Wata vs CGC Legend of Zelda NES

[Mijael | 347]

I am following two lots at HA right now. Both are going to end in 5 days.

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A- Wata 9.2 A actual bid around 25K 

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A - CGC 9.4 A+ actual bid around 117K

I am wondering if this huge difference is because of the condition or also because of the fact that the 9.4 is graded by CGC . 

In comic books for example the price difference between a 9.2 and a 9.4 is minimum

What do you think? 

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

Personally, I think right now it's too early to say what the cause of the big difference there is just yet.  Until we see more examples of such things happening (where CGC examples of games are at the same grading level or incrementally better than a WATA one), it's near impossible to say whether this is just a bidding war between two or more hard headed individuals (a fluke/outlier), WATA's recent (and ongoing?) bad PR contributing to a loss of reputation and confidence in their accuracy/abilitiy thus leading to a loss of value, etc.

I don't follow graded games beyond scanning the occasional topic on here, so I'm no expert, but just from what I recall reading here, I think what you're saying about the difference in historical pricing between 9.2 and 9.4 grades generally applies to sealed video games as well, with a little wiggle room left for differences in seal quality.  The higher the grades go, the larger the gap can be (like between a 9.8 and a 9.6), but the lower grades do usually seem to be a lot more neck-in-neck than what you're pointing out above.

Personally, I'd say bidding war, as overall slabbed prices have been falling off a cliff seemingly regardless of who graded them as of late, but only time will tell for sure.

[inasuma | 1,203]

5 hours ago, Mijael said:

I am following two lots at HA right now. Both are going to end in 5 days.

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A- Wata 9.2 A actual bid around 25K 

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A - CGC 9.4 A+ actual bid around 117K

I am wondering if this huge difference is because of the condition or also because of the fact that the 9.4 is graded by CGC . 

In comic books for example the price difference between a 9.2 and a 9.4 is minimum

What do you think? 

IIRC the CGC copy has "First Video Game Graded" written on it which likely adds to its status.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that type of thing is happening. Because among those who are part of the graded collectible there are collectors who'll focus more on the grade than how it looks in photos.

I mean way back when, I sought CGC and CBCS 9.8 when it came to comics that I missed out on. And more times I found that I could have saved money getting a CGC 9.6 because some of their 9.8s looked like a 9.6. And is also why I try to go as low as an 85 when it comes to CGA, UKG, and CAS. Because sometimes an 85 can look like a 90 under the right light.

But in all cases, I think some of the bids for the CGC graded Zelda is because it is their first graded piece. But I also have to believe the rest is because it says "9.4 A+" and not Wata's "9.2 A".

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

all these decimal points being worth money baffles me. I have no idea why anyone needs someone else to tell them the condition of a game? Why isn't looking at it and just saying "Yep, it's in good shape" enough?

[inasuma | 1,203]

1 minute ago, CodysGameRoom said:

all these decimal points being worth money baffles me. I have no idea why anyone needs someone else to tell them the condition of a game? Why isn't looking at it and just saying "Yep, it's in good shape" enough?

i collect this shit and still don't get it

and by that, i mean, why people pay such huge prices lol

Edited January 16, 2023 by inasuma

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

10 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

all these decimal points being worth money baffles me. I have no idea why anyone needs someone else to tell them the condition of a game? Why isn't looking at it and just saying "Yep, it's in good shape" enough?

Because some people are super picky and anal about that sort of thing, and therefore willing to pay more to feed their need.  And some people just want something to some how "prove" they're "better" than other people, and will again pay more for the privilege.

Being that picky, especially at that premium, doesn't make a lot of sense to me either, but I guess we all pick our nits, and we should be glad this one isn't ours.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

8 minutes ago, inasuma said:

i collect this shit and still don't get it

and by that, i mean, why people pay such huge prices lol

Atop of what @darkchylde28 said, there are those who'll be fine with a specific grade. But are also not the type who are patient enough to wait for the same game in similar non-graded condition to pop up, along with them doing the submission process, atop of the shipping and waiting... And so on, and so forth.

And again, my example was one of my past mistakes when it came to graded comics. 

[GPX | 1,369]

22 hours ago, Mijael said:

I am following two lots at HA right now. Both are going to end in 5 days.

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A- Wata 9.2 A actual bid around 25K 

Legend of Zelda -  Rev A - CGC 9.4 A+ actual bid around 117K

I am wondering if this huge difference is because of the condition or also because of the fact that the 9.4 is graded by CGC . 

In comic books for example the price difference between a 9.2 and a 9.4 is minimum

What do you think? 

A small increment in a grade for the high-end condition games can cause a drastic increase in price valuation. This can be applied to all sorts of graded collectibles. 

In this particular case though, there could be some extra shenanigans with CGC or some of their affiliates/acquaintances. I know I can come off as a cranky skeptic when it comes to bids of 6 figures or more, but just trying to bring some reality into the discussion . That is, there is shonkiness everywhere in this world. The price you see in an online bid is never really what it seems from face value.

 

[GPX | 1,369]

13 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

all these decimal points being worth money baffles me. I have no idea why anyone needs someone else to tell them the condition of a game? Why isn't looking at it and just saying "Yep, it's in good shape" enough?

Can you get why a 9.2 comic is worth more than an 8.8 comic? Well just apply the exact same thought process to that of a graded game. 

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

REV-A doesn't mean a whole lot when you're talking about variants. It could be due to different boxes.

[guitarzombie | 924]

Mental illness

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

1 hour ago, GPX said:

Can you get why a 9.2 comic is worth more than an 8.8 comic? 

No. Show me them both ungraded and I doubt I could tell you the difference. 

Now a wider grade range, most likely. For example I could clearly see if something is like... average condition compared to excellent condition.. but I still wouldn't know one number from the other.

Edited January 16, 2023 by CodysGameRoom

[inasuma | 1,203]

1 hour ago, guitarzombie said:

Mental illness

i feel attacked

also true

[Gulag Joe | 582]

Does CGC add the “first video game graded“ for every title they grade? I recall seeing a Mario with the same thing. If so, I’m sold. I’m cracking open my super duper rare factory sealed NES Al Unser Jr Turbo Racing from its wata shell so I can send it to CGC to get that prestigious title and then I’m selling it for $100,000.

[Link | 2,709]

2 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

No. Show me them both ungraded and I doubt I could tell you the difference. 

You can't. Proper grading involves a thorough examination and, at very high grades, a magnifying glass. This is why I hate when the word "mint" gets tossed around casually. 

[GPX | 1,369]

4 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

No. Show me them both ungraded and I doubt I could tell you the difference. 

Now a wider grade range, most likely. For example I could clearly see if something is like... average condition compared to excellent condition.. but I still wouldn't know one number from the other.

The more you collect high end condition games, the more your eyes will become accustomed to their relative grades. The graders, having seem likely a ton more than most collectors, would be more better “qualified”, so to speak. Also there is a metric system that counts on the number of defects, which will give you the overall grade. 

Is it 100% accurate and fool-proof? No! It’s never about being a precise science. However, with a grading service, you’re more likely to have:

- a more well trained eye to inspect

- a more impartial observer (hopefully)

As a collector, you either can agree to their judgment and try/follow them. Or alternatively, you can reject them if you don’t think they’re reliable observers. 

The above is me simplifying and summarising what any grading service is about, games, comics, coins etc.

 

 

[mlbfan10 | 340]

Only video games do I ever see people who don't grade, complain about grading and how they don't understand it. We get it, it's the exact same arguments as on NA in 2008.

Do guys feel the same way about CIB grading?

Edited January 17, 2023 by mlbfan10

[3rdStrongestMole | 430]

I think the problem more has to do with the ambiguity of grading in general. I would expect a game that got resubbed 5 or 6 times to receive 2 or 3 different grades. 

That's not a good thing...