It’s a simple idea that could have big-time appeal.
The idea? Video game box covers as canvas art prints — and a selection of four iconic Nintendo video games from the 1980s can be yours now for a relatively small price via ThinkGeek.com.
Nintendo
It’s all your fault, Nintendo … but at least I’ve still got baseball cards
It’s all your fault, Nintendo.
The hottest (though seemingly non-existent) toy of the holiday season has been without question the NES Classic, a miniature modern-day version of the old Nintendo Entertainment System pre-loaded with 30 different games from the heyday of the 8-bit platform.
Buzz knew this would be big the day it was revealed months ago and I’ve checked chain stores multiple times a week in the time since its arrival last month seeking that Shangri-La Shelf where the Classic sat at its posted price of $59.99 — not the massive amounts more allegedly being paid on eBay. (Sure, some of those “sales” aren’t legit — many of them in fact — but some of the lesser high-priced sales wouldn’t shock me since I’m sure the NES Classic has caused angst for other people out there.)
There was a side effect after all this aisle-walking and checking out video games like I hadn’t done in years, if ever. It made me do something I never would have predicted months ago.
Maybe you have the Honus Wagner of Nintendo games sitting at home …
A little-known Nintendo game then is a well-known Nintendo game now — at least to serious collectors who are known to fork over plenty of cash for it.
It’s Stadium Events, and it’s a game that’s so serious for collectors that in its original packaging it evokes comparisons to someone you might know if you’re into baseball cards.
“I never had a Honus Wagner,” said Tod Curtis, a Bedford, Ind.-based orthodontist, who seriously collects NES games and was interviewed as part of an ESPN The Magazine story on this game and its legacy. “That’s what this game is to this hobby. I don’t know how many Honus Wagner cards are out there compared to how many Stadium Events there are. If the game is really that rare, you can see in 20 years it coming up at Christie’s, where people are going to pay $900,000.”
The story is a fascinating one with plenty of parallels to the card-collecting world, and, not surprisingly, the tale has prompted the attempted sale of a high-grade copy of the game.
You probably won’t believe the asking price right now on eBay.
—
Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.
BlowoutBuzz.com 