jonebone

Happy Holidays to all! I hope 2019 has been good to you as 2020 approaches. I have a random mystery box for someone... Nothing too extravagant, but lots of random odds and ends, carts, boxes, manuals, promo things, etc. and maybe $80-$100 in value. Free giveaway! To enter: 1 - Be a VGS member with a join date before today. 2 - Have a shipping address in the USA or Canada. 3 - Post in this thread with a Christmas gaming story! As short or as long as you like! 4 - 1 Entry per person. I'm not sure of the exact time of the draw, but I'll close entries at 12PM EST time on this Sunday December 22nd or after 100 entries, whichever comes first. I'll do the draw sometime that afternoon or evening. I'll assign everyone a number and do a simple randomized number from Random.Org and post the screenshot. I think that should cover it, feel free to ask any questions? My Story: Christmas of 1996. N64 came out that year but I asked for a PS1 at Christmas. I heard the N64s were selling out everywhere, and while Mario seemed pretty fun at the Blockbuster where I played it, I was willing to give Sony a chance. A friend had Twisted Metal and a PS1 and I enjoyed playing that at his house. Low and behold, I woke up to an N64 and Mario 64 on Xmas. It was a state of bewilderment. I was mentally prepared for PS1 and that's what I put on my Xmas list. Yet I quickly got over it as I hooked up the N64 and Mario in the living room... something I had never been allowed to do (consoles were always on the TV in my room). Thoroughly enjoyed it all Winter break from school and never looked back. Great memory I'll always have! Share your stories and Happy Holidays VGS!

Digiorno... but only in stuffed crust. Need stuffed crust for my frozen pizza...

1) Street Fighter II 2) New Super Mario Bros (Wii / Switch / etc.) 3) Mario Party Series 4) Pick your favorite FPS?

Depends on the dollar and magnitude of the situation. If it's cheap I let it go or if the damage is subtle I generally let it go. But if it is high dollar and a premium was paid for Mint, then I would voice my concerns if there was unmentioned damage.

Probably closer to 1, just did the math. I drink about 8 16.9 oz water bottles a day (continually refill it) which is 135.2 ounces and a gallon is 128. It's really not that much once you're used to it, I've done it as long as I can remember at this point.

$1M? Don't believe the hype. I agree with a $50-$100k value maybe, if that even. If it does beyond that I would be very impressed. I suppose anything is possible but it seems like marketing hype.

Many big sellers have at least one buying account or multiple buying accounts.

Well the Wata cases are designed to be tamper proof. I assume if they get it back and the anti tamper locks are in place, then they know that the grades are as on the case and no need for regrade. Hence why the recase fee is cheaper than grading. CIB does have to be cart, box and manual but Wata still grades loose carts. They arent grading loose boxes or manuals though. In this case if you had a graded cart only and a graded CIB with matching cart variations, then I don't see anything preventing someone from requesting the swap.

That's cjmarq aka 2brothersgames. Hell have it up anywhere from 299 to 499 as my guess.

This year grandma in laws on Monday 23rd, mother in laws on Xmas Eve and then our house Xmas morning with my parents coming by around noon. Love this time of year but all of the gifts (both receiving and buying) are a bit much!

I haven't done it specifically but yes, if I owned two graded CIB Wata games of the same title, I would definitely send them in to marry the best parts and sell the downgrade. As to the logistics of how that works, no idea. Population reports always get complicated when multiple grading companies are in the scene. Take cards, you have BGS / PSA and SGC as the 3 main ones. There are all sorts of cards that get crossed over and you have no idea of knowing which are unique cards or which ones show up 2 (or 3) times because they were crossed over. Also, I'm not sure if you'd be charged just 2 recase fees or regrading fees or how it would work. Finding a loose cart that would grade above a 9.0 (as bought raw from eBay) would be a needle in a haystack type effort I'd imagine. At the 9.0 level or higher you'd almost have to buy another CIB with a lightly handled cart. Carts that are sold and traded loose always have wear in my experiences.

Ah, I had it confused with the cart then. The cart variant does not exist in black, just the manual. I knew it was one of them!

I don't think there is a black hollywood squares manual. Unless you are referring to a specific -variant or something? Not a stark difference like the black / blue box though.

Welcome to the site!

If anyone is serious about simple life improvements that can go a long way: 1) Cut out all juices and soda. Drink lots and lots of water. I drink 1-2 gallons a day, but I have a desk job so bathroom breaks aren't a big deal. 2) Move around as much as possible. Some people don't have time for "exercise" and that's fine. But every step matters. Take the stairs, skip the elevator. Walk your pet around the neighboorhood, or just walk yourself. You don't have to run a mile or lift weights to get some simple light-hearted exercise. 3) Eat in moderation. You don't need to change your diet to lose weight initally. You can just portion control. If you eat a full pizza everyday then just try dialing it back to 6 out of 8 slices. Eat slower and taste the food. Losing initial weight is easy with simple lifestyle tweaks. Total body alternations are definitely a way of life commitment though. You don't need that level of detail to just be a bit healthier though.

I do push pull split myself, mon tues thurs fri with Wed as rest. When my kids were in the baby phase there would be lots of 2 or 3 day weeks instead of 4, but once they're sleeping I was able to get back in the groove. In and out in 45 mins but I keep the socializing in check. Its doable just gotta get back in the groove...

When you open a sealed game you cause damage that is easily detectable. Wata and VGA both would refuse to grade a game that had been opened. In terms of brand new and never opened but resealed, they would grade that as sealed NS (no seal).

4 days a week of weights, sometimes Saturday morning too. Sunday morning basketball scheduled weekly... though realistically I've been doing about every other week at this point. If you don't have time to exercise then you have to watch what you eat. Ideally you have to do both but if you only focus on one you can generally get away without doing the other.

I never had the FOMO feeling myself. It's a hobby that is supposed to give you enjoyment, just treat it as such. If you have some money spend it, if you don't then wait. There's plenty of games out there and you'll always find something worth playing or collecting in your budget when you have one.

Glad to see you make it over here!

I was a kid growing up in the 80s and early 90s with no interest in comics. That was the point I made there. Also my post was just speaking to what I've noticed as a parent in general. I wasnt philosophizing about what my girl likes as the next big collectible. I think we're talking past each other at this point, not the direction I intended to take the conversation. No worries.

I'm 35 (born 84) and didnt know anyone who really collected comics as a kid. It was mostly sports cards in the early 90s from my anecdotal experience. You mentioned kids and screentime in another post, but screentime is more than games. Its youtube and watching other kids play with their toys and games. I believe this was also the first year that more than 50% of video game sales were digital vs. physical so kids born 10 years from now likely won't even comprehend how games were sold as physical products. Last point, I see cards as a much more logical parallel than comics. My daughter, age 5, brings home a different Pokemon card from school everyday. Those kids all have em it seems. Even though I was big into N64 I missed the whole Pokemon craze. I bet that line begins with those born in 87/88 or laterms (roughly), but that is a much more clear and logical parallel. Kids might not read but they sure do play collectible trading games with their peers.

Sealed multiple is title specific and print specific too. I like rules of thumb a lot as a general estimate but it's simply too broad to quote a CIB to Sealed multiplier as a rule of thumb.

That was an obvious reseal. It would have been gone in minutes otherwise.

Xbox has lost me I think. I was an Xbox guy over PS2, then X360 over PS3 but this generation I've enjoyed the PS4 much more than my Xbox One. I'm pretty sure I'll be going PS5 at launch but time will tell I suppose.