Sega Saturn: Help determining seal authenticity

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

Hi all, stumbled into a few sealed Saturn games and I’m trying to determine if they are factory or re-seal. I know next to nothing about it so please excuse my ignorance. If any experts could chime in that would be great. Also I’m aware the Valora shrink is rough but hoping to still determine if it’s authentic or not. If more photos are needed please advise. 
 

https://imgur.com/a/DdFkl79

[final fight cd | 186]

I would not call myself an expert , but they look good to me.  1st one for sure is legit, 2nd I’d have confidence it is also legit. Are there vent holes on the 2nd one?

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

53 minutes ago, final fight cd said:

I would not call myself an expert , but they look good to me.  1st one for sure is legit, 2nd I’d have confidence it is also legit. Are there vent holes on the 2nd one?

I will check when I get home. Where are the vent holes typically located on these?

[final fight cd | 186]

3 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

I will check when I get home. Where are the vent holes typically located on these?

It’s a pattern of very tiny manufactured holes.  Can be on the front, back, or both.   They can run vertically, horizontally. Just tilt the game at an angle and you should be able to clearly see them if present. 

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

2 hours ago, final fight cd said:

It’s a pattern of very tiny manufactured holes.  Can be on the front, back, or both.   They can run vertically, horizontally. Just tilt the game at an angle and you should be able to clearly see them if present. 

Ok yes definitely present on the courier crisis and I THINK on the Valora, the front is pretty rough on that one so I'm not 100% sure. Also the courier crisis has the vertical lines running down the back and the Valora doesn't, so I'm not totally convinced.

[final fight cd | 186]

46 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Ok yes definitely present on the courier crisis and I THINK on the Valora, the front is pretty rough on that one so I'm not 100% sure. Also the courier crisis has the vertical lines running down the back and the Valora doesn't, so I'm not totally convinced.

Not all factory sealed Sega cd games have the vertical seam on the back. I would also assume the same is true for the Saturn, but I can’t say with any certainty.

[final fight cd | 186]

As a side note.  I bought a “factory sealed” copy of battle corp for the Sega cd from rarebucky years ago.  I’m guessing people would call him a sealed expert?  But the game has ZERO ventholes.  None.  There is also no vertical seam either.  I asked him about this but he swore the seal is legit.
 

with that being said, battle corp is a core published game and I know bc racers, which is another core published game, was a game I always questioned the authenticity of  as well whenever I would see one on eBay.  But I was able to snag a copy with ventholes years ago. 
 

Another side note.  I’m pretty sure my current copy of mortal kombat has a vertical seam. my former copy had no vertical seam, but it did have ventholes.  But the ventholes looked odd.  They were not circular, but more like the silhouette of a cartoon duck, if that makes sense.  It just didn’t seem right.  The way the plastic felt. The odd looking ventholes. I wasn’t confident. 
 

So a sealed expert tells me a seal WITHOUT ventholes is legit.  I get a game WITH ventholes but don’t have the confidence to conclude it being authentic.  

Edited July 27, 2022 by final fight cd

[LifeGame | 760]

Not a saturn expert, but I collect sealed, I say legit

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

Yea I think so. Now I have to decide whether or not to open them, lol. I might open the Valora, considering how back the seal is. IF I don't open them I'll just get another open copy so I can try them out. Courier Crisis looks pretty fun.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

Here's a dumb question, what if I wanted to try to wipe clean the dirty torn up one. Obviously can't do anything about the tears but just to see if it displays a little more nicely? HAs anyone done that? What would you use? Maybe one of those lens cleaning clothes or maybe a small microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol or windex maybe? OR is it just an awful idea, lol

[inasuma | 1,203]

4 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Here's a dumb question, what if I wanted to try to wipe clean the dirty torn up one. Obviously can't do anything about the tears but just to see if it displays a little more nicely? HAs anyone done that? What would you use? Maybe one of those lens cleaning clothes or maybe a small microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol or windex maybe? OR is it just an awful idea, lol

I would use something alcohol-based, like 70% or higher isopropyl. lighter fluid is also good. i would dab it on a lint-free cloth though before taking it to the game.

[Gulag Joe | 582]

12 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Here's a dumb question, what if I wanted to try to wipe clean the dirty torn up one. Obviously can't do anything about the tears but just to see if it displays a little more nicely? HAs anyone done that? What would you use? Maybe one of those lens cleaning clothes or maybe a small microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol or windex maybe? OR is it just an awful idea, lol

Use a dry, soft microfiber cloth that’s used for cleaning glasses. I would advise against using any chemical agents as it will seep through the vent holes and leave marks on the case that will exacerbate the appearance of the vent holes by looking like tiny uneven circles underneath the seal.

[dr_orangejuicer | 20]

The seal on Courier Crisis is the most common Saturn seal: overlapping vertical seam down the back, hang tab, and vent holes. This is the easiest, safest seal to identify imo. Some titles have vent holes and hang tab but do NOT have an overlapping seam (Sega Touring Car and Duke Nukem 3D, for example). 

While the presence of vent holes is a very reliable indicator, their absence is not a reliable contra-indicator, e.g. a Saturn game with vent holes is almost certainly factory sealed but a game without vent holes is NOT almost certainly a reseal.

Seals often vary by manufacturer and the more obscure the publisher the more difficult it is to establish authenticity. First party is generally easiest. Here, I'd suggest looking at other Vic Tokai published Saturn games if you can't find another sealed Valora. Here's a Shinobi Legions that looks like yours:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134125975571

So re: Valora - while it's tough to say with certainty, my gut says that's a legit seal. I've sold hundreds of sealed Saturn games and this one seems OK. One more obvious tell is to look closely at the case/manual/insert/whatever you can to check for any visible wear that would only occur if the game had been opened.

Hope this helps!