original and unaltered, but if things are broken then swapping some parts would be unavoidable. The parts would need to match though, I wouldn't put a TMSS Genesis board in a non-TMSS case. I would only swap parts out with other proper parts.

[Tanooki]

Like for like serial, like for like internal parts or external shells. If the various changes in shell still have the same top or bottom, it doesn't matter. I see it like some of the whiners trying to use their magic divining rod about the 2 button codes on the back of NES/SNES games acting like they know which ones go to what factory and what game on what year or run. There's no data, it's just arbitrary, but there are a few uptight people who use unproven data to bitch if the back of a cartridge is swapped. At some point you're going just too far and being too damn picky on something you have no evidence of real value on. You basically just need to find a breakpoint where to start and stop and stick to it.

Even then I think some compromises are fair or even more. I had a dead battery in a crystalis cart I found years ago, about a year ago I got the nerve up and bought a modern tabbed battery and a basic soldering kit and made the game functionally useful again with saving restored. I'd dare say that game maybe worth a little more than one with an original 25 year old ticking timebomb of a battery inside it waiting to die.

[celerystalker]

I don't think I'd enjoy hanging out with the kind of person who would be that uptight about a console or game, because anyone who would rather have a lesser or non-functioning product just to say it's all original isn't doing this for fun. I don't think that there's anything ethically wrong with repairs, especially with original parts. Like anything, if you're selling it you should declare such things, but to me having a fully-functional system is what matters. It's why we get capacitors replaced on our Duos and Game Gears or anything like that. We want them to work as intended, not contain exactly the same parts as intended whether they work or not.

[Greg2600]

Worrying about matching OEM parts is something car collectors do, because they're paying 100 grand for one. I don't worry in the least about internals, as long as it's not egregious.

[Rickstilwell1]

I wouldn't say it changes the usual value much, but it may determine a sale vs. a no-sale or a possibility of someone in the know choosing to return the item if they opened it up and it wasn't what they expected.

Example: If I wanted a non TMSS Genesis and I bought one from you due to low serial numbers shown in pictures and it turned out to be a later revision when I got it, I would probably return it for full refund because I already have a TMSS HD Graphics Genesis and would have only bought it for the reason of getting a non TMSS.

So if you're selling a restored item, you'd best let your buyers know that it is mismatched or you could be in for some nasty angry buyers wanting returns. I tend to get a little bit annoyed at people selling mismatched CIB games. People "restore" boxed games by keeping their best condition ones too, but that often means mismatching NES Seal of Quality types (circular vs oval) and other things they don't know about.

It is something some buyers won't care about while others will notice.

[Gameguy]

Even then I think some compromises are fair or even more. I had a dead battery in a crystalis cart I found years ago, about a year ago I got the nerve up and bought a modern tabbed battery and a basic soldering kit and made the game functionally useful again with saving restored. I'd dare say that game maybe worth a little more than one with an original 25 year old ticking timebomb of a battery inside it waiting to die.

I don't think I'd enjoy hanging out with the kind of person who would be that uptight about a console or game, because anyone who would rather have a lesser or non-functioning product just to say it's all original isn't doing this for fun. I don't think that there's anything ethically wrong with repairs, especially with original parts. Like anything, if you're selling it you should declare such things, but to me having a fully-functional system is what matters. It's why we get capacitors replaced on our Duos and Game Gears or anything like that. We want them to work as intended, not contain exactly the same parts as intended whether they work or not.
Replacing batteries or capacitors isn't a real issue, those are off the shelf components and they tend to fail naturally with age so it's expected that they would eventually need to be replaced. At least it's less of a issue with internal components rather than things that are cosmetic or proprietary, like with cases and serial numbers. Even people who collect cars don't really care if an oil filter or a belt is original or not, that's not what needs to be original.

As for requiring everything to match, if you're buying a rare version of a system in a box you're probably doing so for the purpose of collecting. It's not about just having something functional for playing games. Like specifically seeking out a square button Famicom in the box as an example, rather than just a cheap common Famicom or a 60 to 72 pin converter and a regular NES console. If you collect vintage bicycles, you want everything to be original and not upgraded with replacement components. Taking something special to be appreciated and changing it to something purely practical for use. It's about preservation.


So if you're selling a restored item, you'd best let your buyers know that it is mismatched or you could be in for some nasty angry buyers wanting returns. I tend to get a little bit annoyed at people selling mismatched CIB games. People "restore" boxed games by keeping their best condition ones too, but that often means mismatching NES Seal of Quality types (circular vs oval) and other things they don't know about.
This bothers me too. I've received games from collectors before who pieced them together incorrectly and they just didn't notice. Like for Gameboy mixing together a US box with a Canadian manual and a Player's Choice Canadian game, and a Gameboy Color tray which doesn't fit a proper cartridge case as they stopped including them with Gameboy Color games.

The main problem I would have with repairs is that plenty of people try to do these themselves and don't know what they're doing. Plenty of times people replace batteries with just taping a new one in place, or replace NES pin connectors with cheap crap(I avoid buying consoles if I know the connector has been replaced). On the whole I would prefer to find consoles that are untouched, I wouldn't mind getting repaired consoles like a Turbo Duo or Game Gear if I knew the repairs were done correctly.

I know someone who collects and repairs stereo equipment, he tries to avoid buying used/untested items that look like they've already been opened. Plenty of times he's opened things and found that someone tried to repair it, only they damaged the parts even further instead. Some items he's opened and found parts physically missing, like they tried to fix a part and couldn't put it back so they left it out(and sold it "as is"). Or parts were replaced with incorrect poorly functioning replacements so he has to track down correct ones. With untouched pieces you have a better chance of getting it repaired correctly without having to worry about cleaning up someone else's mess first.

[Niku-Sama]

Worrying about matching OEM parts is something car collectors do, because they're paying 100 grand for one. I don't worry in the least about internals, as long as it's not egregious.

It seems to me that its getting to that point though, the games are only getting older, more and more of them are going missing making the existing ones more and more rare.


So if you're selling a restored item, you'd best let your buyers know that it is mismatched or you could be in for some nasty angry buyers wanting returns. I tend to get a little bit annoyed at people selling mismatched CIB games. People "restore" boxed games by keeping their best condition ones too, but that often means mismatching NES Seal of Quality types (circular vs oval) and other things they don't know about.


yea that was kinda what I was getting at, I know theres 2 different label type for megaman x, one has bright colors on both box and cart artwork and theres another where the colors are very very muted on both, almost as if it was a hastily done second run. so if I got a brightly colored megaman x cart with a muted color box it'd be pretty butt hurt.

[celerystalker]

I think that piecing together games to be CIB is a different issue than console repair, mainly because in the vast majority of cases, consoles are in more ready supply than games (and especially packaging). Ethically, thorough disclosure should always be part of any sale in either case. I see the car comparison more with rare console variants like a Halcyon, Laser Active, or CDX or the like where the system itself is in shorter supply than demand requires. I know I prefer to know if what I'm buying has needed extensive repairs, but an honest seller makes all the difference to me.