Our look at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas during December 2018.
For more information on the museum, check out:
http://www.nvmusa.org/
A Collector’s Take on the National Videogame Museum
Between the Toes of the Giant: Gam3rCon
San Diego Comic Con is a beast.? It’s the biggest, baddest giant in town.? Yet, surprisingly, growing between its toes is an event called Gam3rCon!? Rather than withering in SDCC‘s shadow, Gam3rCon is thriving!
In some ways, I scratch my head that there are gamers who live in the San Diego area and don’t attend Comic Con.? Some are just not interested, or they’re interested but couldn’t get a ticket.? Others would attend SDCC but hate all the hype and crowds.
That’s where Gam3rCon comes in.? It’s small. It’s gaming.? It’s not Comic Con.? This was our first year to check it out, and I have to say I was impressed!
Ok, so Gam3rCon is small and independent…but not really that small.? These guys and gals rent out a five story building and pack it with an insane amount of content.? Upon entering, a gamer walks into an old church sanctuary that has been converted to a shrine to gaming with dozens of Xbox 360s and PS3s.? Shooters, fighters, and DoTA seemed to dominate the scene, while a driving simulator was projected on the wall.
All the while, upstairs is a retro gaming room complete with Atari, NES, SNES, N64, Dreamcast, PS2 and a freak’n rad Fairchild Channel F!? Yup, that’s the room where I parked for a bit.
Down the hall is an art gallery with some solid works of art, and if you’re interested in creating your own art, we spotted some graffiti and silk screening going on as well.? Did we mention the huge, green-screen photo booth for those of us who are less than artistic?!? Check out our interview with Mr. Benja from The 8-bit Cubist for more on that art gallery:
If tabletop gaming is more your thing, there was plenty of that going on in the tabletop gaming lounge.? Up on the roof was pizza and comedy.? Add to that film screenings and a bunch of other stuff that we probably didn’t even find, and there’s something for everyone.
If you’re thinking about doing both San Diego Comic Con and Gam3rCon, we wish you all the best.? Both are great and worth checking out.? As a pretty active guy in his 30s, I was hurting after packing both into one day.? If they were staggered by a week or two, I would have loved spending more time at both.? Yeah, I know, cry me a river, right?
Regardless, I’m stoked that there is one more gaming option in Southern California.? Best of all, this small, independent gaming con is thriving!? Game on!
Check out the gallery below for a closer look at Gam3rCon.
Rare Games Spotted: Super Famicom Hotel System, N64 Fiber Optic Sign, etc
Hide your wallets and feast your eyes! Here’s a list of fantastic rare video game items on eBay right now.
GAMES
NES – Devil World (Good Condition) PAL Version. This isn’t the rarest game out there.? It’s just fun to see, since it wasn’t released in the US.
SNES AERO FIGHTERS COMPLETE MINT!!!
Magical Chase Turbo Grafx 16 North American Version!
Dynastic Hero CD Game Turbo Grafx Turbo Duo US version
SYSTEMS
SUPER FAMICOM BOX Nintendo Hotel System +5 games Apparently growing up in Japan meant getting sweet little gems like this system in your hotel room. I’m jealous… Anyone know how common these were?
Nintendo NES Console “DELUXE SET” Complete Rob Robot
ACCESSORIES
Nintendo NES**BRAND NEW**FREEDOM STICK**Nes controller If I had more space, I’d never post this one and would be bidding on it instead. I’ll admit, I have a weakness for vintage wireless accessories.
Nintendo NES**BRAND NEW**MEGA CONTROLLER**Bandai
Nintendo 64 N64 Custom PINK / WHITE controller ! Look ! Yeah, you know you’re a hardcore collector when you buy a custom pink N64 controller.
Sega Channel Adapter for Sega Genesis Peripheral RARE
COLLECTIBLES
WE LOVE KATAMARI VERY RARE PROMO TOY PS2
VINTAGE SUPER MARIO BOX 16 FIGURES LOT yoshi,luigi,toad I don’t know what’s better, the box or the lot of figures!
1991 Nintendo General Mills Mario Magic Motion Rulers
NINTENDO WII RARE EMPLOYEE ACCESS KEY TO COMPANY DOOR
1998 super mario 64 cardboard cutout
original 2004 halo 2 cardboard cutout
VINTAGE Nintendo embroidery pattern, Skateboard Mario +
VINTAGE Nintendo embroidery pattern,Party Mario Bowling
VINTAGE Nintendo iron-on: Mario Madness, Peach + Toad
World of Nintendo Large Retail Sign Nice!!
Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run Autographed Baseball SNES
Back in 1994 or so, Nintendo released a Ken Griffey Jr branded Baseball Game for the SNES. As part of the promotion, they had a contest, with one of the top prizes being official signed Ken Griffey Jr Baseballs.
I was lucky enough to win this contest as a kid. Now I’m ready to part with this baseball and hope it finds a happy home.
- The ball is in MINT condition. (Any scuffs you may see are from the poor photos/ Baseball cube.
- The ball is Nintendo branded, with green and white colors.
- So far as I can tell, there is no other branding on the ball (ie, I don’t think it’s a Rawlings ball)
Playstation 2 PS 2 Blue Neon Sign Ex Cond Works 42″
Nintendo Zelda Action Figure Wind Up Rare Original MINT
Mario and Luigi Collectable Dolls
Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Kraft Cheez Whiz Jar 1989 Snubbing your nose at a 20 year-old empty Cheez Whiz Jar?? The last one of these that I saw on eBay ended April 18, 2010 at $124.99 USD.
N64 Fiber Optic Sign So pretty…
Rare Games Spotted: PowerFest Ticket, Custom Punch-Out Figure, Shantae Complete
eBay has some treasures in store for retro gamers and collectors. I’m personally excited to see how much the complete copy of Shantae for Game Boy will go for at auction rather than being listed with an absurd BIN price. Also of interest is the M8 below that’s getting a bit of bidding action. Enjoy!
Spotted on eBay
NINTENDO 64 COLLECTORS DISPLAY SET (good condition) Pretty nifty looking kiosk. I wonder how long the controllers lasted on these.
Vintage NES Nintendo Super Mario Bros. 2 Note Pad
Custom Marvel Legends GREAT TIGER from Punch-Out NES I’m not sure what inspired “Joe of War” to create this particular character. Heck, I’d love a King Hippo. However, you have to respect the retro gaming love.
Seller’s Description: Hello and welcome toy enthusiasts! You are bidding on a Custom Marvel Legends GREAT TIGER from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out the video game! He was built from a Kraven Marvel Legends 6 inch figure. His gloves are partially sculpted. I also sculpted his turban, jewel in turban, mustache, and goatee. All of it was sculpted with Aves Apoxie sculpt. The chest tattoo is a tribal tiger head done in black. Check out the tiger paw print on the butt of his pants haha! Figure is still posable and comes with stand for display.? He was repainted with Testors and Citadel acrylic paints. The last picture shows my work in progress for the figure. Feel free to send me any questions, but NO I do NOT ship outside of the U.S. Check out my custom figure blog here: http://joeofwarcustomactionfigures.blogspot.com/
11X17 PEACH Nintendo Original Sketch Pinup -DaiKon Art
Cosplay Final Fantasy VIII 8 Sword Gunblade Squall
Nintendo PowerFest Poster and Ticket (The BIN of $400.00 USD or Best Offer isn’t totally unreasonably when you consider that the custom framing & matting job itself probably cost the seller $100.00.)
NINTENDO 28 SUPER-SIZED DOMINOES 22 MARIO LUIGI TIN
Shantae (Game Boy Color, 2002) RARE, NM w/ BOX Pretty rare to see complete.
Heavy Rain for PS3 – Rare Press Kit
Nintendo M8 Store Demo Display NES RARE m82 snes
Turbografx 1991 CES booth display **ONE OF A KIND**
Vintage 1980’s 4 foot NINTENDO store display sign RARE
Atari 2600 Demonstration Boards & Documents
Nintendo Mario LCD Watch MINT Rare Vintage Original
Nintendo Mario Yoshi LCD Watch MINT Rare Vintage
Playstation 2 PS2 Test Debugging Station | DTL-H30001 (BIN of $179.99 or Best Offer and the seller has 10+ of them currently.)
Spotted on eBay: Atari Service Manuals, Pirate Gear & More
Here’s a healthy list of video game rarities to get the blood flowing through your geeky little-retro-video-game-loving heart.? (Atari collectors take note of the service manuals and pirating gear!)
Rare Games
Super Contra III Demo for Super Nintendo SNES System Has a BIN/OBO of $99.99 USD.
Wacky Races Pre-Release Test Game NES – Extremely Rare (Sold May 25, 2010 for $171.06 USD)
Nintendo World Championships NWC Cart – Holy Grail Rare Currently with a BIN of $5199.00 USD and including a few bonus items.
Collectibles & Promo Items
World of Nintendo Fiber Optic Sign NICE!! (Sold on May 26, 2010 for $295.00 USD)
1989 Eureka Nintendo Easter Cling Decoration 4 Pc New
Patapon – super rare Sony PSP press promo pack (Sold on May 28, 2010 for GBP 28.99 …approximately $44.12 USD)
PACMAN UNCUT STICKER SHEET BY FLEER, MIDWAY 1980, RARE! (Sold on May 29, 2010 for $32.00 USD)
Modnation Racers for PS3 – Rare Press Kit (Sold on May 31, 2010 for GBP 80.00 …approximately $121.75 USD)
Atari Field Service Manuals
Atari 2600 Field Service Repair Manual
Atari 5200 Field Service Repair Manual
Original Atari Home Computer Retail Sales Manual binder
Atari 400 800 Field Service Repair Manual
Atari 410 and 810 800 Field Service Repair Manuals
Atari Service Repair Center Policies/Prodecures Manual
Atari Field Service Manuals – Huge Lot inc 800 1200 XL
Atari CPS Supersalt Manual for repair service
Atari Service Repair Diagnostic Controller Jumper Board
Atari 2600 Game Pirating Copy Devices
Ok, I think we all know that coping video games is naughty.? However, having the ability to copy 30 year old games somehow seems to fall into a different moral category.
Yoko Game copier for Atari 2600 – super rare
Unimex Duplikator SP280 + 6 Copy Carts – ATARI VCS 2600
Ended Auctions (This have all ended, but are none the less quite interesting)
NEW SEALED Super Mario Bros. 2 action figure: Mouser (Sold for $36.99 USD)
NEW SEALED Legend of Zelda action figure: Link 1989 (Sold for $69.99 USD)
BUBBLE BATH BABES NES NINTENDO Adult Game~ULTRA RARE (Sold for an even $500.00 USD)
Halo Reach Helmet This is a fan made helmet.? Pretty impressive actually.? (Sold for $217.50 USD)
Treamcast portable Sega Dreamcast with carry case, game (Sold for 147.00 GBP / ~$212.25 USD)
NEW IN BOX Nintendo Super Mario 3 Playchoice Cartridge! (Sold for $60.00 USD)
NEW IN BOX Nintendo Ninja Gaiden Playchoice Cartridge! (Sold for $54.01 USD)
NEW IN BOX Nintendo Punch Out Playchoice Cartridge WOW! (Sold for $62.09 USD)
FINAL FANTASY VII 7 PLAYSTATION RELEASE POSTER (Sold for $48.21 USD)
Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter Edition Collectors Rare (Sold for $1925.00 USD)
Goodwill = Retro Video Games
I have a fantastic fiancee. One of her many fine qualities is her love for thrift shopping and retro gaming. The two of us hit up about four different Goodwill stores this weekend. Sure enough, we found a fantastic number of retro gaming items for cheap. We passed up a number of items too (mostly PS1 systems, sports games, etc.).
Naturally some of these items will go into the collection and the rest will hit my eBay Store. I’m especially excited to have found Mario Teaches Typing for PC and all of the old-school Blizzard games. I’m holding onto those.? Plus, the Quest for Glory PC games by Sierra were a fantastic find. A collector friend of mine was happy to add those to his collection.
The moral of the story here is that Goodwill is still a solid place to hit if you’re a retro gamer.
Here’s the loot list:
| SYSTEM | ITEM/GAME |
| 3DO | Road Rash |
| CABLES | 5x AV Cables |
| CD | GTA IV Music CD |
| DS | Guitar Hero On Tour + Decades Box Set |
| DS | Guitar Hero On Tour + Decades Box Set |
| GCUBE | Metroid Prime |
| GCUBE | Super Smash Bros. Melee |
| GENESIS | Controller |
| GENESIS | Maximum Carnage |
| MISC | Star Wars Figures Lot |
| MISC | Mario Ball |
| NES | Yobo System |
| NES | NES System (no wires) |
| PC | Warcraft: Orcs & Munans |
| PC | Warcraft II Expansion |
| PC | Diablo II |
| PC | StarCraft |
| PC | Phantasmagoria |
| PC | Alice |
| PC | Full Throttle |
| PC | Quest for Glory I |
| PC | Quest for Glory II |
| PC | Quest for Glory III |
| PC | Mario Teaches Typing |
| PS1 | Intelligent Cube |
| PS1 | Diablo |
| PS1 | Mega Man X4 |
| PS1 | Final Fantasy VII (Disc 1 & 2) |
| PS2 | Eye Toy Play |
| PS2 | Eye Toy Groove |
| PS2 | RC Revenge |
| PS2 | Tarzan Untamed |
| PS2 | Fatal Frame |
| SNES | Controller |
| SNES | Controller |
| SNES | Controller |
| SNES | SNES System (no wires) |
| SNES | SNES System (no wires) |
| XBOX | GTA San Andreas |
My Listings: Video Game and Surfing Posters, Banners, and Collectibles
Sometimes being both a collector and a reseller is awesome. I buy all sorts of stuff, keep some for my collection, and sell the rest. However, that simple process isn’t quite so simple. I pine over what to keep and what to let go. Well, I’ve decided to let a number of collectible promo items, posters, and vinyl banners go. Since my favorite two hobbies are retro gaming and surfing, you get a taste of both in these. I hope you find something you like.
http://www.ebaystores.com/videogamemuseum
Game Hunting: Moonwalker, Turbo Touch 360, Taiko Drum Master
I hit the usual flea market this weekend and found a number of rare and interesting retro games and accessories. My top find was a loose copy of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (sadly in rough shape). Surprisingly, this is actually a decent game to actually play. Since Michael’s death the game has become quite hard to find and has been hovering at about $40-60+. Putting this one in the eBay store.
My other favorite find was a Turbo Touch 360 controller for the Sega Genesis. It still blows my mind that there was anything touch sensitive 20 years ago. I can’t say it’s the best controller out there, but it’s not that bad either. As you can see from my finds, I love toying around with weird turbo and programmable controllers. This one is staying in the collection.
Taiko Drum Master for PS2 was a great find especially since it’s complete in box. I’m not sure whether to hold onto this one or not, so it’s going into collection/eBay limbo.
The rest of my finds were as follows:
| GENESIS | Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker |
| GENESIS | Shinobi III |
| GENESIS | Space Harrior II |
| GENESIS | Turbo Touch 360 Controller |
| GENESIS | Turbo Controller |
| N64 | Beetle Adventure Racing! |
| N64 | Space Station Silicon Valley |
| N64 | Star Soldier Vanishing Earth |
| PS2 | Taiko Drum Master Complete |
| PS2 | Everquest Online Adventures |
| SNES | Donkey Kong Country |
| SNES | Donkey Kong Country 2 |
| SNES | Race Drivin’ |
| SNES | Jammit — Game + Box |
| SNES | Programmable controller |
| XBOX | Star Wars Republic Commando |
| XBOX | Star Wars Battlefront |
