Sealed Retro Games: Yes or No?

Eagle3ye

Eagle3ye

CAGiversary!
I've been thinking recently about the purpose of sealed games in most collections. When I first started collecting and I stumbled upon a sealed SNES game I freaked out and instantly displayed it on my shelf (much like comic book guy on The Simpsons). Now 4 years later I'm starting to feel like those games are becoming more of a liability and just taking up space. The whole point of sealed games (I'm assuming) is bragging rights and the fact that they are worth more money than loose or even complete games. I'm beginning to think I should just capitalize on their value and sell them before I end up accidentally tearing a seam and hurting the value of something. It's not like I can play them anyway and if I sell them I can always buy used copies that I can actually enjoy.

What are your thoughts on sealed games? Are there any of you out there who collect strictly sealed games? or is it more of a cool item to have if it's a favorite in a series or first game you owned sort of deal. Just thought this could be an interesting topic for discussion among collectors. Thanks :)


EDIT: Just to clear things up I'm talking more specifically about retro games, SNES, NES, GEN and less about current gen games like PS3 and 360
 
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Unless you got them really cheap, I think the same. If you got some sealed games really cheap and you are waiting for the value to go up before selling them to make maximum profit then I see no problem with holding onto sealed games. I definitely have a few of those in my collection. I am not sure who would want to put tons of money into buying sealed video games just to display them and have them look pretty though, unless of course someone is really, filthy rich and does not know what else to do with their money. Especially when you consider the cost of a sealed video game can be more than double or triple the cost of a regular used copy.

Another thing someone told me once, just to keep in mind, is that the plastic on sealed games often contains acid or something, which will eventually damage the cover art on the game, especially if the game is the type that originally shipped in a cardboard box, like NES or original Gameboy games. I am not sure about genesis or DS games as those shipped in plastic hard cases most of the time.
 
I buy games and I "OPEN" them. Simple as that. Now, if I see something that is rare and unopened and I could get it for a decent price for some reason I would have it as a display item and in that case its likely I already own the game anyways.

For a collector who is all about the value of their collection I can see unopened holding more weight to them, but for someone like me who collects to have and knows that he will probably die before any of this stuff gets sold, it doesn't matter at all, its unbox and enjoy.
 
I've got a ton of sealed games. It started out as just me not opening games until I get around to playing them but I started picking some up if I think the price they're available at will turn a profit in the future.

Best case scenario, they do and I can make a few bucks.

Worst case scenario, they don't and I have a game to play.:)
 
There's a certain segment of collector out there that wants sealed games and is willing to pay a premium for them. If I came across a game I wanted which was sealed, but also rare and valuable, I'd sell it, buy an open copy the same game for substantially less, and pocket the difference. Whether you want the game or not, the difference between a sealed game and a mint complete one can sometimes be hundreds of dollars, so if you break that seal and open the game, quite frankly, you're a moron.
 
I keep games sealed until I'm ready to play them. That way, if something ever comes up where I get an offer or decided I want to sell it, the condition isn't something that needs to be worried about.
 
I'd sell off the sealed games unless it was something cheap and priceless like Rumble Roses for the ps2 :p The value and demand isn't going to last forever on some of this stuff, so you're better off letting a sealed collector go down with the ship.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Whether you want the game or not, the difference between a sealed game and a mint complete one can sometimes be hundreds of dollars, so if you break that seal and open the game, quite frankly, you're a moron.[/QUOTE]
What if that person never buys/plays used games?
 
[quote name='lmz00']What if that person never buys/plays used games?[/QUOTE]

Uh, well I'm speaking of pre-PS2 stuff that you aren't going to find brand new except in a fluke case at a thrift store. Why wouldn't someone play a used game?
 
[quote name='spmahn']Uh, well I'm speaking of pre-PS2 stuff that you aren't going to find brand new except in a fluke case at a thrift store. Why wouldn't someone play a used game?[/QUOTE]
I know what "retro" means, haha. Someone could just be really picky about the condition of their games, and would rather pay hundreds (if not thousands) for a new copy on eBay, than play one that was used by someone else. I doubt many of those people exist, though.
 
I've sold pretty much 99% of all the sealed games I've picked up. If it was a game I really loved I may just keep it for the nostalgia sake. A few years ago I picked up a big bundle of ps1 games with alot of sealed ones FF7, Lunars, Suikoden, Tales, etc. At first I was all about keeping them, but I already had them all opened and complete so I just sold them all off. Only sealed games I believe I have right now are WindWaker, Resident Evil GC, and Pikmin (got all three cheap from a person for 10 bucks) , Punch-Out!! w/ Mr. Dream (plastic is a little ripped, and I'm only keeping it for now because I don't have a complete copy) and Eternal Darkness (got it way back as a gift when it came out and never opened)
 
I have a small handful of sealed games, which ill grab if I find them cheap, but I keep a disk/cart only copy of anything I have sealed around for playing.
 
While not talking about the same topic as the OP here, I used to keep all of my games sealed until I was ready to play them. But after buying a couple clearance games and finding that some asshole had cut the shrinkwrap and stole the damn game from the case I started cracking open every sealed title I had(save for my :xbox:Psychonauts I got from Kmart on clearance for $3 years ago).

It's just about peace of mind for me and making sure the games are actually in there.

But for classic titles, if I find one shrinkwrapped I'll keep it sealed if it has any value. Case in point: I found a copy of Packy & Marlon for the SNES about a year ago at a thrift store.

If sealed, it's a $140 title or so. Only problem is that the shrinkwrap isn't 100% intact. The corners of the shrinkwrap are MIA or worn and the cart doesn't sound like it's solidly in the package. So who knows. But it was $3-4, so I'll take a chance on keeping it sealed for that price.
 
I have a select few games sealed due to a sentimental attachment and only because I got a good deal on them.

NES: Felix The Cat, Wacky Races, Final Fantasy and Mega Man.
SNES: Biker Mice From Mars, Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X

Nothing too crazy, just a select few gems that represent a huge part of my childhood.
 
I can definitely count the sealed games I own on one hand, a couple I can name are Zack & Wiki Wii and Phantom Brave Wii. I do keep games sealed for the most part until I play them, but if I get them from Sears or Kmart or the shinkwrap looks suspicious then I will open them to see if the games is in there. If I sold a sealed game to a buyer, well they wouldn't be very happy if they opened it to discover the game is not there.

I always wonder if people are passing around a box of junk on ebay though, I mean if you had a rare sealed game, how would you know the game was actually in there, short of putting it under an X-ray machine? If the box was properly packed and weighted down (or perhaps have a junk cart in it in place of the rare one)..... Unless the seller personally bought it from the store back in the day, I know there are things like special wrap on NES games but these days games use all different kinds of wrap and its completely legit.
 
If only I wasn't like 2 or 3 when Earthbound came out........

I got it later for a awesome price since I'm into playing games on their original system and not emulation, but that's besides the point.
 
I always refer to my games as a 'working collection'- they are meant to be played, not just stored. I do have a small handful of sealed games that I just didn't get around to when I got them. I'll consider selling them if, when I do want to play them, there's a notable difference between sealed and open-but-mint in price. I likely won't think twice about cracking open Arc the Lad: Twlight of the Spirits, but Minish Cap might give me some pause. We'll see...
 
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