ProtonX

Some of us here are crazy enough to buy in mass quantities and whole collections.

That looks nice

Yeah- I just looked at the back of these cards. No code or place to scratch one.

I’ve personally never bought any at a store- which is now kinda ironic. I would assume they are like gift cards that until they are rung up are blanks without anything loaded on them. Someone else may need to comment on this- but they may actually just be placeholders and the actual code ends up on your receipt. I’m not sure.

Yeah- these are inactive packs. Sorry if that was unclear. Right now they are just plastic that is sealed. I didn’t pay anywhere remotely near the market value of them active- more like a few cents each. At the moment I don’t think they have a ton of value- but maybe they will someday be considered like vidpro cards…

Typically these are individually in stores and inactive until used at the register. These are sealed packs of 10-20. I just tool photos of the main ones. Ironically Hollow Knight is the only one that doesn’t end in .99 cents. I’m sure given enough time these may have some value… maybe. Any ideas at the moment?

Agreed- ironically the clear coating is all there, but the under layers were stuck quite hard. I’ve transplanted many DS (fixing cut field destroyed games) labels and I think the biggest factor is the label condition. Whenever scratches or added pressure is put on the label- it bonds it more to the plastic. If it’s a minty almost new label- 90% of the time they come off super clean and easy. I’ll keep trying with unsalvageable fronts as I get them- and see over time what works best.

Attempt Number 2 did not go nearly as well. The shell was unusable as the board would fall out partly. So- it’s better than before, but the label didn’t all make it. I did try using heat, but it was still not coming well.

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Yep- just slow peeling and a razor blade. I do think heat would help some, but might actually cause it to stretch more. I might try it again on another destroyed cart. I did have to use a glue stick, as the glue was compromised from holding the label and peeling.

Now- as a general rule of thumb this is a bad idea to do. I would not do this on any game of any significant value. However, I was an intrigued at the idea of if I could do this. Fortunately I had a perfect game shell to use. The tecmo bowl was essentially junk with then entire side broken and missing a few pieces. The label was decent but not great, and after peeling (which stretched some parts of the label) and using a razor blade anytime it was starting to tear- I was able to remove the label. I didn’t have any great fronts to use, so I used a no label damaged anticipation. I sanded down the front for a rough surface for the glue to adhere to. Turned out better than I expected- and is now a playable copy for someone else.

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Authentic Jack Bros. Tested working. It has a little front label damage, but otherwise clean looking. $675 PayPal shipped in the US.

The only thing I really miss from NA other than years of messages was the feedback system, plus I feel that there was always new items on forum for sale each day. Overall- VGS has been awesome!

I agree- I was hoping for some ideas for a printing option. That would be closest to what was originally there. The only other option I could think of was creating stencils that overlay for painting. One for red, one for black and one for white. However, I don’t have the ability to make those either. Although I could envision there being a market for someone to buy and repaint these. So many of the genuine ones look really bad.

Needing some ideas and help on this one. I have a genuine GBA SP Pikachu edition with a really scratched top. I don’t want to replace the top with a knock off (genuine ones are a glossy feel and the fakes are a textured matte). Any ideas on how it could be restored or repainted? I searched online and couldn’t find anything. I’ve always wanted one of these and can’t bring myself to spend hundreds for a pristine one.

Typically with anything I need to be careful with I throw them in my ultrasonic with a little dish soap, then clean them up with an electric toothbrush after.

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Also- you can use a flashlight to look at the traces by the board. It doesn’t always work for spotting bad traces- but usually a break occurs at the pin connection or right where the plastic shells rubs against the PCB. The tried and true method especially on such a small board is just continuity testing with a multimeter. By the way- what game is it?

Sometimes a console can look so much better after just some cleaning. What do you use to clean consoles? Personally I use Zep Formula 50 RTU- it’s like a more powerful 409 along with knock off magic erasers. Here was what it did today- and yes I only cleaned 1/2 for the photo.

I use this cheap one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/282725692532?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=MyfyUymTTg-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=lJ_nzwIbTAi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY The heater isn’t great (sometime it can take an hour to get warm). However i use it quite a bit and it seems to work. I typically just throw whatever I need to clean and let it sit while it warms up. Sometimes I still need to use an electric toothbrush afterwards to clean some deep grooves, but it’s gets most loose junk off. And I use it with Palmolive soap. But I’m mostly cleaning controllers and plastic pieces.

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Nice

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These are from a board only lot and I’m thinking they are fakes- but I’m not 100% sure. No wires, and the chips have game codes on them. I don’t have a copy myself to compare the board to, but it didn’t quite match what I found online. The chips are rounded and a different texture than most. The printing is faded. The solder joints on the back are not original, but that isn’t unusual as older games sometime are repaired or transplanted. What are your thoughts? Legit or fake?