The thing is with Nintendo games is that anyone can make a so called Factory Sealed game as long as they have access to a shrink wrap. At least the Super Nintendo games have that red nintendo strip arround them. Yakumo
That new copy that has popped up will be fascinating to watch...it's already surpassed the other one within a day of being auctioned - 8 days to go! In regards to the question of who the heck would pay for such things; I wouldn't be surprised if we're getting into investor fund territory now. Stamps, coins, art etc. All of that has been used for ages to create a portfolio, why not videogames? Their value is starting to become known in the mainstream. If you can invest in stamps, you sure as hell can invest in Nintendo! As you say though, I really wouldn't trust the shrink wrap...way too easy to fake. It's all going to start getting very silly soon, and I completely expect fake copies of many rare games to be produced to the highest quality - after all, how much would it cost to make an absolutely perfect fake?
Of the packing? Not a lot. I have access to a printerthat can make carbon copies of anything scanned. And yes, it will even print like a factory printer because that's what it's for. The problem with perfect copies is the actual media. Even the most authentic copies can't recreate the media be it cartridge or disc. Yakumo
That is the beauty of this type of scam though. The buyer can't open the packing to check the media because he ruins the reason he bought it in the first place. As long as you get the box and wraping perfect you can stuff in copies of Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt all day long. Perfect Catch-22.
This is ridiculous. There are games which are a lot more rare than this crappy retail sports game. I seriously don't get it...
In North America they didn't: http://www.snescentral.com/article.php?id=0953 There is actually this silly video game grading service that checks the quality of new game seals (known as VGA, if you feel the need to look it up). They claim to be able to tell when it is a reseal, but if you ask me it is a bunch of bullshit. However, never underestimate the willingness of sealed game collectors to drive the price up on sealed games, which is exactly what is going on here.
A scan is a scan, no matter how good. If you really wanted to analyze the two side-by-side, you would tell. Likewise, if you're talking inkjet printing over litho, you can tell.
Right, but with a sample to copy and access to the proper printing and lithography equipment one could make copies quite easily..
Star Trek was a cultural icon (to some at least). The link you listed, for example, is for the six foot studio model (there was also a four foot model) that was built by Industrial Light & Magic and used for all seven seasons of the TNG tv series and one movie (Generations). Generations was the last ST movie that used conventional models before switching to CGI (and there is a bit or irony in doing so as the department who was resposible for the CGI ships lost, and couldn't recover, the files for the Akira-class ship used in First Contact, which meant that ship class was basically never used again).
Yes, I know about them idiots. Complete bullshit if you ask me. In their eyes a factory sealed game of something is more valuable than a signed copy. So for arguments sake, if I had a factory sealed copy of Super Mario World for the SNES and a mint but signed copy by Miyamoto himself, they'd say the sealed one was more rare and valuable. Idiots! Worst thing is that people are now using this service to jack up prices on medioca shit because it's sealed. This is no inkjet mate, it's full on professional printing equipment. Nothing that any of us could go out and buy. You probably could tell a copy from the original but you would need the original to work from plus know your stuff when checking. To the average collector though, they'd never know. Yakumo
Digital printing = inkjet printing (generally, also other methods e.g. laser) Litho printing = litho printing BOTH are professional printing. Litho prints you won't get without a minimum run, usually 500. I don't envisage anyone bootlegging on that scale, not without suspicions being raised. Access to litho printing for short runs (e.g. a one-off box) is generally not available due to the time and high cost needed to produce film separations, plates and proofs. Don't mistake a desktop printer as the only inkjet standard available. They use dyes, whereas pros (generally) use pigment inks. I use professional printing equipment every day, actually. Because of the different methods used, it is possible to tell the difference between a professionally digitally printed item and the same item litho printed. Yes, it may be difficult to discern for the untrained eye, but it is possible. This might be an interesting read for those who would like the skills: http://cycleback.com/cardsauthentication.pdf
It would be worth doing a run of 500 even if you only end up selling one or two given the ludicrously high price at the moment. Easily done although the 'factory seal' isn't as simple as we may think simply because you need the actual factory sealing machines to reliably make the seals the way they do. From what I've seen and heard I do think this sealed copy is genuine...but I also think that this will be the peak of its value so whoever buys it will lose out investment wise. Fascinated to see what it goes for, and if the sale does actually go through. Presume this will be an eBay record? What about a private sale record?
Well as much as I enjoy having my little clashes with Herman, I am beginning to think perhaps in this instant he may be right. I mean it is possible that the owner of this sealed copy saw the recent auction and decided this was a good time to sell. But something about all of this still doesn't seem completely right to me.
:thumbsup: Btw, I just got banned from NeoGAF last week for raising the issue of conspiracy. Pffffffffffffffft...Oh well....
I know it seems crazy to accuse a group of people of price fixing without any substantial / physical evidence but I just can't help myself but to be skeptical of all this. It feels like they're trying to create a supply & demand frenzy with game enthusiasts. These buyers are usually private on Ebay ( which I feel are suspect ). So you can't tell if its really a collector ( which I doubt ) and not some owner of a video game retail store deliberately hiking the bids to make the item seem highly sought after. And then you get the copycats which are carrying-on at this very moment.
How long until gaming auctions reaches the level of insanity seen in comicbooks and their related products? I'm holding to my Conker's BFD cart BTW...
It's on 40,100US$ now. New price record for any commercially released video game ever? The most expensive one todate must have been either the gold nes event cart (around 22k$??) or the bundle adol told us about, Ultimate Eleven + Kizuna Encounter for 55k$. It's slowly getting ridiculous, if it stays that high and nobody deletes their bids, that is. Actually, I couldn't be bothered to pay such an amount for a game that is sealed in shrinkwrap however much money I had to spend. It's the cheapest possible method of sealing an item and it's very likely to peel off in a couple of years, way worse than any celophane-wrapped media.
