To fix a label/cart or not to, that is the question.

[PhoeniX]

Now this question is several parts... But beyond the physical process I am more concerned with the question of "should".
First, when labels start to come off is it "wrong" to attempt to re-adhere a label to a cart?
Second, what it the best way to do it, diferent techniques for different carts?

I have noticed that many 3rd party cart manufacturers often use crappy labels that are poorly adhered to cartridges. In particular I have a complete copy of Spiritual Warfare for Genesis (am I the only one who like this game ?) and the label is starting to come off, the rest of it is in good condition and I really believe it to be the result of bad glue. Likewise, my Exodus (genny) also seems to have a bad label. These games aren't exactly common and suffice it to say I would rather repair then replace. Does "fixing" a cart somehow make it less valuable? Is it wrong of me to try?

Now it's one thing to fix (seemingly) poorly constructed carts/labels but what about "fixing" other aestetic blemishes, we have all seen those NES carts that have someone's name (or god knows what else) written on the back. Is there something less complete or perhaps even disingenuine in replacing the back? What do you so called collectors think? Obviously if done one should do so with one as close the original back as possible (rev-a, 5 screw, 3 screw, battery back up specific and what have you) but many NES carts have stamped (or otherwise indented--non printed) numbers and letters, is it "wrong" to replace an NES back with a different stamp?

Whenever I buy a new game I clean it, but where does cleaning end and restoration begin?

[rbudrick]

If the glue is unnoticeable and does not bleed through like Activision's VCS labels used to, you are probably good to go. I highly doubt that it will ruin the value of the cart. Maybe in 100 years or so when these carts are dying antiques and SMB/DuckHunt is a 9 on the rarity scale this may matter, but like I said, if it is unnoticeable, and even experts like on Antiques roadshow can't tell, I don't see a problem. Perhaps you may even be increasing the value by readhering the label?

-Rob

[TRM]

What type of manual came with Spiritual Warfare for Genny? May I see a picture---I think I may have a manual, if they used the Genesis/PC manuals interchagably.

As for the glue, I second Rob's thoughts.

[rbudrick]

Oh, forgot to answer about techniques...I generally use a clear-colored glue stick. Be sure not to roll it on to thickly and do not crease the label. After pushing the label back on, it doesn't hurt to smooth it out with a finger nail to get the bubbles out and any unnecessary excess glue. Wipe the excess glue away. Be careful not to damage the label, as glue is generally slightly wet, even in gluesticks. Just be sparing with the gluestick and you should be fine.

-Rob

[Emily]

If your having trouble with permanant marker on your Nes carts(etc.):
use Crud-Cutter( im pretty sure thats spelled wrong) for really dificult marker,
but that stuff MELTS black Genny cart plastic is left sit for a couple seconds.
Goo-Gone is pretty awsome for getting off anything. I got a Godzilla cart at CGE that was encrusted with bird-poop. It looks brand new now!

[chicnstu]

I heard that using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonderfully for removing marker marks from cartridges. Someone on GameFAQs posted a before picture and an after picture of a Little Samson cartridge that had someone's name on it in permanent marker (not so permanent now is it ?). The thing was perfectly clean. If you want a free Mr. Clean Magic Eraser you can go to their official site (mrclean.com) and click on the link at the bottom left.

[neuropolitique]

I see nothing wrong with cart restoration. It is done all the time in the antiques world. Even if the repair is noticable, it will usually raise the value of a piece, so long as the repair is done well.

As for replacing the back of the cart, I don't know. In theory, the carts are totally interchangable. Only the label and rom inside differentiate the carts. For most anyway. So, providing you replace the back with the back from a cart of the exact same design, you should be ok.

[PhoeniX]

What type of manual came with Spiritual Warfare for Genny? May I see a picture---I think I may have a manual, if they used the Genesis/PC manuals interchagably.

Its about 3 1/2''- 4'' square purpalish. It does indeed contain instruction for a PC version as well, I had never noticed that, that is totally hilarious! The back page even has instructions on, "if your game doesn't work" for the NES gameboy Genesis and IBM/PC compatables. These games were definately made cheaply!

[Iron Draggon]

I wish that I had all the Wisdom Tree games, just for the sake of having some Christian crap.

I would never replace the back of a cart unless the cart itself was damaged somehow though. I suspect that they're like music CD's, most people never notice it, but every CD you own has a number code on it and all the inserts for that disk have a matching number code on them. So if you ever replace the disk or the inserts with a disk or an insert from another one supposedly exactly like it, your numbers won't match anymore, just like parts on a car.

[YoshiM]

I wish that I had all the Wisdom Tree games, just for the sake of having some Christian crap.

I would never replace the back of a cart unless the cart itself was damaged somehow though. I suspect that they're like music CD's, most people never notice it, but every CD you own has a number code on it and all the inserts for that disk have a matching number code on them. So if you ever replace the disk or the inserts with a disk or an insert from another one supposedly exactly like it, your numbers won't match anymore, just like parts on a car.

Typically carts don't have any special identifying marks on them that I've noticed other than the "don't immerse in water, don't clean with solvent, etc." from Nintendo or the stamped info from Sega. I don't see any problem with swapping the backs.

Now replacing labels....THAT'S something I'd like to know if anyone has done and if so how they went about it. I just got a few Genny carts where the labels are beat to hell (especially my Ghouls n' Ghosts). I'd love to yank the label off and replace it with one I can print off my printer (which has great picture quality).

[TRM]

I wish that I had all the Wisdom Tree games, just for the sake of having some Christian crap.

I would never replace the back of a cart unless the cart itself was damaged somehow though. I suspect that they're like music CD's, most people never notice it, but every CD you own has a number code on it and all the inserts for that disk have a matching number code on them. So if you ever replace the disk or the inserts with a disk or an insert from another one supposedly exactly like it, your numbers won't match anymore, just like parts on a car.

Typically carts don't have any special identifying marks on them that I've noticed other than the "don't immerse in water, don't clean with solvent, etc." from Nintendo or the stamped info from Sega. I don't see any problem with swapping the backs.

Now replacing labels....THAT'S something I'd like to know if anyone has done and if so how they went about it. I just got a few Genny carts where the labels are beat to hell (especially my Ghouls n' Ghosts). I'd love to yank the label off and replace it with one I can print off my printer (which has great picture quality).

I would advise against printing new labels.

[rpepper9]

I wish that I had all the Wisdom Tree games, just for the sake of having some Christian crap.

I would never replace the back of a cart unless the cart itself was damaged somehow though. I suspect that they're like music CD's, most people never notice it, but every CD you own has a number code on it and all the inserts for that disk have a matching number code on them. So if you ever replace the disk or the inserts with a disk or an insert from another one supposedly exactly like it, your numbers won't match anymore, just like parts on a car.

Typically carts don't have any special identifying marks on them that I've noticed other than the "don't immerse in water, don't clean with solvent, etc." from Nintendo or the stamped info from Sega. I don't see any problem with swapping the backs.

Now replacing labels....THAT'S something I'd like to know if anyone has done and if so how they went about it. I just got a few Genny carts where the labels are beat to hell (especially my Ghouls n' Ghosts). I'd love to yank the label off and replace it with one I can print off my printer (which has great picture quality).

I would advise against printing new labels.

I would also advise against printing new lables. Most lables have a gloss to them that is a result of almost a plastic coating on the printe lable. You would never be able to matche the truy look and feel of most lables and it would look as if you were trying to pass off a bootleg or pirate cart.

[FABombjoy]

If you're concerned about the long-term effects of using adhesives, seek out archival/preservation quality adhesives such as acid-free gluesticks, methyl cellulose, etc.

[YoshiM]

I would also advise against printing new lables. Most lables have a gloss to them that is a result of almost a plastic coating on the printe lable. You would never be able to matche the truy look and feel of most lables and it would look as if you were trying to pass off a bootleg or pirate cart.

I get the feeling that doing label restoration is seen in an almost negative light. I wonder why? Arcade cabinets are restored to pristine condition, including the artwork, all the time. I highly doubt they use original cabinet decals. In the same situation, I restored cab could be housing a bootleg of the game as well.

When it comes to restoration and selling I think it would a seller morality issue. If I sold a cart I restored with new labeling my moral compass would tell me to mention in my sale "the cartridge has been restored to factory-like condition including a new fabricated label".

I think I'm going to find a way to make labels that "look and feel" like the originals-all with the power of a PC, a decent color printer and perhaps some spray covering to give it the "gloss" look. It'd be a fun project.

[FABombjoy]

I think I'm going to find a way to make labels that "look and feel" like the originals-all with the power of a PC

Not to sound negative, but you are going to have one hell of a time trying to get the halftoning and color matching correct with home/semi-pro equipment. You will also need to spend a fair amount of time seeking/scanning/touching up high-quality originals.

You can buy paper stock that matches the gloss of the originals.. at least, mostly matches. But without having them made on an offset press & die-cut to size, you're unlikely to fool anybody. Not that I'm saying that your goal is to fool somebody, but if we're discussing video games as a collectable this is unlikely to have a positive effect on the value of a game.

Many arcade machines are restored with reproduction art. Some of the companies reproing the artwork use big inkjets, and some use multiple color spot-matched presses. You'll know the difference when you compare them. Some people restore with NOS artwork, but that's not so easy to find.

[YoshiM]

I think I'm going to find a way to make labels that "look and feel" like the originals-all with the power of a PC

Not to sound negative, but you are going to have one hell of a time trying to get the halftoning and color matching correct with home/semi-pro equipment. You will also need to spend a fair amount of time seeking/scanning/touching up high-quality originals.

You can buy paper stock that matches the gloss of the originals.. at least, mostly matches. But without having them made on an offset press & die-cut to size, you're unlikely to fool anybody. Not that I'm saying that your goal is to fool somebody, but if we're discussing video games as a collectable this is unlikely to have a positive effect on the value of a game.

Many arcade machines are restored with reproduction art. Some of the companies reproing the artwork use big inkjets, and some use multiple color spot-matched presses. You'll know the difference when you compare them. Some people restore with NOS artwork, but that's not so easy to find.

Again, I'm sensing a type of negativity toward "restoring" carts ("You're unlikely to fool anybody"). In a place where collectors go near orgasmic when an Atari prototype ROM not only gets found but burned onto a chip, put into an honest-to-goodness Atari cartridge case and then gets a professional looking label and manual and then sold (which, if it's a copywrited work is pretty much illegal no matter how you slice it), this negativity is borderline ironic. What makes cartridges so special as opposed to say a classic Mustang or a classic piece of furniture? Why can't a gamer who has a rare but beat up cartridge NOT have the choice to restore it to look nice?

[PhoeniX]

I guess its a matter of personal choice. I am not really the most anal person about condition, but I do care, whenever I get a new game I thoroughly clean it. I would remove everything even writing on cart back themselves (alcohal usually works) but I, until recently would never touch a label. So do I see such "restoration" with a somewhat negative valence, sure I do. It seems to me a desire to have a unrestored cartridge would be very similiar to a car collecters desire to have a car with all original parts. Just as you wouldn't want the vintage car to be re-painted, it feeld somehow less genuine to restore a cartridge. The question that gets me is the bright line, when is the cart less original--would changing the glue make it so?

BTW, thanks for the response, knowing what other collectors would do with their precious's helps immensly in deciding what to do with mine. I have to say that not withstanding the good advice on how to go about the re-glue, I will in all liklihood refrain from doing it on my cart at least for the time being.

[FABombjoy]

Why can't a gamer who has a rare but beat up cartridge NOT have the choice to restore it to look nice?

I have no personal negativity towards restoring carts (or cars, another hobby of mine). It's your property and you're free to do whatever you wish.

We're dealing with a hobby of collectables. Items that have investment and resale value. It is undeniable that games, systems, memorabilia possess actual monetary value.

Suppose you have a rare, valuable game with a torn label and you want to fix it very badly. If you just want something that looks better, that's easy enough to do with common equipment. If you want something that appears original, you're likely to invest more capital in the process than you'll gain from the restoration.

Now then, we've seen the mentality of collectors in this hobby, and the tendency to dislike anything that isn't 100% factory original. If you end up attempting to resell the game, you'll likely run into trouble with serious collectors that will probably notice what's been done. If you disclose that it's a reproduction, you'll probably lose value on resale. If you don't, it's dishonest.

Also, I don't think it's totally accurate to compare restoring arcades cabs to home games. The production totals are far less for arcades; the proportion of artwork is mammothly different. You're options are very limited when it comes to restoring arcade machines, especially if you happen to have a non-popular machine.

What you should ask yourself is, "Will my actions detract from the future value of this piece?" It's case-by-case at best, and quite dependent on the buyer themselves. However, I think that more people would be interested in purchasing an original, damaged piece than one with non-original artwork.

Cliff’s Notes: If you pull off an authentic-looking repro, you'll spend a fortune in money and time that will probably exceed the value of the original piece. Collectors tend to want originality, even if it's in bad shape.

[rbudrick]

Goo-Gone is pretty awsome for getting off anything

Nah, makes a shitty lube.

-Rob

[Necrosaro420]

I heard that using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonderfully for removing marker marks from cartridges. Someone on GameFAQs posted a before picture and an after picture of a Little Samson cartridge that had someone's name on it in permanent marker (not so permanent now is it ?). The thing was perfectly clean. If you want a free Mr. Clean Magic Eraser you can go to their official site (mrclean.com) and click on the link at the bottom left.

Yes, Mr Clean's magic eraser is a beautiful thing =)