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Punk1984

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CGC (Classic Game Collecting) Priceing

By Punk1984 1 Comments

Author's Note: ...And we're back. Sorry for the abrupt downtime but I've been switching up schedules in real life which has left me with very little time. Thanks for coming back.

Pricing is the one aspect of building a collection that results in nothing but headaches. You may remember my advice that you focus on a theme to keep your collection small for awhile; pricing is why. It is hard to explain how a certain title is priced or why title A is worth more than title B on the open market. It is also hard to explain why and how price can fluctuate across the same title. Yes it is hard to explain pricing, but I'm gonna try.

Quick Tips


  • Remember your theme.
  • Mentally assign a price to a game you want. (for example, I really love Ducktales but I would never pay more than $10 for it)
  • Try to gauge a title's price from multiple sources.
  • When your first starting out don't go crazy buying a bunch of 'video game lots'

Pricing for Dummies Like Me

It all boils down to supply and demand. The basic price of a game is an indication of its availability in the marketplace. In English: Expensive games tend to be rare and rare games tend to be expensive. When I say 'rare' I don't mean that they had a small print run or that they are hard to find I mean that they are in high demand and are not on the market very long. To break this down we'll use the example of the first printing of Super Mario Bros. 2-
  • The first printing of Super Mario Bros. 2 (US) used a different audio chip than later printings. This audio chip has a high compatibility rate with NES clone systems.
  • There are less first printing SMB2s than later printings combined but the first printing is still not that hard to find.
  • Mario is a popular character and his games always sell high
  • The first printing SMB2s have a "Nintendo Seal" on the cart label making them easy to identify
  • Since they are purchased to play (because of their compatibility) Collectors tend to keep them in their collections
This all means that first printing SMB2s are easy to price compare against later printings. They are the same game but since the chip is different the first printing's demand is higher. Not enough to affect the cart's price but definitely its demand. First printing SMB2s sell faster than other SMB2s and usually for the same or on slightly higher prices. Since they don't often appear in the marketplace very long they trade at a higher price.
  • Summing it up: The first printing of SMB2 is worth more not because of the different chip but because collectors do not trade them as often and when they are available ted to purchased quickly. This creates demand and increases the price. (But you should still not pay much more than $10 for it. Regular SMB2s should go between $5-$10)
Another example is "DuckTales 2." Released towards the end of the NES's life cycle Capcom did not print as many "Ducktales 2" carts. While still popular the game just wasn't as available as older titles. The thing is "Ducktales 2" is a very good game and like other Capcom/Disney titles was based on a popular brand. The title sold well originally which means that there were not a lot of copies "left in a box in storage" or placed in game store bargain bins. Ducktales 2's high sell through rate (the number of copies that were bought by original customers) and low print run combined to make it a cart that is easily worth as much today as it was new.

Basics of Pricing

Factors that will raise a title's price
  • low print run (there just are not that many carts that actually exist)
  • A high sell through rate (most of the carts went to private people making large amounts of them hard to find)
  • Popularity (no one wants a game no one wants)
  • Compatibility (as more and more original NESs break how does the game play with a newer NES Clone)
Factors that will lower a title's price
  • High print run (You can find them everywhere)
  • Low quality ( E.T. for the Atari 2600 'm looking at you)
  • Time specific titles ( Madden 95 will never be worth a lot - sorry)
  • Availability on Digital distribution (Once a game shows up on Virtual Console its price plummets and then raises a bit before leveling off)


Next time I'll delve into how the different conditions a cartridge can be in will effect its price.
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