what the hell is a spine card?

[shvnsth]

ive searched the import forum and ebay, and everyone is always talking about a spine card is there or missing, all kinds of shit. i have no idea what a spine card is, and considering im beginning to collect jap saturn games, i think it would be useful to know. can someone please explain what exactly a spine card is?

[Postermen]

A spine card or obi is a piece of paper or cardboard that goes over the outside about an inch on each side of the game, or CD case. It has the name of the game, and other info on it. It is just something people like to have to make a game truely complete.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Those little paper sleeves on the side of import games (Hence the name "spine cards"). They're also called obi cards sometimes.

http://saturncovers.online.fr/saplaneturn/galeries/PIC/Spin/BMatrix01.jpg

[shvnsth]

so if you don't have one, the game is not labelled on the side? and its just a empty plastic side?

[Lemmy Kilmister]

so if you don't have one, the game is not labelled on the side? and its just a empty plastic side?

No.. Most games have what's included on the spinecard on the actual inserts.

[Aussie2B]

It's just a tool to make it easier to organize and recognize games in stores. Think of it as the equivalent of the stickers on US DVD and CD cases.

The general rule is if a video game was originally sealed, it had a spine card, and if not, there was none to begin with. Books tend to have them as well, but they tuck in like a cover so no plastic wrap is needed.

[Cthulhu]

The obi / spine cards generally come into real consideration when you're looking at rare games. With common titles, the presence of or lack of the spine card won't impact price very much, but when you get to really high priced items, it makes a big difference. The spine card of, say, Radiant Silvergun is worth almost $40 alone.

Collectors also like the cards to be present, as without them, the game isn't really "complete." Yeah, collectors are picky like that. LOL

[Lord Contaminous]

The UPC's are put on the spine cards. That's a great idea, it's kinda easy to keep track of the inventory.

[Tron 2.0]

The obi / spine cards generally come into real consideration when you're looking at rare games. With common titles, the presence of or lack of the spine card won't impact price very much, but when you get to really high priced items, it makes a big difference. The spine card of, say, Radiant Silvergun is worth almost $40 alone.

Collectors also like the cards to be present, as without them, the game isn't really "complete." Yeah, collectors are picky like that. LOL
I just see spine cards as a peace of paper.

Nothing more still 'collectors do make a big deal about it.

How in hell did it ever make a game what, it's worth i'll never under stand why x_x

[shvnsth]

another q

do all the jap games have the english title on the right side of the case?

i just got salamander deluxe and dodonpachi, and im very excited to see they are labeled on the side in english, is this true for all jap saturn games?

[Lemmy Kilmister]

another q

do all the jap games have the english title on the right side of the case?

i just got salamander deluxe and dodonpachi, and im very excited to see they are labeled on the side in english, is this true for all jap saturn games?

Nope, sorry but alot of them are in japanese.

[bargora]

another q

do all the jap games have the english title on the right side of the case?

i just got salamander deluxe and dodonpachi, and im very excited to see they are labeled on the side in english, is this true for all jap saturn games?
I've got a pile of Japanese Saturn, PlayStation, and Dreamcast games, and the only ones I can think of that don't have the title in English on the right spine (i.e., it's in Japanese on both spines) are Gunbird (Saturn) and Galaxian^3 (PlayStation). My Vib Ribbon doesn't either, but it's one of those PSBooks re-releases in a slimline case with nothing on either spine. So 90% of the jewelcase imports I own are shelved with English titles displayed on the spines.

[fishsandwich]

Indeed, many (but not all) of the import Saturn games have one side in English... very helpful. Makes those with Japanese-only on both sides stick out.

I'm a Saturn import collector, and I don't care if a game has a spine or not. I LIKE to have a spine, but it's not a deal-breaker for me. I have maybe 1/4 of my collection with spines, or maybe even less. I know people who WILL NOT get a Saturn game without the spine, and I know at least two folks who only buy SEALED Saturn imports. That's too hardcore for me, but to each his own.

[bargora]

Indeed, many (but not all) of the import Saturn games have one side in English... very helpful. Makes those with Japanese-only on both sides stick out.

I'm a Saturn import collector, and I don't care if a game has a spine or not. I LIKE to have a spine, but it's not a deal-breaker for me. I have maybe 1/4 of my collection with spines, or maybe even less. I know people who WILL NOT get a Saturn game without the spine, and I know at least two folks who only buy SEALED Saturn imports. That's too hardcore for me, but to each his own.
I heard about this guy, Tungsten Lizzard, who only buys sealed games, opens them, and then kills the design team that made the game.

Because (he says) there's nothing like the smell of fresh Japanese programmers' blood. Plus I think he's kind of confused about that whole "spine collecting" thing.

Too much Mortal Kombat as a child, methinks.

[Ed Oscuro]

Haha.

Also, you'll find that "obi" is used to refer to a triangular paper-football looking piece that fits on the corner of an LP sleeve. Laserdisc games for the Palcom PX-7 have this, and who knows, if any Spectrum games were released on LP in Japan, they might have it too...I don't think anything like that exists, though. 99.9%+ of the time obis with games are just referring to the CD-ROM style.

[sharp]

I realy want to have the spinecard with a game, the only exception I make is for the Sega Mega-CD Pal. But also for this system I try to get games with spine-card, only it's damn hard to find games in Europe including a spine-card as most stores already put them with the trash before you bought it (in Europe most stores put empty boxes in the shelves and so they threw away the spine-cards). I didn't even know of the existence of spine-cards on European Mega-CD games till 1997. For Japanese games it isn't that hard to find them with spine and for me personal it makes the game really complete. Even for Neo Geo CD English versions I only want them with the spine-card.

Anybody know if there where any other systems in the west that came with spine-cards next to the Pal Mega-CD and Neo Geo CD?

[Ed Oscuro]

Wow...no, I didn't know about MCD-PAL games coming with one. That's totally new by me.

[Iron Draggon]

Spine cards are a total waste of ink and paper if you ask me, but for some reason people think they're a big deal.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Spine cards are a total waste of ink and paper if you ask me, but for some reason people think they're a big deal.

Can I have some or your spine cards you get with sealed games then? :D

[Ed Oscuro]

Spine cards are a total waste of ink and paper if you ask me, but for some reason people think they're a big deal.
Um, so then why do you care about buying sealed games just to open them? I mean, that shrinkwrap is a waste as well...Doesn't that go against your whole collecting raison d'être?

[Iron Draggon]

I only keep all my spine cards because they're such a big deal to everyone else around here. I used to just throw them all away. Maybe I'll see how many of them I can sell here someday, but I doubt that I have any that anyone would want, and if I do, I doubt anyone would pay me very much for them. I was just saying how I feel about them. They're highly annoying to me, and I think they're useless.

[sharp]

I only keep all my spine cards because they're such a big deal to everyone else around here. I used to just throw them all away. Maybe I'll see how many of them I can sell here someday, but I doubt that I have any that anyone would want, and if I do, I doubt anyone would pay me very much for them. I was just saying how I feel about them. They're highly annoying to me, and I think they're useless.

There not useless, they create some room for extra artwork. On the front for the games that came in a single-cd box, and on the side for the games that came in the double-cd boxes.

Oh and yes I'm a freak just won two spinecards on ebay for over over 30us$ (no and the games themselves are not included). But I'm happy with it.

[Iron Draggon]

Damn, and I just know that I've already thrown my most valuable spine cards away, or lost them or will lose them.

Is there a spine card collector's guide? How the heck would I even know what to ask for them if I wanted to sell them?

How would I know if I was getting ripped off for them, or if I was getting a fair price, or if I was making a decent profit?

I mean really, who decides these things anyway? And how do they decide them? Is there a secret spine card society?

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Damn, and I just know that I've already thrown my most valuable spine cards away, or lost them or will lose them.

Is there a spine card collector's guide? How the heck would I even know what to ask for them if I wanted to sell them?

How would I know if I was getting ripped off for them, or if I was getting a fair price, or if I was making a decent profit?

I mean really, who decides these things anyway? And how do they decide them? Is there a secret spine card society?

Why would you need a guide to sell them? Just make a list of what you own and sell them in sets of five for 10 dollars or something. I'm sure more then a few people would bite.

[tritium]

JP Dreamcast games don't have UPC's on them, the UPC is on the spine card.

Easy not to loose, just tuck it into the instruction manual =)

[Teo]

Plus no UPC on JP DC games is a plus in an aesthetic artistic sort of way.