Possible, and definitely worth the fight…but given that WATA is PSA I’m not sure how that will go…
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This thread seems to be coming some what of a graded games megathread.
Goldin Auctions had their first big video game block: goldinauctions.com/auctionresults.aspx
A Super Mario 64 WATA 9.8/A++ ended at $799,500. I don’t know if that includes a buyer’s premium, but even if it doesn’t that sale is hundreds of thousands less than the HA sale of $1.5MM
Also here are the pokemon game sale prices (the right column price is the end price):
The super Mario 64 getting cut in half is not shocking in the least. My gut feeling is it settles in around $250k once we know how many more are out there. Still a huge price but not silly like the 1.5m
For me personally, I struggle to see the appeal of collecting sealed games. Looking through the game manual was half the fun back then - there was some badass art and not just instructions in those things. For example, anyone remember the old Blizzard instruction manuals for Diablo and Starcraft? Further, all of those times riding home from the store after your parents bought you a new game, that was a great moment to pour over the manual. Or when you couldn’t use the TV but had the game manual to read and make you daydream about playing… I didn’t grow up in an affluent family so the latter is particularly true in my case.
What I’m trying to get at is I frequently see pristine CIB games for less than 8x-10x the cost of a sealed copy. Does the sealed copy really deserve to command such a higher price when, by nature, everything cool about the box is inside and can only be viewed by breaking the seal?
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For me personally, I struggle to see the appeal of collecting sealed pokemon product. Looking through the actual cards was half the fun back then - there was some badass art…
Does a sealed booster box deserve to command such a higher price when, by nature, everything cool about the box is inside and can only be viewed by breaking the seal and opening the packs?
Sealed games, like booster boxes, were meant to be opened and are consumable products. Once they’re open, they’re open. The rarity of them is the fact that their main use never came to fruition, being opened and used.
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The appeal of sealed to me, before the prices went parabolic, was knowing that when I came to open the game, I could be confident the contents would be pristine and that discs would be free of scratches. I think the appeal for people still buying sealed now is the potential for grading, though, or for preservation as display pieces.
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One major difference between sealed game and booster box - the content inside. One is a given and the other is a mystery.
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For me personally, I struggle to see the appeal of graded Pokémon TCG cards. Holding the cards in your hand and organizing them in your binders back then - I was a badass that reorganized them every other week as a kid…
Does a graded card deserve to command such a higher price when, by nature, a raw card can actually be touched, saves space, and can be put in a binder?
Graded cards, like sealed games and booster boxes, are niche collectable for those who can afford them and want the best quality possible, to stand out and say: look at this, it’s in gem mint condition / it’s still in its original seal! The rarity of them is the fact that they’re gem mint, and never been played with.
All jokes aside, I can see the appeal in graded games in the same way as graded cards; sealed products; or graded comics. I do agree with @shadowlesstrainer that the manual was a lot of fun to browse through as a kid. Can game manuals actually be graded as well?
Greetz,
Quuador
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I think the main difference to me and this is not to diminish graded game collecting (it’s your property do what you want with it) is that the video game is the product, i.e. the interactive media inside the box. Grading a game is actually grading the packaging. i say packaging in a literal sense not again not to diminish it, and with digital releases/ ROMs the importance of the physical item takes an increasing precedence over the game itself. Many years ago the only way of playing many games was on their original systems with the original cart but this has changed ALOT.
With graded cards the product is the card itself. A graded slab mirrors the form of the card inside, in that it is an slim oblong and makes the item more tactile.
My point being that the video game requires a bit more of an abstraction compared to the card.
Ultimately though grading is to prove authenticity, ensure quality and create scarcity. So i get why people grade video games, sealed packs, action figures, cards etc.
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If you grade an opened game as Complete in Box (CIB) with WATA, the manual is graded as a part of it. Everything is closed up in the box though after the individual components are reviewed.
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There have been some manuals and covers graded by BGS for the Tony Hawk games on PWCC for a while, but I don’t know if they only graded them because they’re autographed
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Since there is no score for the manual itself I think you’re right about it just being the autograph being authenticated
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I certainly think that the evidence put forth in this video raises some serious concerns about the dealings of WATA and Heritage. I find it disappointing to see that some completely disregard the video, or write it off as “stupid guy who isn’t a market lord like me cries about video games.” This is in fact a YouTube video, not a professional report, so I think it’s as important as ever to critically assess the information in terms of what is objective and subjective. I also think simply transplanting market knowledge onto this topic without addressing the substantiated claims of literal fraud and market manipulation is tone-deaf.
Obviously, I cannot say whether or not any of what is proposed in the video is true. However, I think it is important to at the very least watch the video and process the information before attacking it. Hopefully, a formal investigation into WATA and Heritage can shed some light on this issue.
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Little update
(The lawsuit he mentioned is unrelated to the WATA/Heritage situation, check out his other videos if you are curious)
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Vintage games hold such an appeal to me that I’d love to own some, but the graded market is ostensibly one of the wonkiest / shadiest I’ve seen in a while
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