Rich aka Rareusgoldon Pawn Stars

[Hogie | 12]

6 minutes ago, Sign Collector Guy said:

That Mario will be a 7 figure game. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But it will. I have zero doubt. 

But why though? Has any "First Edition" anything sold for this much money when an item is so readily available in other conditions? I am honestly curious.

Now I know that finding this sealed is hard to come by, but in other collectible markets, these items that are selling for this kind of money are hard to come by in any condition if I am not mistaken.

It is crazy to me how hard some of these games are being pushed as being the "Most desired" items in our hobby. At this point I am having a hard time determining what is fact and fiction with how the sealed market is being manipulated.

 

 

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

3 hours ago, GPX said:

Supposedly. There is no proof that I can see/read of a higher offer.

My thinking is that as of present, I doubt if anyone will throw $100,000 on it. I might be wrong, but there won’t be many serious/rich collectors willing to throw this much money on a video game despite all recent hype. 

Regarding the “300K offer”, it does not seem right to spike so much in such a short time. If I actually had the money, why wouldn’t I offer 125-150K? Anyway, I’m just sharing my thoughts out loud, I could be completely wrong and would be happy to call myself an idiot if evidence tells me I’m wrong.

I trust the person that mentioned it, and he knew it was a legit offer.   I don't think it was 300K though; I'm with you on the healthy skepticism there.

Beyond that as to the why- I don't think you would pry a 100k item loose with a 125k offer unless they're actively shopping it.   Anybody trying to find that really rare stuff knows they have to "come over the top" with their offer to get the person to sell it.

[ExplodedHamster | 404]

 

5 hours ago, Rman said:

Is Jim Halperin an investor in wata?  
 

And Hamster man...   How do u know they were offered $250+ for a fact? 

Not sure, but if he is, you think investors can’t use the products they invest in? As long as WATA isn’t cooking grades, it’s fine. 

And I do know for a fact because I know the person who offered it. I find it funny people STILL question this given current prices. People decried the 75k on Megaman for weeks and said it was worth well below that. How’d that work out? It seems a lot of people here simply have not followed the market this year. Go look at this past week’s auctions. A Bandai Golf just sold for four figures, for God’s sake. 

Edited November 30, 2019 by ExplodedHamster

[ExplodedHamster | 404]

1 hour ago, captmorgandrinker said:

I trust the person that mentioned it, and he knew it was a legit offer.   I don't think it was 300K though; I'm with you on the healthy skepticism there.

Beyond that as to the why- I don't think you would pry a 100k item loose with a 125k offer unless they're actively shopping it.   Anybody trying to find that really rare stuff knows they have to "come over the top" with their offer to get the person to sell it.

When this item sold for 100k in February, a mint oval seal SMB would sell for $1000. One just sold for 20k this weekend.

I’m not saying the Mario gloss is worth 2 million, but the market generally is wayyyyyyy beyond where it was when this sold. And 1Upped is obviously legit, so if a lower grade 4th edition is going for a 75k offer, it’s very easy to see 250k or higher offers for this highest graded early copy known to exist. 

Another thing to consider...do we know for a fact that the 100k bought 100% equity in the game? For all we know, the seller retained 25% equity and the valuation was 133k or something.

Edited November 30, 2019 by ExplodedHamster

[Bronty | 187]

13 hours ago, Rman said:

Is Jim Halperin an investor in wata?  
 

And Hamster man...   How do u know they were offered $250+ for a fact? 

The offer is a fact but its a bit complicated.   IIRC the offer was a high grade 52 Mantle in trade - that 52 mantle being worth, and having recently been purchased for, that 250-300 range.     So its a legit offer but was trade not cash.   That said, high quality trade that could easily be liquidated into cash, so its near cash.   52 mantle might be the hottest baseball card on the market.

That's as much as I recall anyways.    I might not have the whole story.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Bronty

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 hour ago, Bronty said:

The offer is a fact but its a bit complicated.   IIRC the offer was a high grade 52 Mantle in trade - that 52 mantle being worth, and having recently been purchased for, that 250-300 range.     So its a legit offer but was trade not cash.   That said, high quality trade that could easily be liquidated into cash, so its near cash.   52 mantle might be the hottest baseball card on the market.

That's as much as I recall anyways.    I might not have the whole story.

Any idea what the 1952 Mantle was graded? Depending on how recently it was purchased, a high end 7 could probably bring that much with the current prices.

[Bronty | 187]

dunno

[GPX | 1,369]

On 11/30/2019 at 1:16 PM, ExplodedHamster said:

When this item sold for 100k in February, a mint oval seal SMB would sell for $1000. One just sold for 20k this weekend.

I’m not saying the Mario gloss is worth 2 million, but the market generally is wayyyyyyy beyond where it was when this sold. And 1Upped is obviously legit, so if a lower grade 4th edition is going for a 75k offer, it’s very easy to see 250k or higher offers for this highest graded early copy known to exist. 

Another thing to consider...do we know for a fact that the 100k bought 100% equity in the game? For all we know, the seller retained 25% equity and the valuation was 133k or something.

I don't think anyone on this thread is saying the market isn't shifting. We all appear to understand that things have changed. Now the big question really is this:

Is the hype genuinely derived from a change in market shift? Or is the market shift due to the hype?

Further to the above, where do you draw the line between "hype" versus "market manipulation"?

[Tanooki | 4,931]

I think hype and market manipulation are pretty much hand in hand, because the more you hype, the more you can manipulate the value whether that was the personal intentions or not.  But as far as hype vs market shift...I think that's more like hello mr cause meet mr effect, sometimes a bump effect, sometimes one that stands.  Years ago someone fudged around with guardian legend but that cooled well the way back off after not very long, but then you get others like the old classic hagane and their type and that stayed high.  There's just too many factors to figure it in the end.

[Bronty | 187]

16 hours ago, GPX said:

I don't think anyone on this thread is saying the market isn't shifting. We all appear to understand that things have changed. Now the big question really is this:

Is the hype genuinely derived from a change in market shift? Or is the market shift due to the hype?

Further to the above, where do you draw the line between "hype" versus "market manipulation"?

Call it whatever you want to but there are more buyers with more money chasing the same supply.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

How does a game without a seal get a A++ seal grade?

[Link | 2,709]

For some reason I don’t think Chumlee knew what a sticker steal was the day before this was taped. 

[Bronty | 187]

5 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

How does a game without a seal get a A++ seal grade?

The sticker is the seal

[GPX | 1,369]

9 hours ago, Bronty said:

Call it whatever you want to but there are more buyers with more money chasing the same supply.

I can see the vantage point in the above. Though it’s not wrong to think a bit more about the ethics involved in the buying and selling of games. Trust is a valid point of entry for any future potential consumers.

Btw Bronty, I always appreciate perspective from your end. It always makes me think a little deeper on the issue than I perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have. 

[GPX | 1,369]

7 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

How does a game without a seal get a A++ seal grade?

There are 2 types of factory seals:

- entire wrap

- seal at the opening end

[Bronty | 187]

12 minutes ago, GPX said:

I can see the vantage point in the above. Though it’s not wrong to think a bit more about the ethics involved in the buying and selling of games. Trust is a valid point of entry for any future potential consumers.

Btw Bronty, I always appreciate perspective from your end. It always makes me think a little deeper on the issue than I perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have. 

Cool, glad to hear it.    I think ethical dealing is important, but it’s all in how you define it.    We are all big boys and no one has the time to babysit anyone else.    I think as long as you are getting what you paid for, and as long as there is no deception, it’s fair game.    I do understand the questions people have had but at the same time it gets old for me personally because many of the same issues persist in other hobbies with no shady insider dealings or accusations coming to light  the past twenty years yet gamers who aren’t familiar with it think it’s brand new info and want to start an investing action or something.    The fact is, it’s widely known that HA and or parties related thereto own at least a chunk of CGC (comics graders), NGC (coins) and whatever else I’m forgetting.  
 

Ideally you’d like all those parties to be separate but they aren’t and HA is the 800 of gorilla for whom funding grading companies (as they did for the first several years of cgc) to ensure the product is essentially a commodity and therefore auction friendly is worthwhile.

this is all pure speculation on my part but I think if you’re HA you don’t give a poop about grading fees and you certainly don’t want to do anything to screw up the trust the public has in the grading co.    What you want are the auction fees (again pure speculation, but are you making more getting paid 1k to grade a 50k game or from the 20%++ cut you will get out out of the auctions results?    
 

The one exists only to feed the other or at least that’s my speculation, and you don’t bite the hand that feeds.   Nor have they for 20 years now   

[GPX | 1,369]

22 minutes ago, Bronty said:

Cool, glad to hear it.    I think ethical dealing is important, but it’s all in how you define it.    We are all big boys and no one has the time to babysit anyone else.    I think as long as you are getting what you paid for, and as long as there is no deception, it’s fair game.    I do understand the questions people have had but at the same time it gets old for me personally because many of the same issues persist in other hobbies with no shady insider dealings or accusations coming to light  the past twenty years yet gamers who aren’t familiar with it think it’s brand new info and want to start an investing action or something.    The fact is, it’s widely known that HA and or parties related thereto own at least a chunk of CGC (comics graders), NGC (coins) and whatever else I’m forgetting.  
 

Ideally you’d like all those parties to be separate but they aren’t and HA is the 800 of gorilla for whom funding grading companies (as they did for the first several years of cgc) to ensure the product is essentially a commodity and therefore auction friendly is worthwhile.

this is all pure speculation on my part but I think if you’re HA you don’t give a poop about grading fees and you certainly don’t want to do anything to screw up the trust the public has in the grading co.    What you want are the auction fees (again pure speculation, but are you making more getting paid 1k to grade a 50k game or from the 20%++ cut you will get out out of the auctions results?    
 

The one exists only to feed the other or at least that’s my speculation, and you don’t bite the hand that feeds.   Nor have they for 20 years now   

I believe WATA have done a good job of promoting their services, just hoping they can focus more on the grading of games instead of being involved in every new article relating to new increased prices. Things need to be done in moderation, I suppose is what I’m getting at. Particularly more so when the initial relations between WATA, HA and parties involved with purchasing of the price hikes, are unclear from the general consumer end. 

 

 

[Bronty | 187]

I agree, time for a rest.    That said if pawn stars calls, you probably have to take that call no?

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

4 hours ago, Bronty said:

The sticker is the seal

They gave a A++ grade to a quarter inch sticker? I don't think that should be subject to the same grading scale as a complete cellophane wrap.

[Bronty | 187]

Those stickers usually have some stress on them or crinkling in the gap between the top and front of the box.    They aren’t automatically mint like you might think.   
 

Besides, if that’s what’s there, what else are they supposed to grade?    I understand your point but IMO they made the right call - treat as normal.    Customer has eyes.   The alternatives (no seal grade at all or an entirely new scale just due these few games ) are worse answers to the question of how to deal with sticker seals IMO.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Bronty

[LifeGame | 760]

21 hours ago, Bronty said:

Call it whatever you want to but there are more buyers with more money chasing the same supply.

I concur with that 100% and im seeing it first hand...

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

8 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

They gave a A++ grade to a quarter inch sticker? I don't think that should be subject to the same grading scale as a complete cellophane wrap.

They grade DVD cases, clamshells, and cardboard boxes on the same 1-10 scale (they even graded an NWC controller which I find a little ridiculous, lol). At the end of the day, grades are basically the sum of some guys' opinion and not exactly transferable holy writ. They just have to keep it consistent over time for all the other like-objects they grade.

[WalterWhiteJr. | 1,162]

On 11/28/2019 at 1:43 PM, CT said:

100%

200%

 

On 11/28/2019 at 1:43 PM, CT said:

100%

 

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

17 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

They grade DVD cases, clamshells, and cardboard boxes on the same 1-10 scale (they even graded an NWC controller which I find a little ridiculous, lol). At the end of the day, grades are basically the sum of some guys' opinion and not exactly transferable holy writ. They just have to keep it consistent over time for all the other like-objects they grade.

Grades are business. They'd grade the glue holding the flaps of a Nintendo cereal box together if you sent it to them. No leaky glue A++ seal. 

[Startyde | 175]

This thread has aged adorably, people being so skeptical about games reaching 1 mil. It is still hyper sketch Wata being called on Pawn Stars to evaluate their own game they owned, haha.

 

We were all so innocent before Covid and the great stonk and crypto boom.