What is Your Ultimate Prize Worth to You?

This is a bit of a hydrid topic so please forgive if I posted it in the wrong place.

Seeing so many posts about such great pieces of gaming made me think of my most desired prize in sealed game collecting:



The fact that this is impossible to acquire isn't even the issue, as I have been offered one privately for 3k. But alas, though my heart is in the right place, I'm just not in a spot in my life where I could easily transform 3k into a gaming peripheral.

So I guess my question is: think of . If you could find the ultimate one item you would place as the holy grail of your collection, would you be held back by finances or find a way to make it work no matter what? In short, is it rarity or price that keeps you from what you want?

Startyde wrote:This is a bit of a hydrid topic so please forgive if I posted it in the wrong place.

Seeing so many posts about such great pieces of gaming made me think of my most desired prize in sealed game collecting:

http://www.game-rave.com/psx/playstation_perfect_guide/features/assassin_case/index.html

The fact that this is impossible to acquire isn't even the issue, as I have been offered one privately for 3k. But alas, though my heart is in the right place, I'm just not in a spot in my life where I could easily transform 3k into a gaming peripheral.

So I guess my question is: think of . If you could find the ultimate one item you would place as the holy grail of your collection, would you be held back by finances or find a way to make it work no matter what? In short, is it rarity or price that keeps you from what you want?

So just to clarify, you are asking what personal Holy Grail we would like to own that we already do not? (Opposed to a similar topic we have here where we discuss what we personally consider to be our Holy Grail's from within our own collection)


Personally, I don't set my sights too high (Unlike you, Startyde!) ~ I would be overjoyed to get hold of a factory sealed copy of pokemon Crystal or Link's Awakening / Link's Awakening DX. These are the two games which I consider to have infinite value to me, whatever the cost (Provided it's sensible and not ridiculous)

I, on the other hand, do not set a limit on the price. If I really want it, I think I will whatever I can to get a copy. I guess I am at a stage where I am really obsessed with sealed games. However, I am sure when I get older, I will think it was not such a wise idea to pay so much for a sealed game.

For me, the ultimate holy grail would be to find the 3rd sealed copy of Stadium Events that could be sold to me (as the person who bought the only other copy known would never sell it) or finding a Euro Kizuna Encounter with the Neo Geo seal.

Ah ja...the Assassins Case
Also one of my most wanted.
3000 Dollar??? I think Vic Ireland also offered it to me for this price...but I do not have the money
Maybe you ask him also???

I do not know how much I would pay for a "holy grail"....NOW I would give maybe not more than 500 Euro (my most expenive one was 400 Euro).
Maybe in some years when I earn a lot of money and I still collect sealed games....I would give maybe 1000 Euro.

pooch wrote:I, on the other hand, do not set a limit on the price. If I really want it, I think I will whatever I can to get a copy. I guess I am at a stage where I am really obsessed with sealed games. However, I am sure when I get older, I will think it was not such a wise idea to pay so much for a sealed game.

I would agree with you, but sometimes you have to draw the line. I have been known to pay silly prices for some sealed copies of rare games, but for good reason, but they really are the exception to the rule. I usually set myself a target and estimate what I believe to be a collectable's true worth, and I will budget accordingly. If I lose out to a higher bidder, that's fine with me (Most of the time) as it means that some people are obviously more desperate than I am! (Pooch, i'm looking at you here my friend, as we've been through some classci auctions together! Lol! Good times, good times!)

Most of the time I come out on top, and very rarely do I pay my top bid for a rare game. It surprises me when it does happen, as usually I tend to over-bid for many things expecting to pay a fraction of whatever money I have put aside for it, but I know that in the worst case I will have to pay top-whack for it. I bidded, therefore I am prepared, but I like it better when items finish at half of what I was expecting to pay!

Metroid II: Return Of Samus is one example. As many of you fellow collector's bidded, you can probably understand where I am coming from here. This was one example where I put in my maximum bid and the rest of you (Unknowingly) bidded against me forcing the price upwards, but I was prepared and I still believe it was worth the price I paid, despite the fact that had you guys not bidded, I would've paid half as much for it. Sometimes you just can't put a price on an item that is significantly "Rare" and in such rare condition. (Now had a dozen other sealed copies flooded the market straight afterwards, I really would've been pissed off!)


There's a fine line between "Desperate" and "More money than sense" ~ Most people outside of our circle would consider both to be the same thing, whereas we (As a community) acknowledge that sometimes you have to go above and beyond in order to gain that little gem. After all, true rare games will always hold their price, and in the case of some, they will increase significantly regardless of how much you paid (Ie, like the Elemental Gearbolt Assassin's Case mentioned above) ~ There will always be a market for these sorts of rareities and collectables, and there will always be someone out there willing to sell their soul for them!

Yeah, those good old times. I am still waiting for all the rare Dreamcast games to come out on Ebay for me to complete my collection. I was the one who bought the sealed Samba de Amigo set a year or two ago, I didn't expect to pay so much, but I was glad I bought it, just to get this rare set out of the way.

It's all good for me as long as the games hold 50% of the value, I see the money that I pay for rare as a kind of "entertainment" fee so I see it as "consumption" and wouldn't worry too much about not being able to get the money back when I want to sell it. Besides, sometimes it's hard to place a value on a game as I find it happier to own the thing you really want rather than holding onto the cash.

Gemini-Phoenix wrote:Personally, I don't set my sights too high (Unlike you, Startyde!) ~ I would be overjoyed to get hold of a factory sealed copy of pokemon Crystal or Link's Awakening / Link's Awakening DX. These are the two games which I consider to have infinite value to me, whatever the cost (Provided it's sensible and not ridiculous)

I agree almost completely my friend. I tend to collect games that I have personally played and feel are true examples of the art as a whole. When it's a popular game loved by everyone, clearly you pay more. When it's a bit obscure, you pay less but it doesn't mean it is any less rare or valuable. You have great taste on wanting Link's Awakening. I do think this is my favorte Zelda game after Link to the Past, and this is coming from someone who didn't really like OOT. Plus the cover art is fantastic...I still love the Nintendo Power that featured it...gold shine for the win.

It just sucks because I think Elemental gearbolt is a great game, so I'm drawn to this thing. Another expensive niche is the Sega Saturn...my favorite console. I've searched forever for a pristine example of the first released long box, the netlink keyboard set and or *gasp* the Navi Saturn...but those will be impossible and expensive. Ah well, we do what we can.

Sorry for the rant...should have just said I agree :P

I think if it is the last game for example in a big collection to get your sub collection or whatever 100% completed you are automatically willing to pay more than you normally would pay ...

Pascal wrote:I think if it is the last game for example in a big collection to get your sub collection or whatever 100% completed you are automatically willing to pay more than you normally would pay ...

Very true. I have so many sub-collections that are just missing one or two games to make them complete. One UK Pokemon release (Crystal) and also Starwing for the Snes to complete my Starfox collection are the two main ones that spring to mind instantly. It's very frustrating when you wait and wait and wait for one, and then end up losing out because you didn't quite bid as high as someone else who was more desperate and has bigger pockets! It's equally as frustrating to have an almost-complete set of something and be hanging on for just a handful of key titles to complete the set - As I have found out with my N-Gage collection which is only missing four or five of the last games that were released and seem quite hard to get hold of

I also agree with Startyde - When you love a game or series so much, or have grown up loving a particular game that you no longer have anymore, it means so much more to track it down later on in your life no matter what the monetry cost. In my case, it's Link's Awakening, which I have owned no less than twice in the past, yet has a habit of getting lost. To obtain a sealed copy really would mean so much, especially as it's one of my top five games ever!

i would pay about $200 for a sealed Valkyrie Profile and Suikoden II. there are such auctions with said prices, but i just cant bite it. its too much. but if i think about it hard enough i realize that the money im spending on buying it came from the stuff i bought for like $2 to $10 games. so its really not too bad.. but the thought of spending that much on 1 game... i also think about how much will that game be worth in say, 2 years. if im only getting about $100 in the 2 or 3 years ive held that $200 game i bought its almost not worth it for me. one should also realize that buying for high amounts means that you really just want to have this item for your collection. the turnover will not be as big.

yep thats right! high value means that the turnover is low !

I'd drop $300 for Chrono Trigger Sealed. I've wanted that for so many years but never had the money when the opportunity came up

doughboy wrote:I'd drop $300 for Chrono Trigger Sealed. I've wanted that for so many years but never had the money when the opportunity came up

unfortunately, you'll probably pay a lot more for it. I sold my sealed copy on ebay last summer for 725.00usd