Sega Genesis sealed John Madden Football

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

5 hours ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Edit: I don't know why I can't figure out how to quote two things from two different pages on the same post but yea, he stated "this is a reseal" and so your statement where he said the seal could be legitimate is false. 

You need to use the + option to save the quotes you want to post in a single topic.

Plus, the statement you are using is a follow-up. With jone also saying that his original statement had him be under fire. Which was tied to him wanting to buy it but eventually choosing not to. Because while he did say that the seal could be authentic, buying it was the only way he could it be authentic was a bigger financial risk than not buying it.

Atop of that, he saying it is not authentic could also be tied to his own burn out. Because we all need to remember that jone has been under fire for the brief time he worked for Wata. With the toll quite possibly putting him in a state of anxiety thanks to those who are not member of VGS.

Which I pretty much lived through for a good deal of my online life prior to me joining NA, and later VGS. And why I am saying that he did say it, just like why I believe his change of tone had him say otherwise here.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

To initially decide against purchasing something in the grounds of be uncertain as to whether it is legit or not, especially when it comes at a high price - that's totally understandable, and he had provided me that reasoning during our first round of DMs. No harm, no foul, totally, totally understandable. That's not the issue at all.

The first time he pops into the thread is only AFTER the half million dollar sale, and what is his first post? To paraphrase it a bit, "It's a fake reseal, everybody and their uncle knows it". That's it. End of discussion.

That sort of attitude is going to lead to anyone biting back, which led to his final post on the subject.

That being said, he likely had no clue the EA games were sold in Taiwan, nor did he have any clue that EA did their manufacturing here locally, as well as all of the other circumstantial evidence surrounding this game and I origins. 

He had a right to not purchase the game, and he similarly had a right to say he questioned the legitimacy of it, but to pop in and call it a fake, no questions asked, saying everyone knows it, then pops back out again, especially without even knowing half the story? Well that's heartless and terrible, especially when potentially life-altering money is at stake.

 

[jonebone | 1,307]

Ugh I'm not sure why this is still going.

For one, yes I knew Madden was manufactured in Taiwan.  Wata initially called the sealed clamshell versions (which I own), international versions due to Taiwan.  VGA never labeled them as such but Wata later removed that from their labels too.

For two, I never worked for Wata.  I was no more than a friend of the founders and they referenced my likeness on their page.  No different than being a mod on NA or a mod here originally, it doesn't give anymore more clout and it just reflects you being willing to give your time (for free) to help when asked.

And lastly, I followed up my "it's a reseal" with photographic evidenced of the authentic USA sealed verisons confirmed, which this is not.  I said maybe it's some type of distributor seal or Wata could authenticate as "NS" (No Seal), but it's nothing I would touch.  I never wanted to buy and never made an offer because I didn't trust the seal myself.

If you care about finding out a professional opinion, bring it back to the states next time you travel (I wouldn't ship that across borders, customs does open games), pay for it yourself (you almost all of your money back less shipping if it is a reseal) and if it gets authenticated, then congrats and you can send it to an auction house.

You have plenty of resources available so stop playing the woe is me card.  Don't tag me in anymore discussions and be adult here.  Thanks.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

Ugh I'm not sure why this is still going.

Hi jonebone, first of all, thanks for taking the time to respond, I really do appreciate it.  We got off on the wrong foot last time, and the way things were left is likely the reason this is still going. 

I honestly believe that no matter what the truth is, it's important to have open discussions on these topics, for transparency. It's best for every party involved, who knows, maybe some more of these sealed John Maddens will be found, and if they match mine, then at least there's more information, no matter what the outcome, to help inform potential buyers.

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

Wata initially called the sealed clamshell versions (which I own), international versions due to Taiwan.  VGA never labeled them as such but Wata later removed that from their labels too.

This doesn't surprise me too much, as it says "Made in Taiwan" right on the back of the boxes; however, I honestly would be surprised if you (with all due respect) or Wata knew that the games actually were distributed over here, as very, very few have been spotted in shops, and the only other evidence would have been coming from local Taiwanese magazine adverts from the early to mid 90s. 

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

For two, I never worked for Wata.  I was no more than a friend of the founders and they referenced my likeness on their page.  No different than being a mod on NA or a mod here originally, it doesn't give anymore more clout and it just reflects you being willing to give your time (for free) to help when asked.

I don't think this one was aimed at me, but thanks for the clarification anyways.  

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

And lastly, I followed up my "it's a reseal" with photographic evidenced of the authentic USA sealed verisons confirmed, which this is not.

For me, honestly the problem was the wording, followed by the silence for a day before popping back in to add your additional thoughts. As you mentioned yourself, maybe it is a distributor seal or something else, but to just say that it is a reseal and then disappearing for awhile really hurts the legitimacy of my game, and when we are talking possibly four or five figures, I think you can honestly understand why I'd be upset too. 

For example:

"This doesn't look like any seal I've ever seen before for this kind of game; therefore, it might be a reseal, or perhaps it's some unknown variant or distributor seal" looks much better than "It's 100% a reseal. I thought everyone knew that."

 

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

I said maybe it's some type of distributor seal or Wata could authenticate as "NS" (No Seal), but it's nothing I would touch. 

Sure, and that's totally fair. Even going back to my original post, although I don't think the game was ever opened (it doesn't look like it on the seams), I'm not the expert and so I wouldn't ever hold hard feelings towards anyone else not feeling comfortable dropping large amounts of cash towards it.

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

I never wanted to buy and never made an offer because I didn't trust the seal myself.

A totally reasonable thing to do!

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

If you care about finding out a professional opinion, bring it back to the states next time you travel (I wouldn't ship that across borders, customs does open games),

The game is already back in the United States, floating around the midwest somewhere with a trusted source. The day I sent it out (paid $75 to mail the thing, sent it EMS though uninsured with a value of $5 USD) was ironically the same day that I received the message from HA telling me that they would no longer work with me and the game. I actually considered binning the game then and there, but after talking with a friend, still sent it out.

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

pay for it yourself (you almost all of your money back less shipping if it is a reseal)

Well I'm honestly not sure how that is supposed to work as we need to declare an estimated value. If the game is actually a legit seal, surely I can't value it at the lowest tier, yet if it's a reseal fake, then I shouldn't be trying to value it at 10K monies either.

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

and if it gets authenticated, then congrats and you can send it to an auction house.

Well one thing at a time. Tell you what, as a gesture of good will, if it does indeed get authenticated as being a legit version (company seal, variant seal, whatever) I'll give you the first right of refusal on the game before sending it to HA or taking other offers elsewhere.  

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

You have plenty of resources available so stop playing the woe is me card. 

Well I don't feel that I am trying to play the woe is me card, though I've said my piece so I won't comment further.

3 hours ago, jonebone said:

Don't tag me in anymore discussions and be adult here.  Thanks.

Well I think the consistent tagging was in part an attempt to get you back into the thread so that this one can continue to be discussed. You're a smart man, and think you're likely a good guy too, as you've got a family and kids and what not. This thread became a dumpster fire in part due to both of us, but you came back like an adult to clarify a few bits, and so I'll follow suit.

I hope that as things unfold further, you will continue to chime in with your thoughts and opinions, so that we can find out what the truth actually is concerning this game. Similarly, I'm sorry for my bad attitude towards you earlier, the sort of bad energy with this game is even worse than that of the Lord of the Rings ring, hence why I sent it to the States, just to get it out of my sight.

Dave

P.S. Any thoughts on that clamshell Blockout? Does that seal look real to you, or does it look like a reseal / possible unknown variant? Thanks.

[A_Feisty_Pickle | 244]

33 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Well I'm honestly not sure how that is supposed to work as we need to declare an estimated value. If the game is actually a legit seal, surely I can't value it at the lowest tier, yet if it's a reseal fake, then I shouldn't be trying to value it at 10K monies either.

Just commenting as a bystander here, unless they've changed it there's no additional fees for grading if you value your game < $1000. I see this as a "if we lose your game or it gets ran over we'll give you this much money" insurance (although I have heard Wata is not quick to payout claims). I haven't claimed any of my games to be > $1000 when grading them including one I sold for 5 figures. 

Again unless the process has changed, you can submit your game for whatever value you want, they will grade it, if they think it's worth way over $1k they will email you asking for additional money (I think 2% of appraised value). If they deem it resealed I assume by this point they will send it back to you rather than requesting additional money.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

8 minutes ago, A_Feisty_Pickle said:

Just commenting as a bystander here, unless they've changed it there's no additional fees for grading if you value your game < $1000. I see this as a "if we lose your game or it gets ran over we'll give you this much money" insurance (although I have heard Wata is not quick to payout claims). I haven't claimed any of my games to be > $1000 when grading them including one I sold for 5 figures. 

Again unless the process has changed, you can submit your game for whatever value you want, they will grade it, if they think it's worth way over $1k they will email you asking for additional money (I think 2% of appraised value). If they deem it resealed I assume by this point they will send it back to you rather than requesting additional money.

Thanks for the information! It's definitely useful

[ExplodedHamster | 404]

This game is definitely re-sealed. It came only as a vertical overlap, and it should have a plastic hangtab on the back, though that in theory is possible to be removed. It's possible the contents inside are new, and it could grade as a high grade CIB, which is probably worth thousands, perhaps even in the low five figures. Getting this game above even an 8.0 CIB is next to impossible. 9.0 or higher should end up a 5 figure game, whether it's now or in the future. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by ExplodedHamster

[GPX | 1,369]

11 hours ago, ExplodedHamster said:

This game is definitely re-sealed. It came only as a vertical overlap, and it should have a plastic hangtab on the back, though that in theory is possible to be removed. It's possible the contents inside are new, and it could grade as a high grade CIB, which is probably worth thousands, perhaps even in the low five figures. Getting this game above even an 8.0 CIB is next to impossible. 9.0 or higher should end up a 5 figure game, whether it's now or in the future. 

There are 2 angles to look at here:

1. Is this a resealed compared with other counterparts sold in the US/Canada? 

2. Is this a genuine factory sealed as a local Taiwanese sealed variant? 

The answer to question 1 does not give answer to question 2. I don’t claim to know the actual answer here, but I know sealed variants exist from country to country as I regularly see all sorts of sealed variants being from Australia myself.

[ExplodedHamster | 404]

8 hours ago, GPX said:

There are 2 angles to look at here:

1. Is this a resealed compared with other counterparts sold in the US/Canada? 

2. Is this a genuine factory sealed as a local Taiwanese sealed variant? 

The answer to question 1 does not give answer to question 2. I don’t claim to know the actual answer here, but I know sealed variants exist from country to country as I regularly see all sorts of sealed variants being from Australia myself.

Well, worth a shot, I suppose, but I've had similar types of seals for Genesis sent in from abroad and WATA rejected them. Is there anything that distinguishes this from an NTSC copy? Unless it's a documented variant, I don't think it will get certified. 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

42 minutes ago, ExplodedHamster said:

Well, worth a shot, I suppose, but I've had similar types of seals for Genesis sent in from abroad and WATA rejected them. Is there anything that distinguishes this from an NTSC copy? Unless it's a documented variant, I don't think it will get certified. 

Well Taiwan used NTSC format just like Japan or USA or whatever.

The games that you had and sent in, which were rejected. Do you (did you) believe that they were sealed and not resealed? I'd imagine so, if you took the time to send them in, unless you were just looking to get a high CIB grade.

[GPX | 1,369]

12 hours ago, ExplodedHamster said:

Well, worth a shot, I suppose, but I've had similar types of seals for Genesis sent in from abroad and WATA rejected them. Is there anything that distinguishes this from an NTSC copy? Unless it's a documented variant, I don't think it will get certified. 

A grading company rejecting an item does not always imply a reseal. There are some seals, due to its rare variation and little public knowledge, that no grading company is likely to be sure of (regarding legitimacy). 

On the other hand, I agree that if sending it off for grading there is a chance it may get rejected, or might need to be grade as a CIB/NS. 

Just want to also remind fellow sealed collectors here when we’re talking Asian and PAL sealed games, it’s a lot more complicated than meets the eye. So many different countries to sort through, compared with the NTSC counterparts.