inasuma

They had all kinds of weirdness, like HA getting games graded faster than anyone else. It was the wild west over there. Between Haspel grading and selling tons of games and the chief grader getting his own SMB1 matte sticker graded (which got 9.6 overall). Even if he didn't personally assess the grade, the optics are so gross that had I known I probably would have just subbed everything to VGA. lol

As more time has gone on the more memes have been embraced

Idk what’s going on at HA but so many games did well in this weeks gen 6 auction except this one. So naturally I won it. Literally not one sealed copy on eBay right now.

the two PC games i own. im cool i swear. first print and later prints of my fav pc game.

Hey all. This is a mirror of a post on my blog - I hit the upload quota part way through adding photos so you can see the full visual reference there. I have more coming soon for Blue & Yellow, then of course gen 2 and 3 after. I also wrote this guide for early print Red and Green over here, too. Similarly, if you havent already seen it, worth checking out is AdamW's NTSC-U print guide for gen 1-3. I see my post as a sister guide, but large enough to be its own thread. You can also skip straight to the bottom for my Working Theory™ re: parts correlation. I'm expecting this guide to change over the years as more info comes to light from community sources. --- Box Variants First/early prints have large UPC Later prints (mid-1996 onward) have smaller UPC Cartridge Variants Cartridges can be dated with a combination of label code, chip codes, and the PCB date module. Label Codes Label codes have a two or three digit production code on bottom right corner. [source] Earliest Known Early Mid/Late Red 22 00, 20 XXA Green 00 20 XXA A letter suffix in the code (e.g., A) indicates a software patch revision. Red and Green appear to have never had a 2nd revision (B code). There's a report of an M code but it would be weird to have a random M when B or latter never made an appearance in my research. So, for now, disregard that unless you have some proof of its legitimacy. PCB Codes PCBs use gold blocks to indicate dates. Earliest Known Pre-Launch Red Nov. 1995 Jan. 1996 Green Nov. 1995 Jan. 1996 Game Boy chip boards use the below block format, on the back. Dates go from from top right (January) to bottom left (December). The production date is the last un-punched dot. Chip Codes Chip codes use a different date format. Newest code across components is nearest time of production (regardless of Mask ROM date) Parts include CIC, SRAM, battery, and Mask ROM YY = Year, e.g. 96 (1996) WW = Week, e.g. 06 (mid-February) Manual Variants JPN (1996-1999) used until 1999-2000 Codes: DMG-APAJ/APBJ-JPN / G972706 JPN-1 removes G code and changes customer support number Code: DMG-APAJ/APBJ-JPN-1 Inner pages seem to only show the last page as changing. It has a date code for each year it was printed/revised. Known codes (YYMMDD format): No code 970530 980218 990630 001122 Although unconfirmed, there are likely multiple date codes used during a given year. JPN-1 marks the final design used for the manual in 2000. Inserts A useful foreword on inserts: Typically, the Red model code (APAJ) is used for both version's game-specific inserts. This includes the map and some ads. Map One-sided, fold-out All copies have the same code for both Green and Red Codes: DMG-APAJ-JPN / G505910 Postcard Two-sided Postcard included only for launch copies Codes: DMG-APAJ-JPN / G505928 Link Cable Guide One-sided Included during 1996 print runs Survey data indicates inclusion stopped sometime after 1997 Codes: T-DMG-04A-JPN / G502768 Anti-Tampering Notice One-sided Included for mid-production copies starting in 1996 Code: G508989 Cleaning Guide One-sided Included late-production copies (1999+) Coinciding with Pocket Monsters Kin & Gin (Gold and Silver) release Code: DMG-JPN Ads Super Game Boy Accordion fold-out All early copies of Red & Green (Pre-GB Pocket) included this ad Code: T-DMG-APAJ-JPN Game Boy Pocket (early) Accordion fold-out Included for mid-production copies (1996-1997) Code: T-DMG-MGB001-JPN-1 Game Boy Pocket (later) Accordion fold-out Included for mid-production copies (1997-1998) Code: T-DMG-MGB001-JPN-3 Game Boy Camera Accordion fold-out Included for mid-production copies in 1998 Code: T-DMG-MGB006-JPN Game Boy Color Accordion fold-out Included for mid- and late-production copies (1998+) Code: T-DMG-CGB001-JPN-2 Correlated Parts Part combinations apply uniformly between Red and Green. There may still be missing combinations. This is a "best guess" given date codes and approximate time-frame of when the inserts were used, and is based on a large survey of listings on Yahoo! Japan Auctions, Mercari, and eBay. Box Cartridge Manual Inserts/Ads Large UPC* Label codes: 00 (Green) / 22 (Red); Date codes: 9604 - 9606 No code Map, Postcard, Link Cable Guide, Super Game Boy Ad Small UPC Label codes: 00, 20 (Green) / 20 (Red); Date codes: 96XX** No code Same as large UPC; no postcard Small UPC Label codes: XXA; Date codes: 96XX - 97XX No code Map, Anti-Tampering Notice, Game Boy Camera ad, Game Boy Pocket Ad (JPN-1) Small UPC Label codes: XXA; Date codes: 97XX - 98XX 97xxxx Map, Anti-Tampering Notice, Game Boy Camera Ad, Game Boy Pocket Ad (3 code) Small UPC Label codes: XXA; Date codes: 98XX - 99XX 98xxxx - 99xxxx Map, Anti-Tampering Notice, Game Boy Camera Ad, Game Boy Color Ad Small UPC Label codes: XXA - XXM; Date codes: 99XX+ JPN-1 (00xxxx) Map, Cart Cleaning Guide, Game Boy Camera Ad, Game Boy Color ad *There is some anecdotal evidence at launch for small UPCs made in parallel, however large UPCs are guaranteed for first production. **X designation is a placeholder for digits. E.g., XXA could be 00A. --- Credits for info/photos/history: - Mikaifu Collection on Instagram - Thaane in SACK (Sealed and Collectibles Knowledge) Discord server.

From Japan, no stress marks on the flaps as far as I can tell. Pretty sure it's unopened. Been wanting this for ages.

I'm very appreciative of all these companies that keep physical games alive. it makes condition collecting more interesting IMO because most are cardboard too Lately I bought Death's Door from SRG and TUNIC from Fan Gamer. Say what you want about the specific companies but I enjoy this stuff. My all time favorite though is probably Axiom Verge's first release from Indie Box. That thing was dope. One of my all time favorites and I love to own a couple copies for the ol' collection.

Idk how I missed this one first time around. kingdom hearts (all games).

She I’m not sure how to narrow this down. I’m so many genres. some no-brainers right off the bat: shadow of the colossus journey FEZ hyper light drifter Mega man (basically all of them) deaths door tunic baldurs gate 3 im sure I could list 3x more if I looked at my digital library.

No, it’s 100% of the time so long as you know to ask for it if they don’t give it by default. it’s a contractual entitlement at the point of sale - if they don’t give it, then it’s a lawsuit. I’ve also never seen them hold it back.

Cgc credits you the membership fee.

Cgc is the only option if cost is a concern. VGA is 2x more expensive than Wata and now cgc price is $15 cheaper than Watas lowest ($35). I definitely think there’s space to say Wata and vga are great for the really special games, but cgc simply captures the bottom 90% of games that are so cheap it’s simply not reasonable to grade at Wata or vga. Lol

also a decent number of 3DS exclusives that can no longer be downloaded from the shop.

Here you go kids. Go buy your PC version of Spec Ops: The Line for $16 a pop. or PS3 or 360 versions for $120. EDIT: Sorry Tyler I know I'm just repeating what you already said lol

I just bought out 173 copies from eBay and Mercari combined.

Gameye tracking with 163 graded games, and I have about 40-50 cib hanging around in various places (need to consolidate those). very happy with the amount I have, especially as I begin storing them in boxes as prep for remodeling the house.

Latest pickups. Wallet hurts a lil bit but then again when doesn't it with this hobby lol

Totally missed this last year... added. https://www.afew.games/?search=a+link+between+worlds&platform=3DS

hot take but a lot of things, not just games, are like this now. the prevalence of independent sellers on Amazon means their prices will be more akin to something like eBay, but it often feels higher priced for no reason at all.

iPhone 26 pog thanks!

Idk I’ve always been this way. I remember in one of the CQ podcast episodes you or Johnny talked about how people go from full set collecting down to just collecting what they like/specific games. Either I’m going reverse or I’m just a weirdo lol

That’s a really tall phone. I’m curious how will look on iPhones. Haha

sure they do. i know people who do it now. smaller sets like gamecube and wii u seem fun, but i've never seen the appeal, personally. i have no desire to turn my game room into a library that way.

Haven't posted here in a while. most recent pickup I'm very happy to finally own. Now, to find a 9.6 box or manual... lol

I've been thinking about this since I really began collecting, years ago, and I always land back on these two items: - one or two games to keep in my memory - names of both foundations to donate specific games, and auction houses to liquidate the rest realistically none of my surviving family will want to deal with my stuff. giving direct and clear advice on how to deal with it all feels like the right move.