PDA

View Full Version : Rare Nintendo game is $40,000 windfall


DAMN iNATOR
03-01-2010, 03:21 PM
Rare Nintendo game is $40,000 windfall

by Mike Smith


<SMALL>February 26 8:46 P.M.</SMALL>
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/ga/buzz/feature/vg25/stadium-events-big-win_300.jpg This rare game sold for $41,300.



Impressed by the story of the North Carolina eBay seller who stumbled upon an ultra-rare, $13,000 Nintendo game? So were we -- and so was Kansas reader Dave, who headed for his basement to see if there was video game gold lurking down there.

"We had quite a collection (185+ games) that has sat in our basement for over 20 years," Dave told Y! Games. "The games were on a list to be brought to Goodwill – in fact, within a month, Goodwill was going to have them."

To his astonishment, not only did he find a copy of the same game that just fetched over $13,000 on eBay -- highly sought-after collector's item Stadium Events -- it was in perfect condition, right down to the original shrinkwrapping and Richard Gordman pricetag. (A mere $29.99, if you're wondering.)

"Now I’m not much of a collector, but I know that having a factory seal is good," he said.

But he's only just now finding out quite how good.

As it turns out, the game's unopened condition makes Dave's copy of Stadium Events three times more valuable: he sold it on auction site eBay for a breathtaking $41,300. It's thought to be one of only two shrinkwrapped copies of the game still in existence.

Why had he never unwrapped it? He couldn’t see the point. Stadium Events needed a special floor mat controller to play, and Dave couldn't find one.

"The pads weren't available when we went to purchase it," he said. "We never got around to returning the game...lucky us!"

"Lucky us" indeed. Nintendo bought the rights to the floor mat controller in 1988, and recalled the few copies of Stadium Events that reached retailers. Fewer than 200 games are thought to have escaped destruction, and fewer than 20 are thought to still exist. Dave's procrastination earned him a $41,270 profit, which he and his wife plan to invest.

"After taxes and tithing, the rest of our part will be going to a retirement account that has been decimated by the dot-com bomb, 9/11, and the recent market problems. Not very sexy, but needed." He's also going to auction off the rest of his Nintendo paraphernalia.

If that's inspired you to comb your basement, attic, or other dark corners for valuable 1980s video game memorabilia, don't underestimate the demand for even the most everyday of Nintendo collectibles -- this box of Nintendo breakfast cereal sold on eBay last week for over $200. And if you think you've happened on a valuable game, check it against the list here to avoid disappointment.

Big Fat Mike
03-01-2010, 04:21 PM
DAMN

Emperor Smeat
03-02-2010, 01:04 AM
The Nintendo World Championship game is even rarer as a game but unlike the Stadium Events, none of them are sealed copies.

thecc
03-02-2010, 01:19 AM
http://cgi.ebay.com/Stadium-Events-Nes-game_W0QQitemZ110499541029

Snowden
03-02-2010, 01:32 AM
I just never understood the need to pay top dollar for a game that was shitty in its heyday...

Xero
03-02-2010, 02:15 AM
1. Buy 10 copies of shitty game that is obviously going to have a very limited run.
2. Wait 20 years.
3. Profit.

OssMan
03-02-2010, 02:28 AM
I just never understood the need to pay top dollar for a game that was shitty in its heyday...
It is rare because it was recalled and then later released as World Class Track Meet.

Shaggy
03-03-2010, 03:23 PM
1. Buy 10 copies of shitty game that is obviously going to have a very limited run.
2. Wait 20 years.
3. Profit.

Awesome...just have to wait 13 more years for my copy of Robocop to be worth something...:shifty:

Xero
03-03-2010, 03:45 PM
I have a sealed copy of Fire Pro Wrestling R. Will probably be worth a bit by 2030.