General Sealed & Graded Discussion

[tidaldreams | 654]

2 minutes ago, RETRO said:

That's interesting. I didn't get the sense from either the video or any of his follow-up interviews that Karl cared about "tanking the market." Did you? He kept saying in post-video interviews that he just wanted WATA and Heritage to clean up their act and, as to collecting graded games, while he didn't understand it himself, he didn't finally care if others wanted to collect graded games. I think some people mistook his ambitions in that video. Unless I missed something from him that you saw on Twitter or YouTube that I didn't see?

After the video, VGA announced it would release pop reports and CGC said it would release pop reports six months after operations begin, which will put pressure on WATA to match its competitors in that regard. Feels like Karl achieved exactly what he wanted, it's just that results in something as big as this aren't instantaneous?

No, that was a more tongue-in-cheek comment. Though, his followers on reddit seem to think that's what he was going for

 

[Seth | 166]

Oh, got it. Missed the tone on that one.

Agree 100% about the folks on Reddit—they decided (via wishcasting) that Karl was some sort of anti-graded-collecting warrior-zealot when I don't think that's what the evidence shows.

[WalterWhiteJr. | 1,162]

30 minutes ago, tidaldreams said:

Karl Jobst: *tries to tank the graded video game market in an hour-long exposé*

The market:

Wouldn’t call this the market. I would however call it moronic. 

[Dumars2001 | 164]

The Genie is out of the video game collecting bottle. I honestly am starting to think that we are just in the beginning stages of these exuberant prices being fetched these days on the name brand titles (Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, etc), comic related titles, (Spiderman, Marvel, etc.) sport titles, (Jordan vs Bird, TecmoBowl, etc) and the crowd that loves popular fighting/RPG games. The big Heritage Auction that ends in 2 days is going to be a feeding frenzy of cash being spent. Of course there will still be instances like the Atari 2600 Spiderman but most of these games, especially sealed are just not easy to find.

We have comic collectors, card collectors, action figure collectors and so much new blood coming into the hobby now from every possible direction.

When I first started collecting, there were zero grading companies, now there are 5 or 6.

The nostalgia for videogames is what has grabbed all these new collectors into the hobby. Everyone in the world has played video games and most people have very fond memories growing up playing games with their friends, getting a game for their birthday/Christmas, etc. Most of these people didn't even know that people collected video games but now that it has become a main stream hobby, loads of people are jumping in. The numbers/prices don't lie. I used to be more skeptical about it all (prices skyrocketing) but I see stuff selling for thousands every day now on Ebay and FB groups, various auction houses, private sales, etc)

It seems the hobby is really split in 2 halves now for whatever reason and I am afraid that is just how it is going to be going forward. I don't ever see prices coming down for the vast majority of this stuff but I can still see stuff going much higher in price/value. I would love for every type of collector to get along/respect other collectors, but it obviously isn't going to happen anytime soon. I see alot of the same stuff (bickering between collectors)on the sports card and action figure forums that I am also a member on, so I am used to it but it still is sad to see. Just my humble opinion. Happy collecting to all of you!

Edited October 27, 2021 by Dumars2001

[Dumars2001 | 164]

Things are going up in price across all spectrums of collectibles (especially sealed & graded) these days. Take a look at some of the ending prices of graded VHS sealed movies in LCG's latest auction that ended a couple days ago. One example is a graded VHS Return of the Jedi video selling for $14,656! Crazy crazy times in the world of collecting for just about anything, especially pop culture.

https://auction.lcgauctions.com/Lots/Gallery

Edited October 27, 2021 by Dumars2001

[Gulag Joe | 582]

1 hour ago, Dumars2001 said:

Things are going up in price across all spectrums of collectibles (especially sealed & graded) these days. Take a look at some of the ending prices of graded VHS sealed movies in LCG's latest auction that ended a couple days ago. One example is a graded VHS Return of the Jedi video selling for $14,656! Crazy crazy times in the world of collecting for just about anything, especially pop culture.

https://auction.lcgauctions.com/Lots/Gallery

It's neat that VGA is grading VHS, but in this auction, their prices don't fetch as high of a premium as IGS does on ebay. Though, the lower prices on some of these might be because of the auction platform used, and that many of these were not first press.

[tidaldreams | 654]

4 hours ago, Dumars2001 said:

Things are going up in price across all spectrums of collectibles (especially sealed & graded) these days. Take a look at some of the ending prices of graded VHS sealed movies in LCG's latest auction that ended a couple days ago. One example is a graded VHS Return of the Jedi video selling for $14,656! Crazy crazy times in the world of collecting for just about anything, especially pop culture.

https://auction.lcgauctions.com/Lots/Gallery

Wow, some of these toy prices seem insane to me. I'll admit i know nothing about toys, but if this is what they sell for then video games (especially the mid tier stuff) still have tons of upward potential

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

Sorry if I missed it. Was this posted somewhere? This is a """""new""""" copy of the game and only the cart is graded (95! Wow! R@RE!). In a ridiculous 3 years, this is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've seen yet, prices aside.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165151718890

 

[tidaldreams | 654]

2 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

Sorry if I missed it. Was this posted somewhere? This is a """""new""""" copy of the game and only the cart is graded (95! Wow! R@RE!). In a ridiculous 3 years, this is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've seen yet, prices aside.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165151718890

 

Lolwat, so basically it's a CIB copy (but they left the shrinkwrap on the box so you gotta be careful), but they only graded the cart for some reason and also decided it was a good idea to remove it from the box??? Or is it just like a random second cartridge, lol.

[OptOut | 8,883]

2 hours ago, tidaldreams said:

Lolwat, so basically it's a CIB copy (but they left the shrinkwrap on the box so you gotta be careful), but they only graded the cart for some reason and also decided it was a good idea to remove it from the box??? Or is it just like a random second cartridge, lol.

The listing says the seal was opened, so I am presuming they unsealed the game and took it out of the box? Or perhaps the game was already unsealed?

V. confused, obviously there's some funny business going on, no way anyone would unseal a good copy of OoT to do... Whatever the fuck that is to it! 

[GPX | 1,369]

2 hours ago, OptOut said:

The listing says the seal was opened, so I am presuming they unsealed the game and took it out of the box? Or perhaps the game was already unsealed?

V. confused, obviously there's some funny business going on, no way anyone would unseal a good copy of OoT to do... Whatever the fuck that is to it! 

I think it’s a cheap ploy to get a high grade (for the cart), seeing that it was unlikely to grade highly as a sealed game. Not sure the seller going through all that effort has actually impressed anyone?

[OptOut | 8,883]

2 hours ago, GPX said:

I think it’s a cheap ploy to get a high grade (for the cart), seeing that it was unlikely to grade highly as a sealed game. Not sure the seller going through all that effort has actually impressed anyone?

That makes it all the more confusing, tbh... Surely even the lowest graded sealed OoT would beat out the highest graded cart? The seal that DOES remain on the box looks fine from a cursory glance anyway?

Whomever is responsible for this is a huge tool, lol!

[Gulag Joe | 582]

4 hours ago, OptOut said:

That makes it all the more confusing, tbh... Surely even the lowest graded sealed OoT would beat out the highest graded cart? The seal that DOES remain on the box looks fine from a cursory glance anyway?

Whomever is responsible for this is a huge tool, lol!

bUt ItS a 1/1!

[inasuma | 1,203]

On 10/26/2021 at 8:45 PM, RETRO said:

Oh, got it. Missed the tone on that one.

Agree 100% about the folks on Reddit—they decided (via wishcasting) that Karl was some sort of anti-graded-collecting warrior-zealot when I don't think that's what the evidence shows.

One thing Karl deserves massive credit for is that after talking with folks in the sealed community, he admits he was wrong to frame things certain ways and should have dipped more into understanding sealed collectors better (his interview with drob and minusworlds was a great interview, I recommend watching).

Also, I like the descriptor `anti-graded-collecting warrior-zealot` lol

[inasuma | 1,203]

On 10/27/2021 at 1:41 AM, Dumars2001 said:

The Genie is out of the video game collecting bottle. I honestly am starting to think that we are just in the beginning stages of these exuberant prices being fetched these days on the name brand titles (Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, etc), comic related titles, (Spiderman, Marvel, etc.) sport titles, (Jordan vs Bird, TecmoBowl, etc) and the crowd that loves popular fighting/RPG games. The big Heritage Auction that ends in 2 days is going to be a feeding frenzy of cash being spent. Of course there will still be instances like the Atari 2600 Spiderman but most of these games, especially sealed are just not easy to find.

My body is ready.

I own a fair chunk of sealed pokemans so this would be fun.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:04 PM, DefaultGen said:

Sorry if I missed it. Was this posted somewhere? This is a """""new""""" copy of the game and only the cart is graded (95! Wow! R@RE!). In a ridiculous 3 years, this is seriously one of the most ridiculous things I've seen yet, prices aside.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165151718890

 

There are constantly people in the Wata groups asking around for a mint condition manual, game or box because their scored all 9s except for one piece that got a 8.5. If they can replace just this one piece, they'll have a 9.4 overall grade and sales like this are a perfect way to attract those buyers. With a 95 graded cartridge, anyone trying to upgrade their overall grade will want this cartridge and probably pay quite a lot for it.

Edited October 29, 2021 by Code Monkey

[OptOut | 8,883]

5 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

There are constantly people in the Wata groups asking around for a mint condition manual, game or box because their scored all 9s except for one piece that got a 8.5. If they can replace just this one piece, they'll have a 9.4 overall grade and sales like this are a perfect way to attract those buyers. With a 95 graded cartridge, anyone trying to upgrade their overall grade will want this cartridge and probably pay quite a lot for it.

Yeah, but would those sort of buyers be willing to pay more for the 95 cart than some other group of buyers would be willing to pay for a lower graded sealed copy?

I don't think it makes economic sense to open a sealed game to grade a loose cart, no matter which way you slice it.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

Just now, OptOut said:

Yeah, but would those sort of buyers be willing to pay more for the 95 cart than some other group of buyers would be willing to pay for a lower graded sealed copy?

I don't think it makes economic sense to open a sealed game to grade a loose cart, no matter which way you slice it.

It could have already been opened or mostly opened. I have a Golgo 13 with the wrap barely hanging on but it's still sealed. It's wearing a cellophane toga.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

On 10/27/2021 at 1:41 AM, Dumars2001 said:

I would love for every type of collector to get along/respect other collectors, but it obviously isn't going to happen anytime soon. I see alot of the same stuff (bickering between collectors)on the sports card and action figure forums that I am also a member on, so I am used to it but it still is sad to see. Just my humble opinion.

To be honest, and not to pick on any members (active or otherwise), but the reality you brought up is tied to the reason why I gave up on a lot of collecting-based goals. Including Dragon Quest. And why I am giving up on my Star Wars "focus" goals in hopes of boosting my business start-up goal before that turns 10 years old. 

On 10/27/2021 at 5:31 AM, Dumars2001 said:

Things are going up in price across all spectrums of collectibles (especially sealed & graded) these days. Take a look at some of the ending prices of graded VHS sealed movies in LCG's latest auction that ended a couple days ago. One example is a graded VHS Return of the Jedi video selling for $14,656! Crazy crazy times in the world of collecting for just about anything, especially pop culture.

https://auction.lcgauctions.com/Lots/Gallery

That is one of the examples on why I am giving up on that 'focus' fueled goal! At best it has me avoid the non-standard cardback stuff, and the exclusive multi-packs. But in the end, the excuses people are given for any reason have me wonder what could happen if I missed another chance to get something that fits my focus. Especially when 2022 has me hoping that I will have the incentive to kickstart my business goals before that turns 10 in 2023. 

 

[Dumars2001 | 164]

41 minutes ago, FenrirZero said:

To be honest, and not to pick on any members (active or otherwise), but the reality you brought up is tied to the reason why I gave up on a lot of collecting-based goals. Including Dragon Quest. And why I am giving up on my Star Wars "focus" goals in hopes of boosting my business start-up goal before that turns 10 years old. 

That is one of the examples on why I am giving up on that 'focus' fueled goal! At best it has me avoid the non-standard cardback stuff, and the exclusive multi-packs. But in the end, the excuses people are given for any reason have me wonder what could happen if I missed another chance to get something that fits my focus. Especially when 2022 has me hoping that I will have the incentive to kickstart my business goals before that turns 10 in 2023. 

 

I feel your pain! It really seems like everything is going up in price. Just try to collect what makes you happy and what you can afford:). That is my approach these days. It is just unreal what has happened to just about every hobby.

Get ready for "The Show, aka Heritage Auction's Signature" to begin in a few hours!

Edited October 29, 2021 by Dumars2001

[OptOut | 8,883]

10 minutes ago, Dumars2001 said:

I feel your pain! It really seems like everything is going up in price. Just try to collect what makes you happy and what you can afford:). That is my approach these days. It is just unreal what has happened to just about every hobby.

Get ready for "The Show, aka Heritage Auction's Signature" to begin in a few hours!

I must be one of the few people who truly HASN'T been effected by price rises in the retro gaming/collecting hobby.

I basically completed the bulk of my PAL N64 set and picked up the US exclusives I needed a couple years back before the recent price hikes, and almost everything else I'm collecting these days is either Taiwan/Japanese versions that haven't really gone up, or stuff that is just plain cheap anyway, like OG XBOX and 360 games...

 

I do feel for people who live in the US or specifically want US releases of various games, but man I'm glad I never needed to even think about that! I DO however find it odd that the US versions have become the DEFACTO versions of games that anybody seems to care about though?

I can understand why AMERICAN collectors and Canadian collectors might think this way, but for international collectors I don't really understand why some of these types may specifically fetishize the US versions. It's definitely not something I have ever thought about as more authentic or genuine than the PAL games I grew up with in UK, or the NTSC-J and Taiwan versions of games I collect nowerdays. If I see the ESRB label on a game, it looks FOREIGN to me, from my perspective at least.

[Brickman | 3,983]

6 minutes ago, OptOut said:

I can understand why AMERICAN collectors and Canadian collectors might think this way, but for international collectors I don't really understand why some of these types may specifically fetishize the US versions. It's definitely not something I have ever thought about as more authentic or genuine than the PAL games I grew up with in UK, or the NTSC-J and Taiwan versions of games I collect nowerdays. If I see the ESRB label on a game, it looks FOREIGN to me, from my perspective at least.

I agree but can also see why some people might want the US version even if they live in a PAL territory. If they are collecting to relive their youth they’ll probably stick with the PAL but if they’re wanting it to play the best version the US is the way to go because of the 50hz issue. The majority of people I know collect PAL releases though and have no interest in the US stuff.

I’d never touch those ugly US SNES carts or console though, what an ugly piece of junk haha.

[OptOut | 8,883]

1 minute ago, Shmup said:

I agree but can also see why some people might want the US version even if they live in a PAL territory. If they are collecting to relive their youth they’ll probably stick with the PAL but if they’re wanting it to play the best version the US is the way to go because of the 50hz issue.

This is true, to an extent, particularly for earlier generations where games were not properly optimised for PAL in some cases. Although, now having access to both NTSC and PAL versions of games, in most cases I really can't tell the difference, personally. 

For example, I play games like Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64 and F-Zero X in both the PAL and NTSC formats, and honestly I can't really tell the difference. I am aware there IS a difference like, technically because I've read about it and seen the side-by-sides, but when I'm playing I just don't feel it.

Obviously for games that are COMPLETELY unoptimized, like the PAL version of Sonic the Hedgehog for example, yeah now there you can tell the difference, obviously. But I mean I can play the Japanese version of that, I don't need to specifically track down the US version. 

I would only ever consider purchasing the US version of a game if it was only released in that territory, or the Japanese version had too much text to make playing it possible, so you would of course then need the US version unless you grab a ROM from somewhere.

10 minutes ago, Shmup said:

I’d never touch those ugly US SNES carts or console though, what an ugly piece of junk haha.

[Brickman | 3,983]

2 hours ago, OptOut said:

This is true, to an extent, particularly for earlier generations where games were not properly optimised for PAL in some cases. Although, now having access to both NTSC and PAL versions of games, in most cases I really can't tell the difference, personally. 

For example, I play games like Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64 and F-Zero X in both the PAL and NTSC formats, and honestly I can't really tell the difference. I am aware there IS a difference like, technically because I've read about it and seen the side-by-sides, but when I'm playing I just don't feel it.

Obviously for games that are COMPLETELY unoptimized, like the PAL version of Sonic the Hedgehog for example, yeah now there you can tell the difference, obviously. But I mean I can play the Japanese version of that, I don't need to specifically track down the US version. 

I would only ever consider purchasing the US version of a game if it was only released in that territory, or the Japanese version had too much text to make playing it possible, so you would of course then need the US version unless you grab a ROM from somewhere.

I agree 100% and I think a lot of PAL collectors feel the same way so don’t bother with the NTSC version.

Sucks if you’re buying US stuff but I’m like you, mainly buy Japanese and PAL games, so a lot of these crazy prices haven’t really effected me either. Sure they have increased but you can still pickup a large amount of the 8-64bit library at a reasonable price.

[Dumars2001 | 164]

5 hours ago, OptOut said:

I must be one of the few people who truly HASN'T been effected by price rises in the retro gaming/collecting hobby.

I basically completed the bulk of my PAL N64 set and picked up the US exclusives I needed a couple years back before the recent price hikes, and almost everything else I'm collecting these days is either Taiwan/Japanese versions that haven't really gone up, or stuff that is just plain cheap anyway, like OG XBOX and 360 games...

 

I do feel for people who live in the US or specifically want US releases of various games, but man I'm glad I never needed to even think about that! I DO however find it odd that the US versions have become the DEFACTO versions of games that anybody seems to care about though?

I can understand why AMERICAN collectors and Canadian collectors might think this way, but for international collectors I don't really understand why some of these types may specifically fetishize the US versions. It's definitely not something I have ever thought about as more authentic or genuine than the PAL games I grew up with in UK, or the NTSC-J and Taiwan versions of games I collect nowerdays. If I see the ESRB label on a game, it looks FOREIGN to me, from my perspective at least.

I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing non-USA released games also start going way up in price. I am sure that they have went up already, but nothing compared to the NTSC boom, but I can see collectors going after a lot of the Japanese versions of Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, etc. It will be interesting to watch that market. Congrats on your awesome PAL N64 collection!

Edited October 29, 2021 by Dumars2001