Aaron Linde
Best of all, I'd wager, is checking out a Circuit City in San Diego, CA while on vacation, back when many electronics retailers were clearing out their unsold PSX games. While I poked around, a glint caught my eye, a glint that read "$4.99", and indeed, there they were: two sealed copies of Suikoden II. While this was well before the game could reel in the batshit insane prices it now commands on eBay, I managed to finance a used Xbox by selling just one of those sumbitches.
Also, I ripped off some kid I knew on IRC years back with a trade that I'm sure he regrets to this day. He wanted Pokemon Yellow and a Gameboy to play it on, and I wanted Chrono Trigger. The trade went down like this: I sent him Yellow and a red Gameboy Pocket that I had neglected for years since picking up a Color, and he sent me his copy of Chrono Trigger, in beautiful shape with box, instructions, and those awesome maps. As an added bonus, he sent me his Final Fantasy III box and instructions to compliment my naked cartridge, as he didn't fancy himself much of a collector.
I probably ought to feel guilty, but -- come on, man! Chrono Trigger!
Niero
I recently bought near-mint copies of the original NES versions of Metroid, Contra, Cobra Triangle, and Ninja Gaiden in the cardboard box, with instruction booklet, sleeve, and even that little styrofoam square for $2 each at a thrift shop. The boxes are still shiny and one of them still had the shrink wrap half-on like a broken condom, it was like they fell out of the sky from a 1988 time portal. Best find ever!
Hushgush
We have these storage facilities where I work that people abandon sometimes, for whatever reason. If the company is unable to contact the previous owner after 90 days or so, we have to go in and remove all their junk and toss it in the dumpster. I had to do this about a year ago, and when I opened the door, buried under all the other crap was an NES, still in the box, that was purchased in 1989. I know because the receipt was still in the shopping bag with it. I took it out to get a good look at it and noticed that the box was still factory sealed with the little round stickers. It was a complete, perfectly mint condition NES Action Set [Ed note: An NES, two controllers, a Zapper, and the SMB/Duck Hunt combo cart] that had never even been opened.
Hamza "CTZ" Aziz
I have hundreds upon hundreds of stories to tell. My favorite has to be about the former SEGA employee who came in one day with 3 boxes filled with all kinds of goodies. This is what he had: Sega Saturn in box brand new, 10 brand new Saturn games, PICO in box with 20 PICO games (New and used), 32X, 20 32X games, 10 Sega CD games all brand new, Game Gear brand new, Nomad brand new, a dozen or so Genesis games, Genesis system in box, TV Tuner for the Game Gear and tons of other accessories for it, 10 brand new extension cords for the Genesis, and 3 brand new Saturn controllers. My store payed him $60 for all of it and he used the money to buy a brand new PS2 system. Story doesn't end there though. I then turned around and sold it all on eBay. The best sale was from the Saturn and the Game Gear. Both does auctions went to one guy for just over $600.
Chad Concelmo
Back in the day, a kid on my bus traded me Kid Icarus, Milon's Secret Castle, Space Quest II and Startropics (with secret password letter included) for 5 of my "rare" Garbage Pail Kids.
Nick "Nick Brutal" Chester
I've got that beat. A box of raisins for a Rush 'n Attack NES cart.
Faith
My friend Josh has given me both World of Warcraft, which I can't play
yet till I upgrade my computer, and Final Fantasy III for the SNES for free. Nice guy, huh?
No real bargin finds, except on place called Nex in St. Catherines has
the best prices, trade-in values and is always willing to deal on
multiple prices. I found Donkey Kong Country there one day for five bucks.
Dick McVengeance
Typing of the Dead keyboard for $1, when it was priced at $14. Still need to find the game, though.
Fronz One day when I was at my Godmother's house I went into her garage and saw an Apple IIe she hadn't used in decades. I asked her if I could have it and she yes. Mostly a piece of shit, yes, but just think -- one day Godmothers will be giving away PS3 too. If my goddaughter grows up to be a gamer she's going to have a very happy future. She can't have my PS3 though. At least not until she stops watching Dora the Explorer.
How 'bout it, gang? What awesome finds have you stumbled across over the years?
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21 comments + 95764 views
I'll bring the syrup, you bring the Workman
I've picked up lots of Dreamcast games for $10 or less over the years. I'm never again making the same mistake I made with my NES & SNES (& Transformers) by letting them be sold at a garage sale.
Oh, another one I remember. This was epic: I traded Air Buster for Strider to some idiot because the box looked cool. This was when Strider was only available on the Mega Drive and ton of us at school imported. I still remember sucker - no take-backs!
A while ago my friend gave me some of his game systems, but very few games with them. I did get a good few Dreamcast games with his Dreamcast, but the system's GD-ROM drive is broken, and needs to be fixed, then it's as good (or better) than new. I really should get some good N64 games to go with the N64 he gave me, the two he had were pretty much crap, system is fine (with expansion pack already in it).
Oh, I also got an NES from my uncle for free, but the only good game it came with was Kid Icarus, but I've collected a few good games since then. Neat thing is that the system operates more or less like new, since it was never really used, but my dirtier carts don't always start up without some cartridge-jiggling. He ended up with it because his friend died or something, and his friend had the NES, so he got the system somehow, and now I have it.
Lastly, I bought a PS1 (the little white one) at a garage sale for $1, and it worked fine. This was before when my friend gave me a bunch of his stuff, so when he did I ended up having 2 PS1's, and I've bought a PS1 screen to use with one of them sometimes.
Recently at a garage sale donkey konga 1, 2, jungle beat, 2 bongos and a nintendo brand memory card for $25
I think I have all of those stories beat:
1. Kid at school sold me Chrono Trigger w/ instructions and Secret of Mana w/ box for 20 bucks
2. Flea Market = Dragon Force for the Sega Saturn, complete = 7 dollars
3. Guardian Heroes for the Sega Saturn, locally owned use game shop = 30 dollars
30 dollars is a lot, but that game is impossible to find, let alone for that price.
I was talking to a friend a few years ago about how I wished I still had an Atari 2600, having started my gaming career on that. "I think I've got one of those in my attic. You want it?" It was THAT easy. It works like a charm to this day. Missile Command ftw! He also gave me a Sega Master System that was stored in the same box.
I bought N20 for the Playstation for like $2 at a an EB. It was brand new, and I love the shit outta that game.
I found a Master System on some guy's lawn.
I wandered into an electronics bodega in park slope and found perfect, mint, sealed copies (million-seller versions but still) of SNES Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, and 3, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Zelda A Link to the Past, and Final Fantasy 2, for $15 apiece. I spent $200 and sold half the collection (some were multiple copies) for over $400, I still have a bunch if anyone is interested
Fstopdigital@gmail.com
I almost shit myself when I saw them all
brandon - I played N20 (PSX) on mushrooms. I can never play it again
I just ordered ICO for ps2 off ebay for 17 US.
Found zone of enders for 12 but I think im the only one that liked it.
I got final fantasy 12 for free (sort of scammed local video store, buy 2 get 1 free, bought 2 10 dollar ones and got ff12 for free).
I paid 20 bucks for my n64 and entire game collection (8 games including both zeldas).
I have a ton of games, but not sure what I call real bargins. If its a classic, and I find it and buy it, I don't care about the price unless I know its cheaper somewhere else.
One of my friends traded me Halo 2 for a half eaten container of spreadable cheese. I don't even like Halo 2, but how do you pass that up.
Oh, and Linde, way to quote Bud Manstrong in the photo caption. Go team Venture!
You do know that quote was from 2001: A Space Odyssey first right? :)
I think I have you beat. My church was giving away some stuff in a garage sale and I found a trashbag filled with a s-load of Atari games and an Atari 2600. Some of the games were like Frogger, Missile Command and a lot of titles I did not recongnize. But the gems were a Star Wars Jedi Arena game still in it's box and a Return of the Jedi cart. The 2600 did not have the power source thing. Heres the part were collectors will cringe, since I was a noob at the video game collecting scene and did not know about ebay, I stupidily sold the whole bag, minus the Star Wars stuuf, to Bookmans for about 10 bucks. I'm still kicking myself for shitting away a potential goldmine.
For me it was i bought a snes from some dude at school for 50 bucks..the games included was Secret of mana all 3 donkey kong's star wars super metroid and Super mario kart
Then at an EB games my friend bought chrono trigger for 12 bucks.. reason is this is when they stopped taking old nes and snes games...but they took it anyways and marked it as chrono cross
So many great finds! I've had my share as well. I worked at Babbages, and in '98 I transfered to a different store that the manager had been fired for incompetence. Upon cleaning up the back room I discovered BOXES and BOXES of great stuff! NES games, SNES, Genesis, and Saturn games. Most of the stuff had been "Pennied out". Meaning, if it was removed from the inventory as active items, the price is dropped to a penny and we were supposed to throw it away. Yeah Right. I got some good stuff, needless to say. I've sold most of it over the years including factory sealed copies of Zelda 1 + 2 for the NES. The last 4 Saturn games released in the US, House of the Dead, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Burning Rangers and Shining Force 3....etc.
I still have a factory sealed copy of Mortal Kombat 2 for SNES. Any takers?
@Mxy
I do now. I love that movie too, I should've known that.
I got a mint and complete copy of Sega Saturn Dragon Force for 50 cents at a yard sale. The disc does not have any scratches at all.
Got some boxed NES games for like 1.50 each, boxed contra, boxed megaman 3, boxed megaman 2, a loose megaman 6, and of course many other good finds as well.
I found Cubivore at Eb Games for 15 Bux. Brand New. Was Great.
I've got two.
1) When I was working at my video store we had this elderly man who would come in all the time and I would talk to him. He was one of the nicest guys I ever met, and funny as all holy hell. One day I told him that I was looking to start a gaming collection of old systems, and so far all I had was a SNES and a Genesis, and that I was looking desperately for a NES. He bought his movies and left, then came back 25 minutes later with a NES system, two controllers, a GREY zapper gun, and about 40 games. Granted, some of the games were shit (Top Gun 1 AND 2), but the asking price was worth it, he gave them to me for free.
2) Last week a guy traded Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for PS2 into my store for store credit. Our used price: 14.99. Bought that in a heartbeat.
I found my Sears TeleGames Pong system at a yard sale in a box for $5.
Also, Big Lots (closeout store) had tons of Atari 7800 games in the early 90s. They ranged from $0.50 to $3.00 all in sealed boxes. I ended up getting about 20-30 games that way. My parents siezed the opportunity. Like a fool (or a kid I guess, who can blame me) I tore them all out of the boxes to play. I still have them and have the instruction manuals but no boxes. :(
Oh, I got my TurboGrafx 16 for free. My wife's father-in-law had two in storage. He let me have them. Only one of them worked so I kept that one.
My best find was pro'lly when I managed to find a used Earthbound cart at a store in Louisville, Ky while I was on vacation w/ friends. It cost me $34 USD. Worth every freaking penny. My mother threw out all my games and shit when she kicked me out. I had a box and manual and everything for it. I'd murder a man to get it all back . . .
A friend of mine managed to find Final Fantasy Tactics for the SNES at the same store about two years earlier. I think he paid $5 USD.
@Faith. NEX . . . you mean that grungy-ass store on Lakeshore across from the A&P?! Shit, I should go in there more often. Last time I was in I was rather unimpressed . . .
@Oni
FFT was on SNES?
At Best Buy a few years ago, I walked in to find two brand new copies of Gitaroo Man for $10 a piece. I only bought one of them, and gave it to a friend who loved the game.
A year later I had to pay upwards of $60 on Ebay for a used copy.
Now that the game's been reprinted, you can find it for about $30 new on Ebay.
@Tazarthayoot: Oh, shit! That's right, it wasn't. It must've been Ogre Battle then.
I knew it was something rare . . .
Either game would have been an awesome find!
Bahamut: So did I. I actually got way further than normal. I was IN THE GAME, DUDE!
Ah, those past days of youthful indiscretion...
I got a NES Power Pad for $3 from a neighbor's garage sale once. It had the box and all that good stuff.
I have another Chrono Trigger story: I traded someone my copy of Chrono Cross for Chrono trigger. Later, I bought CC again for about 10 bucks.
I got the Donkey Kong Country Competition for SNES in exchange for a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis. He had gotten it from Blockbuster, after they had stopped using it.
I thought it was cool, but didn't think much of it until I read the "Holy Grails of Game Collecting" article on Racketboy. Oh yeah, it's on there. For a Sonic the Hedgehog, which I already had 2 copies of.
Not too long ago I got an itching to play some of my NON-BC xbox games (as well as a recent recommendation from BBL) as it appears they may never be added to the list so I went into gamestop to find a good condition used xbox.
I was browsing the games when a kid came in with an armload of xbox shit. I faked looking at games while the employee dutifully plugged in everything and tested it; controllers, games, DVD attachment, all of it. I edged closer to see what they offered him for it.
Wait for it..........$34!!!!
Having just seen them test it all, I jumped in and offered the kid $50 for the entire load. He said, "sure". So I politely apologized to the dumbfounded employee for borking his ensuing ass-rape and handed the kid 50 bones. The gamestop employee grudgingly unhooked everything and handed me a giant black pile of classic xbox goodness. I got it home and got out the air canister and some windex and in 5 minutes I was staring at a complete system in really great shape with all accessories and a few games for $40.
I never ended up buying anything from gamestop that night. I almost felt guilty. After I got it cleaned up, I threw in my copy of riddick and smiled.
I love scoping out 2nd hand shops down here in Australia, some of my best finds have been...
Panzer Dragoon Saga, complete and in great nic minus the outer box for $10 US (PAL version)
Fighting Street for the PC Engine for $2 US... doesn't sound like much, but this was the only home version of the original Street Fighter released and is damn hard to find
A taito Exerion cocktail arcade cabinet for $50 US, found in the classifieds
A mint sealed 32x ith mint sealed Metal Head with a mint sealed Mega CD 2 with Road Avenger for $20 U
+many many more
LAWL Brutal...raisins for a game...now that's classy =P
Not any collector's stories persay, but I picked up a gameboy color with 10 games (including original mario and kirby in great condition) for 5$ and a virtual boy in box and instruction manual for 1$
This may be a bit too recent but 2 years ago I went to a gay pride parade and stoped ina record store and found a copy of Marvel vs Capcom 2 for the PS2 for $10.
I also found a Dreamcast at a pawn shop in Kentucky a little over a year ago for $15.
Once I traded my Clefairy doll card for my mates Zapdos (shiny as fuck), I told him that the Clefairy Doll had magical and mystic powers.
He died later that year in a plane crash
Weird shit
I recently got Ico in its original cardboard box from a pawn shop for 7€. It's not in the best shape, but it's worth a lot more.
I also got Rez for 10€ off ebay, and turns out it was a promo version. I don't know if it works like in the music circles where promos are zOMG collectors insta-erection. But the game's a steal at that price anyways.
Pokémon Stadium 2, sealed, for £50.
...Oh.
Just recently I bought Super Metroid for $3 and Mario Paint (mouse had no ball) for $4 at Goodwill (thrift store).
1- NES Tengen Tetris INSIDE the NES I bought for 3$
2- Custom made Six Button arcade joystick for SNES 5$
3- Went to a mega-fundraiser garage sale, something was kicking about at my feet, I flipped it over, it was a TurboGrafx16, found 15 Boxed games, picked all of it up for 5$
4- NeXT Workstation server - COMPLETE - at a thrift shop 100$
5- Colecovision ADAM, complete and boxed, 10$ ebay. It was local, and nobody wanted to pay 120$ shipping.
6- Ms. Pac-man Mini-Arcade...... on the floor next to a thrift store deposit bin. 0$..
These are all in CDN dollars, even then, it's beyond a steal.
my mother had a co-worker who was throwing away his "nintendo" i offered him 10$ for it
when i got it turns out it was a super nintendo with 15-16 games, most were old crappy ones, couple of ok ones, but the last one, at the bottom of the bag, was Final Fantasy 3, just the cart though, best deal ever
I bought an Atari 2600 for £2 at a local boot sale it came with paddles and everything!
maybe i'm just crazy..but i wouldn't mind having one of those LE-Hello Kitty DreamCasts....i know...and i want ALL the DC games that never made it over here...so what if i can't read japanese...i'll learn! i also want another Sega Genisis...ahhh the memories...
Thrift stores are a veritable gold mine. They also have a lot of old, homeless, and smelly people, but my god man! Wait until you hear this. You'll be arm deep in homeless stank soon enough.
I was flipping through the NES games they had above the counter, when I noticed a box behind it, next to the consoles. I asked to see the box, and I immediately got a half chub.
Right on the top was the first Megaman game, factory sealed. I recognized it instantly, since MM looks like an old fart on the cover. It gets better.
When I looked below that one, there were 5 more games, mint and sealed as well. The other 5 Megaman games. This was when I ejaculated all over the homeless guy.
I immediately grabbed them like they were the most valuable things in the entire world. I only paid $15 for all of them.
Sure, they just sit in a box in my closet, and only get busted out when I've been drinking and want to show off. But I have the first 6 megaman games boxed and sealed, and YOU don't. Suckah.
Hehe i cant give u my best deal but i can give you my worst. About 20 SNES games (probably included FF2, FF3, and everything awsome at that point) for 2 bucks a pop and could barely get StarCraft ... All them games for $40 sounds like some bull now haha, damn u N64 and making me lose money
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