New member - To grade or not to grade?

[monkeylizard | 1]

Hi. New member here.

By way of introduction, I've been playing since the early 1980s when I got my first Atari 2600 for Christmas 1983 and proceeded to go through multiple joysticks on Pac-Man, River Raid, Asteroids, and Spy Hunter. I was the first kid in my elementary school to get an NES. I knew they were coming out so I started saving every cent I could get in a Mason jar for that one. I had to stay away from the Bally's coin-op arcade at the mall for months to keep it from tempting me to spend my precious NES money. There was no greater feeling than getting enough money scratched together to go to Toys R Us, taking the paper tag off the wall and going to the register to get a new game. And no worse one at that age than finding out the game you just spent 2 months of work on was a sucky game . . . (I'm looking at you "Knight Rider"). Then PC gaming picked up for me in the early 1990s with the slew of flight sims on the Intel 386 systems. All that to say I go back a ways. I even had an old Texas Instruments system at one point (old when I got it, but I learned to Hunt the Wumpus!).

My younger brother got my NES and eventually it got lost in a move or more likely sold by mom for $5 in a yard sale alongside my Star Wars toys 

About 5 years or so ago I came across an NES at a yard sale with a dozen cartridges so I picked it up. I'll play from time to time and have enjoyed it. I fished my old Playstation (original) out of the storage closet a few years ago and play a bit of that too (Syphon Filter and Oddworld:Abe's Odyssey FTW!). I had forgotten how much fun some of these games can be. The graphics are generally terrible by today's standards of course and the controls aren't fluid like modern games, but there's something oddly satisfying about them and I love how the developers did more with less.

Anyhow. Today I was a bit bored and started playing a few games I haven't played in a really long time over on ArcadeSpot (Excitebike, Castlevania, MegaMan, Battletoads). That got me thinking about our local used media store in town (McKay's) that has a decent collection of some uncommon titles in the locked case and the prices have always kind of surprised me a bit. They don't usually have super rare stuff. Just some $50-100 items and the occasional item for a few hundred. Then I started wondering what some of the rarest games for NES are and how much they're valued. So a little Googling turned up various lists and I saw Bonk's Adventure on several of them. Not at the top of course, but still on the lists.

Well . . .  my yard sale find happened to have a CIB Bonk's Adventure. It's been sitting in an old wooden Dr. Pepper crate with the rest of the cartridges since I got it. It works. It's kind of a fun game and I'll play it from time to time. "Quirky" is one word for it.

I started looking around eBay and let's just say I had a significant reaction when I saw asking prices north of 4 figures. Is this seriously worth that kind of money?

I'm not interested in the money right now. Though possibly valuable, that doesn't really move my needle at the moment. I kind of like the idea of having something else rare and collectible beside my other (unfortunately, more expensive) hobbies. Maybe someday I'd want to part with it, but for now it's kind of neat just knowing I have it.

The cartridge is in excellent condition as are all the booklets and the warranty card. The box has some wear on the corners but no creases or tears. If this one came with the poster (seems like some did) I don't have that.

My questions:
1. Should I have this graded or not? If not now, then is there a time I should? Is it important for maximizing value IF I decide to sell it some day?
2. What's the upside and downside to having it graded? Am I correct that once it's graded, it's basically in a sealed plastic coffin suitable only for display or resell and not for playing?
3. If it should be graded, who's the one to use?
4. I don't know what I don't know, so what else should I know about this?

On the guns, cars, and guitars forums I normally frequent (those previously mentioned more expensive hobbies), we all like to look at each other's finds and collections. I figure all collectors share that in common so here a little NES p0rn for ya! I also have the little styrofoam spacer in the box (not pictured).

 

 

[Mega Tank | 1,101]

23 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

My questions:
1. Should I have this graded or not? If not now, then is there a time I should? Is it important for maximizing value IF I decide to sell it some day? No. No. Graded usually sells for more, but you have to have a buyer.
2. What's the upside and downside to having it graded? Am I correct that once it's graded, it's basically in a sealed plastic coffin suitable only for display or resell and not for playing? It's sealed in a plastic coffin until someone decides to break it out.
3. If it should be graded, who's the one to use? Whoever you prefer to go with. There is no right answer.
4. I don't know what I don't know, so what else should I know about this? There's never a "right" time to sell. If other copies are selling for what you want to sell it for, then do it. If not, don't and hope for better days.

[monkeylizard | 1]

Thanks. Since I like playing it and don't plan to sell any time soon, are there any good plastic shells you might recommend that I can get on my own (ie not having it graded) to keep the box and cartridge in to protect it but that I can open when I want to play it? 

[Gloves | 12,283]

19 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Thanks. Since I like playing it and don't plan to sell any time soon, are there any good plastic shells you might recommend that I can get on my own (ie not having it graded) to keep the box and cartridge in to protect it but that I can open when I want to play it? 

I'm Canadian so I buy from here: Acrylic Video Game Cases – Video Game Box Defender

It's a store run by a dude here on VGS, @Rdools. I'd either buy from there, or find a place with similar cases wherever you are (I assume the States).

If you use the site above lemme know via DM, there's a 10% discount code I can share for VGS users.

[Jfreakofkorn | 319]

so if you still working on those blister(s) on your finger(s) , i would also suggest getting , like " Gloves " has mentioned , in getting hard acrylic case  

i respect that that your still hitting away on the game and not like having it locked away . and congrats on scoring it also 

 

 

 

[monkeylizard | 1]

Obviously value is subject to change on condition and market whims, but this is the real deal and worth protecting in a case, right?

[Gloves | 12,283]

6 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

Obviously value is subject to change on condition and market whims, but this is the real deal and worth protecting in a case, right?

I keep a handful of valuable games in acrylic cases as such, mostly cuz I have cats and still like to display my games. Bonks is certainly in the value range where I'd consider it worth the small investment to protect it from stuff like accidental damage, while still having it accessible to play. 

[GPX | 1,415]

It’s important to determine early on if you plan to grade a game or to play it. If you plan to grade a game, then give it good protection while avoiding handling of it too much, including playing it. More handling may cause incidental/accidental wear/damage to the components which will likely worsen the grading score, which then impacts its sell value.