Nintendo Collecting Tips
Being a big Nintendo fan, I decided to compile a list of
collecting tips for the Nintendo. This system is quite different from the classic
systems when it comes to collecting. So I felt it needed its own section.
1) The Nintendo rarity list that I have on the site was done by
someone else and I disagree with much of it. I do think it is a very good list and
alot of hard work went into it, but there are some questionable ratings. First and
foremost, I believe the only games that deserve an A+ rating are the Panesian adult games.
The Camerica games should be an A- rating, some even as low as a B+. These
were games that were sold in very large quantities on Home Shopping Club!
2. Unlike classic systems, the quality of the game is much more
reflective in the price of the game. Some very rare games will not command as much
as a not so rare, but very good playing game. Final Fantasy, a fairly common game,
will sell easily for $20-$30 complete and in nice shape, while many games that are much
rarer will have more trouble trying to get the same price. Where Atari games are
rated more on scarcity, the Nintendo is based more on quality.
3. While Nintendo games may seem plentiful now, boxed ones are
getting harder and harder to find. This is probably the last game system where
people discarded the boxes so frequently. From my estimation, there are about one
boxed Nintendo game for every 15 loose games. This was based on a study I did over a
two month period going to garage sales, flea markets, used game and thrift stores.
4. Certain genres garner more interest and others less.
Here are some types of games that are more highly sought and will command a higher price.
1. Role Playing
Games (Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, etc...)
2. Koei simulation games (Gengis Khan,
etc...)
3. Classic arcade games (Donkey Kong
Classics, Qix)
4. Continuing series (Castlevania,
Megaman, etc...)
5. Games based on popular properties (Star
Wars, Disney)
Here are some genres that are not very popular.
1. Sports Games
(except Baseball Stars and Tecmo Football)
2. Games based on fad properties (Ninja
Turtles)
3. Card and gambling games.
5. While there are no super expensive games for the Nintendo
(highest non prototype being about $150.00 boxed), there are also almost no real cheap
games either. Besides Super Mario, Super Mario/Duck Hunt, Duck Hunt, all Nintendo
games go for at least $2.00-$3.00 each loose. Unlike Atari, where there are quite a
few games that are worth a $1.00 or less (aka:Combat, Pacman, ET, Asteroids, etc...).
6. Unlike Atari games, you can still find about 40-60% of the
Nintendo games at used game stores and flea markets. Prices are dropping with the
average price now being around $3.00. They may or may not drop next year as Nintendo
games are starting to bottom out. I would use the next couple years to build up your
collection because the surplus of games now will be evaporating soon! I can remember
when Atari games were everywhere and now they are much harder to find. It will
happen to Nintendo too!
7. If you are a serious Nintendo game player, you must get a
top loading Nintendo. It will set you back about $50.00, but it is worth every
penny!
8. A good way to break down the Nintendo rarity list to match
the classic game lists is as follows:
A+ to A rating would be equal to an ER
classic game.
A- to B+ rating would be equal to a Rare or lower level ER.
B to B- rating would be equal to a Uncommon or lower level Rare.
C+ to C rating would be equal to a lower level Uncommon.
C- to F rating would be equal to a common.
9. Multicarts do not have any real collector value. They
were made in abundance overseas and as one collector who frequently visits Japan told me
"They are as plentiful over there as Super Mario 3 is over here (for anyone who
doesn't know, Super Mario 3 is the biggest selling game of all time, over 8 million copies
sold in the USA alone).
While they aren't a worthwhile investment (not that games
should ever be considered an investment), they are great additions to a collection.
It gives you an opportunity to play some games that were never released in the
states. Great classics like Space Invaders, Pooyan and Arabian, lots of shooters and
other odd games. When purchasing a multicart, you could pay about a $1.00-$2.00 per
game for the games you actually want on the cart. If you get a 76-in1 cart, there
may only be 20 games on the cart you actually want. So you should pay about
$20.00-$40.00 for it.
Also keep in mind that many multicarts are made up of only a
few games. It may say 1000 games, but it is actually 10 games with 100 versions of
each game. Most are nothing more than the character being a different color or the
game being a little faster. Try to get an accurate list of the games on the cart.
One last thing to keep in mind is some multicarts need a
converter to play them. Some have it built in and others don't. The converter
is called a Honey Bee converter and you may want to see if you need one before buying it.
If it does need one, check to see if it comes with one. Without it, you
cannot play the games and the cart will be useless to you.
10. Some good sources for finding Nintendo games are:
-Flea Markets (prices range from as low as
$0.50 to as high as $10.00 a cart. Shop around and make sure another
dealer isn't selling the cart for less.
-Garage Sales-People are dumping them like crazy as the kids have
moved on to N64 or Playstation.
-Used Game Stores-Places like Funcoland and Video Game Exchange still carry them and many times you can find them
cheap!
-Video Stores-While the Blockbusters have dumped their games,
many of the smaller video stores still have them in stock.
I have found quite a few this way.
11. Interest is growing in the non-cart
collectibles. Things like the Nintendo Power Magazines and especially the
earlier, Nintendo Fun Club are rising in price (a first issue of Nintendo Fun
Club recently sold for $85.00). Also, some of the accessories are gaining
in interest, especially the ROB the Robot and the Miracle Piano.
One of the best places to find Nintendo games is ebay. Click below to
begin searching!
