Super Nintendo Chalmers

Speaking from mainly a PAL perspective, agree with the consensus that 2011/2012 is when you really started to see a noticable shift in interest, both within the collecting scenes and mainstream attitudes. And soon after prices and demand increasing as a result. Before this, talking about 7+ years earlier(I've been collecting since 2005), you would see retro stuff generally relegated to the back of stores, shelves and shafted for the newer stuff, with attitudes and prices reflecting that. Lots of layers to the conversation and moving parts which are intertwined. Some of those would be Youtube taking off, raising awareness of retro and driving the attitude that retro was/is cool. The rise of social media, giving people fresh new ways to connect. Plus the more mainstream usage and continued reliance on e-commerce, online shopping, eBay and Gumtree for example, became a bit more ingrained around then, giving us new ways to buy/trade/sell and increasing the awareness of retro. Commercialisation, nostalgia, emulators, mini releases, etc. there's a big melting pot of reasons which created that perfect storm 10 or so years ago. Somewhat similar to Pokemon cards at the moment... And then from there there have been cycles, peaks and all that. Across the board there was slowing in 2018/2019, although Game Boy and Gamecube for example have spiked in recent years.

V Drink Australian Game Boy/Color variants worth a mention: Pretty hard to come by!

Like many, I would always game with family and friends growing up and getting into my teens. Would play the occasional "mainstream" games at the time, be it COD, FIFA,Halo, etc with mates but we would spend just as much time playing Smash Bros Melee/Brawl, Mario Party 1-4, Bomberman, Street Fighter, Metal Slug and many more strong multiplayer titles well after their original releases. Single player games like Donkey Kong Country, Zelda, Banjo-Kazooie, Lost Vikings were others I would replay once every year or so. Having already held a keen interest in retro already, following this I started seriously collecting and actively buying/selling/trading around 2006, got my first job in retail when I was about 15 so had more disposable income at the time than usual There was a local Cash Converters on the way to/from work where I would stop before/after work. That was the beginning and where those foundations were built and then it just evolved from there. Would keep an eye out for other second hand/op shop/thrift stores when out and about as well. Not long after discovered various collector forums, eBay, Gumtree and more places to find stuff and from about 2010 onwards more digital communities like Facebook gaming groups, the old NA,Retro MMGN, etc to converse, buy, sell and trade with other like minded people. Very lucky to have built the bulk of my collection(SNES, N64, GC, GB/C/A and a bit of PS1/PS2) before e-commerce truly taking off and with that increased interest/prices in the retro scene. I've now pivoted over the past few years and am now focusing on certain Game Boy/ Color/Advance games/consoles, expanding my Donkey Kong collection(variants, merch, promo, employee items and anything in between) and any Nintendo promo/advertising items, of which the latter isn't really appreciated as much here in Australia compared to the rest of the world! That can keep prices down! All up it's been an enjoyable ride and a great outlet!

Yeah the Aussie Big/Long box SNES bundles are amazing, they really pop. We also got a DKC Kong Kit as well This is one of the holy grails of Aussie Nintendo retro items, it's even more uncommon than the DK 5 Game Crate and commands $5k+. There have been about 4-5 appear publicly in 10 years. Apparently many don't have the electronic diary included, which were pretty big back in the 90's. There are rumours these were third party and handed out seperately, not included in the box and there were different colours.

Yes, for example many Australian games and consoles within their boxes weren't sold/readily available sealed. There are exceptions, but across the board this was standard. So the contents themselves inside are new, but the box has been opened. They have a seperate process for those new but unsealed games. One of a few reasons why you don't see many Aussie graded games around.

Love the framing job! They really make the ads pop and are pretty unique.

You'll have to do a little digging to find out exactly what was included with certain games. There are so many variables, region, time of release, the title itself, etc. Some games like PAL R-Type 3, Ren and Stimpy Time Warp , Zelda; LTTP(secrets booklet) have unique posters/content only to those titles included. The SNES precaution booklets are standard and also region coded. http://www.obsessedgamers.eu/index.php?1061,en_consumer-information-and-precautions-booklet-frg-eur-noe-fah-nintendo-snes Although not sure if these were region coded, many games came with this poster included: https://twitter.com/coolboxart/status/1117410557655699456 There are a couple of handy specialist SNES collecting groups on Facebook which would be worth joining, SNES Collectors Inner Circle is one. Lots of great information on there and like minded collectors, also if you can search results on the old NA forum that could be worth looking into. Sorry if that all sounds a bit vague, SNES CIB can be tricky to collect for. If you can track down a list of exactly what extra content was included, that would be a great starting point.

I started collecting around 2005-2006, so yeah roughly 15 years give or take. I would always game with family and friends, had a strong association with certain titles and systems (Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros, Halo, GTA, Mega Man, Pokemon and Street Fighter were staples) plus I held onto most of my childhood games, browse certain forums, but I didn't actively collect at the time. So didn't take that next step until.... I got my first job in retail when I was 14-15, around that time so I had more pocket money to spend. Lo and behold a local Cash Converters (basically a pawn shop/second hand store) was near my work so I would bug my Mum or Dad, who was driving, for a quick stop before/after work! Began to build that base and then it just evolved from there. Discovered eBay, Gumtree and more places to find stuff and discovered other digital communities to converse, buy, sell and trade with other like minded people. Australia is a tough market to collect retro in but what hobby doesn't have its challenges

There are a few factors and this is from an Australian Nintendo perspective, the global pandemic has definitely had a hand in boosting demand and with that, prices and values. Animal Crossing, certain Wii titles, the Mini/Classic range, N64 for example, all of which are easily accessible for casual users, which widens the market. Another factor is that certain systems and their games have organically risen in value over the past year or two, eg. Gamecube. which also comes with the added layer of being a very multiplayer friendly library. Game Boy across the board is pretty hot at the moment as well plus N64 titles have bounced back sharply in recent years and again is a multiplayer beast. Pokemon as a series has always held it's value, it's a household name and has a strong casual following. A friend of mine put his original, mint CIB Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow games eBay auction during Pokemon's 20th Anniversary and it wen't close to four figures, which was an anomaly. It was a legit. sale and the transaction was completed. Considering they'd be 150 each tops at the time it was unheard of. Sometimes you'll have those spikes and dips depending on other factors, but at the time that was something else. The common stuff generally rises and falls and like some other cycles this will pass. But there will always be demand for certain items and prices/demand will reflect that. Whether they are truly mint examples of games, legitimately uncommon/rare items or something that is consistently in demand. Lots of variables!

The rumoured FIFA 21 box art looks like it was made in Microsoft Paint. Here is an oddball one:

Thanks all! :)

Hello there, from the land down under Australia!Migrated over from NA and keen to see VGS become the same fantastic resource that NA was!I collect stuff which I owned and played in my childhood. This includes SNES, Game Boy Colour/Advance and Gamecube, bit of PS1. Some sealed stuff and I do like advertising and promotional pieces. I am a big Donkey Kong Country fan and am looking to further collect merchandise and other bits and pieces related to the DKC series! I have an Instagram as well if you would like to check it out/follow: https://www.instagram.com/donkeykong.downunder/ Thanks