Rarest Video Games Auctioned
There are plenty of people who still choose to reminisce about their childhood, mostly middle-aged people. They spend a fortune to do so – just as they did in their youth.
Video games are constantly evolving today and new technologies have also been introduced. More than just a game, VR is incredibly immersive and can really change the way people interact with them. There’s no wonder why it is one of the most successful industries worldwide, worth more than $9 billion alone.
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When the industry first started, video game graphics were nothing like they are nowadays. Three and four decades ago, they were much simpler and didn’t have beautiful visuals to fall in love with. For people who collect video game items from that era, the 80s and 90s are significant. Many of their collections are already very rare and hard to find.
There are people who would spend a fortune just to relive their childhood moments, including some middle-aged adults.
In mid-July, a rare 1985 edition of the classic video game Super Mario Brothers sold at auction for a record-breaking $114,000. The buyer of the version, which remained for 35 years carefully guarded within its gelatin, wished to remain anonymous.
“We were just not going to sell it, no matter how much it could ever reach,” said Valerie McClecky, director of Heritage Auctions. This company specializes in rarest video games auctions and has sold many copies of this rare game to collectors over the years.
The previous world record was set by a version of the popular and hugely popular Super Mario Brothers video game. It sold for $100,000 during an auction.
As video game fads and collectibles continue to increase in value, old video games are the new “bottle cap” collecting. That’s right, cases where it takes 10 years for a game to be worth $10 may considered one day with many collectible items. Now valued at hundreds or thousands of dollars. In this sense, Piers Harding-Rolls gives. With companies such as Activision and Nintendo continuing to make it easier to trade digital copies of physical games from one console to another, new collectors are emerging.
The reason is that these items encapsulate childhood nostalgia for many 30- and 40-something collectors, according to Penny Harding-Rolls
The 10+1 rarest video games
The value of a video game is not always linked to how rare it is. There are, of course, several extremely rare or even unique editions that are worth many tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars each.
According to the website Rarest.org, the eleven rarest video games are the following:
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Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition
It is believed to be one of the rarest books ever printed and was originally printed in only 26 copies. It includes a red, bloodstained cover and it contains some very controversial material. If you find an original copy of this book for sale for less than $15,000 you’re saving about.
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Air Raid
Only 20 copies for this Atari game are still in circulation and the value can range from $3,300 to $33,000.
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Tetris for SEGA Mega Drive
An original, fully-working copy of Tetris for the SEGA Mega Drive game console can be yours for just $16,000 to $25,000.
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European Kizuna Encounter
There are 5 “pieces” around the world and their acquisition price starts at $9,500 and goes up to $13,500. The game was released in 1996 for the Neo Geo console.
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Extra Terrestrials
There are only 4 confirmed original “tracks” of the 1984 classic video game produced by Atari. These pieces are now worth from $7,000 to $15,000 and one of them was recently advertised for an astounding $90,000 on eBay with no bidder found so far.
6.Three of these games, released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System console, remain in operation. They are valued, despite their rarity, at just under… $4,000 each.
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Red Sea Crossing
There are two pieces available starting at $10,400. They originally released in 1983, making them 37 years old.
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Nintendo Powerfest 1994
A limited amount of copies of this item are available. It has an estimated value of $12,000 – $23,100.
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Nintendo Campus Challenge 1991
2.Unlike the much cheaper – at least on the secondary market – 1992 version, the single 1991 copy is valued at $14,000 to $20,000 Birthday Mania
Only 10 to 15 units were sold of the 1984 Atari release, so this Atari game has become collectible. It sailed through production and earned its creator Anthony Tokar a lot of praise as well as some money to boot.
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Gamma Attack
The release of Gamma Attack seen as one of Atari’s greatest milestones, and its scarcity led to a valuation estimated at between $20,000-$50,000. There is only one confirmed case in which someone found a copy and it was listed on eBay.
An ad was placed by Anthony De Nardo offering Gamma Attack for sale for half a million dollars. The reason for the high price was to discourage entry as the owner intended to keep it.
Nintendo PlayStation: A console myth
Despite claims that Sony invented the first video game, there is no doubt that Nintendo created the base for what would eventually become gaming as we know it today. Some of the other things that make this popular console so iconic are its system design, controller design and most notably, the game titles released.
Ken Koutaragi was the head of Sony and Nintendo’s telecommunications division, who were responsible for bringing the Nintendo PlayStation console to life. Prior to this, Ken had been a developer on multiple video games for both companies. A few hundred units of the NES originally produced and released on the market, but it turned out that this model was not lucrative enough for both companies. Sony and Nintendo’s deal fell through but it eventually led to the release of Playstation.
For years, few people knew what had become of the original Nintendo Playstations. As it turns out, one unit “survived”. Terry Diebold is one of the owners of Advanta Corporation. It was given to him by the previous owner who had left and they went bankrupt. Originally, this console owned by Sony’s former General Manager, Olaf Olafsson, who had previously worked at Everstone Corporation.
More information about Consoles
Console auctions are a new phenomenon and show the level of demand for these extraordinary items. The Xbox One that sold for $360,000 in March 2020 sold to an unknown buyer on eBay. It took just 12 hours for it to get into someone’s hands at the original Buy It Now price of $30,000.
Some collectors of video games have shown a significant level of interest in the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. While Oculus VR founder Palmer Lucky initially tried to buy Nintendo, those who are not lucky will have no chance against the gamers. For quite some time, he was the one who offered the most money at the auction. He even offered a higher sum than previous winning bids. However, with the help of video games specialist website Gamesradar.com, which is well-known for having thorough budget details on upcoming releases, it turns out that he ultimately failed to become the highest bidder of all games during.
If you’re deciding to clean out your storage area and end up discovering old consoles, games, and memorabilia from other eras, it might be best to avoid throwing everything away.
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Author: PC-GR
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