inasuma

23 hours ago, RH said:

Well there's a flip-side to that coin.  I still consider myself "new" to this crowd because I joined Nintendo Age in 2016!

When you have been collecting games for so long that you could remember getting a Stadium Events for $300 and just about any other sealed title for no more than $200, it's hard to believe these jaw-dropping prices because for so long, there might have been a few collectors around with deep pockets, there were never people around that could consistently drop higher-five-figure amounts on anything.

You kind of get sticker-shock when you see that much money floating around a hobby that hasn't been that way for the prior 20 years.  I imagine that's the shock because even I feel that way from doing this for about 8 years now.

That's fair. For me, it's mainly about how after this many years since the 2021 HA sigs, most prices don't shock me. lol

Also, recognizing just how stinking rare these games are. 6 copies of this game, for instance? Might as well throw at a dart board for its final price. lol

I’m surprised that on a forum about game collecting that there’s this much confusion about a sealed game in this print with only 2-3 known copies in existence.

edit: apparently there’s 6 copies lol

i only have three graded pogermans left. 

also there is def a subforum for sealed/graded. idk if that applies to show off threads though.

either way, here's my loot.

acceptance of collector preferences. The toxicity around sealed games is still potent in some communities (thankfully it’s pretty tame here). The reality is finding a sealed game is difficult. Are there scams / fakes? Yes. I don’t think that negates how desirable authentic copies of old sealed games are.

I bought a Majesco print Mega Man X at the height of the boom in 2021. Yikes.

I’ve always been more of a franchise collector more so than a console collector, and having done that (and more), I like that I’m in a position where I can occasionally upgrade and sell duplicates as it becomes relevant to my interests. :)

On 3/16/2024 at 10:58 AM, GPX said:

Also the big thing for me from the recent news, is that they were grading games from their own staff or board members, while making the claim they were too busy to keep up with the customer’s demands and hence the long waiting times. 

 

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]

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.

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.

*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. 

3 hours ago, retro.magnus said:

Only sometimes I had to reach out twice for it to properly apply.

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.

On 1/24/2024 at 2:04 PM, retro.magnus said:

There are examples of this from all grading companies, unfortunately.

Another thing I forgot to note with CGC is you have to pay for a yearly subscription, so if you submit a chunk of games it ends up being cheaper than WATA, but if you only have a handful WATA will be cheaper. 

EDIT: NVM, they just announced price & membership changes lol. 

Cgc credits you the membership fee.

On 1/20/2024 at 1:09 PM, Fleck586 said:

I assume Wata is still the go-to, but man! I just looked at pricing and it's going to cost a small fortune to grade what I have ready. Are there any sales they run that I should look out for? Are the alternatives worth looking into?

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

1 hour ago, RH said:

Didn’t this also happen to DuckTales Remaster?

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

On 5/10/2023 at 3:30 PM, YOURTURN said:

The list is missing the "81562C" variant when it comes to the Canadian print variant of A Link Between Worlds.

It's a print variant that I bought on eBay through a Canadian seller. But I ended up selling it because the copy of Tri Force Heroes I also bought from the same seller was in rough-ish shape.

Totally missed this last year... added.

https://www.afew.games/?search=a+link+between+worlds&platform=3DS

10 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

No one really buys used games on Amazon anyways that I am aware. They are always more expensive than on eBay. 

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.