GB - Prototypes

[karlchristianlund | 8]

I have a friend who unfortunately passed away a couple of months ago and I am helping out his girlfriend with to estimate some value of the games he left behind. 

Prototypes are really hard to value or set a price of. 
Anyone here that is good with prices and marketprices for these kind of things?

So far I only have photos and I haven't tested any of the stuff.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1M1dWnEGJB8EH8A6GHdMJWZdy_d-YcvWr?usp=sharing

 

[CIB_Wholesale | 418]

wow great protos

[RH | 4,955]

Just a quick value from the hip, I can't speak for the GBC hardware at the end, and that DW III proto might be worth the most.  I say ignore it in this estimation, BUT if she wants to do a quick sale, items unchecked, possibly $100 for each proto.

If I were in her shoes and I had no clue about what I had, I think that would be reasonable.  I'd probably list that DW III cart individually on eBay, though.

To be clear, I do think $100/ea is a good deal for the buyer/collector, and I'd be tempted to buy the whole lot at that price.  For some of these she might be able to get double or even triple that, however, protos are so niche, it can be hard to find a buyer at a "fair" price.

I don't claim to be the authority on this, but from my observations, this seems fair.  Proto values, especially on eBay, are all over the place.  I've even seen some go for less that $100/ea when someone had a bunch and listed them all, individually, on eBay.

[drxandy | 3,236]

Really cool stuff, love seeing those dev manuals too glws

[Tanooki | 4,949]

Hey if those went for $100 or less each I'd buy a couple as I see some personal favorites hoping to see a sliver of development, but I'd be surprised at them down there too (DW3 withstanding, that would be big compared to the others.)

That GBC in the first image is pretty fascinating as well.  The GBC guide there on development, seen one of those years ago, then a few later when an old Nintendo leak in the GBA era exposed the file to the internet like 20 years ago and it's a great read.

[Tyree_Cooper | 770]

If you want the best cash for each cartridge, there's no discussion you need a console to test each and every one, to put a title on the carts that don't have one. Once you know which game is inside each cartridge, and each one has been tested (briefly), put up a list and get help on pricing, or accept offers.

I would certainly not blind sell each for 100$. There's even a Killer Instinct in there. Take your time to sell properly, don't let anyone pressure you lol.

edit: and take one photo of each game running, it helps reassure buyers that the game is really running. in terms on prototype contents, some appear to be localisations, so all may not be equally interesting to a series collector or proto collector or to a group of preservationists.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Tyree_Cooper

[RH | 4,955]

7 hours ago, Tyree_Cooper said:

If you want the best cash for each cartridge, there's no discussion you need a console to test each and every one, to put a title on the carts that don't have one. Once you know which game is inside each cartridge, and each one has been tested (briefly), put up a list and get help on pricing, or accept offers.

I would certainly not blind sell each for 100$. There's even a Killer Instinct in there. Take your time to sell properly, don't let anyone pressure you lol.

edit: and take one photo of each game running, it helps reassure buyers that the game is really running. in terms on prototype contents, some appear to be localisations, so all may not be equally interesting to a series collector or proto collector or to a group of preservationists.

I'm definitely NOT saying this is wrong. In fact, that KI was a good call and I should have caught that one.

That said, and to be clear, if your friend is in the state of mind where she want's it "gone, but not given away", which would mean quick, bulk sells, I stand by the $100 price point, but that's only because this is niche but that's about the threshold where people will come in and take them quickly.

Someone else feel free to offer a different value.  I mean, she might even do better to do what @Tyree_Cooper said for sure, even if she just takes a photo of the item and a photo of the title screen and posts $1 auctions.  Some games will go for less than $100, where a few of these might fetch a nice chunk of change.  Still, she'll then have to deal with eBay/Paypal fees and shipping 30 different items.  It's up to her.

Last, if she's just handed them off to you and you're selling them to be kind as a friend, then i'd definitely take a bit more time and document each game.  Maybe even get a cart ripper and check against available ROMs so see if they are production copies or actual pre-production protos.  That makes a HUGE difference too.

[Tanooki | 4,949]

Is it Killer Instinct or Kid Icarus?

[MiamiSlice | 3,100]

I would check what games are on the unmarked carts, list everything out and then auction the whole lot.