About a week ago I found out about a new video game grading service called Video Game Quality. You might be familiar with this name as we’ve featured plenty of items on VGA from him, but last week I took notice that the seller grades factory sealed video games. Yup, the sellers got his own acrylic cases with logo/grade.

Now I am not sure if it’s a recent thing, but there’s a whole grading system on his website, and after scrolling around I see on the bottom that the website was designed since 2010 so perhaps I’m one of the few that were clueless about this new player? But as they say, if it’s news to you it’s probably news to others. Anyhow, it’s not important when he started his services. Whats important is that there’s a change, and this seller brings competition for Video Game Authority which is healthy for the business. Why so? Well, competition drives innovation and pushes the players to offer something more, something better. But you might think what else is there to offer in the video game grading business? If you’re an entrepreneur you’re always trying to think of new things to bring to the table so it will be exciting to see what comes forth in the near future from both of them.

But anyways, lets move on to the topic of discussion; Video Game Quality. When you enter the sellers’ site the first thing you see is a message stating “Why you should buy Video_Game_Quality”. Here’s what’s written:

“Over 25 years of experience in the Video Game Market operating a video game store in the late 80′s into the early 90′s selling official products direct from Nintendo & Sega with training in official seals of quality. A foundation you can count on when grading sealed or open nostalgic video games.”

Not only does the seller mention he has experience of 25 years, he also owned his own video game store and trust me, it’s not the same as collecting sealed games and getting your knowledge from that. Owning a store means receiving thousands of brand new sealed games. I’ve mentioned plenty of times that I’ve worked at a video game store and when you handle everything from brand new Sega Master games all the way to PlayStation 3 games you start to acquire a particular knowledge on the way companies seal their games. It’s truly an art, and some of you might think for example that every Nintendo game should have a horizontal seam otherwise it’s not factory sealed. That’s not true. There are some exceptions such as unlicensed games. Because Nintendo never adopted these games the companies had to have a third party to seal their products, hence the “no horizontal seam”. Also, there has been mention of games being sealed differently abroad. But again, nothing’s better than handling thousands of sealed games a month and observing the seals. I’ve seen people attempt to create horizontal seams and sell the games on eBay. You could be easily fooled so it’s important that if you’re in this realm of collecting that you familiarize yourself extensively.

So how are the games graded? VGQ grades their games at Gold Level which are sealed games, and at Silver Level which are opened games. Also, the seller gives grades of 100 at Gold Level. They lay out everything for you on their Grade system’s Page. VGQ also shows you examples on validating Store Stickers, SNES seals, NES seals and etc… Just click here to see examples. Below are some pictures from one of the seller’s eBay listings:

So the question I have is; can any game really get a 100 Gold Level Grading? Because for me, to get a Gold Grade of 100 means that the game never went into circulation which would mean it’s “Mint”. But how do we know if a game went into circulation(meaning it was put on the shelf of a store)? For action figures, AFA gives a “U” for uncirculated if you send them an “unopened” case which the same logic should be used for video games. However, VGQ isn’t AFA, and they have their own grade system as mentioned above. So I guess a game gets a Gold Level of 100 if it’s in immaculate/impeccable/incredible/mint shape .

I think the seller’s operations are quite new to collectors which is subjective, however, I believe he’s on the correct path. He has a website up which definitely helps his cause and aids collectors, and he has an eBay store. It’s the perfect place for his niche target market since 99% of sealed collectors run to eBay first. We’ll see how his business venture pans out in the future.

Here are a few auctions from Video Game Quality:

Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP Factory Sealed 100 Gold Level
Nintendo GameCube Platinum Edition System  100 Gold Level
Sega Genesis System II 2 Original Brand 95 gold Level
GOLDEN AXE WARRIOR Sega Master System 100 Gold Level
Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker Sega Genesis 100 Gold Level
Shining Force Sega Genesis RPG Factory Sealed 100 Gold Level
Turbo Duo CD System TurboGrafx Collection 95 Gold Level
Turbo Grafx 16 Factory Sealed with 6 Brand New Games 90 Gold Level
Sega Master system with Gun Sealed 90 Gold Level

Today I’m listing a variety of cool items from the 80′s through to the 90′s. Most of these items are very affordable and quite collectible. Fans of Namco, Nintendo and Squaresoft will all find something interesting. The cool thing about a couple of them is that they are vintage one-use items that have never been used. You’ll see what I mean…

Pac-Man Alarm Clock – At first glance this clock may seem just like another standard clock put into an attractive video game style. But, this is not the case here at all! This alarm clock actually uses classic Pac-Man arcade sounds for all it’s functions. It’s the real deal.

Body Toons Super Mario Bros 3 & Gameboy Baseball Temporary Tattoos - These temporary tattoos aren’t the common once-sold in random vending machines. These are full size and licenced by Nintendo. Each pack contains 3 tattoos and the packs are still factory sealed.

Nintendo Power Iron-on Shirt Designs- If you plan on actually using these designs to make a hardcore vintage looking t-shirt, I give you a nod of respect. Please keep in mind however that these iron-on pictures don’t age very well and probably wont work well (not that they ever did even when new right? lol). It’s a great Nintendo collectible.

Pac-Man Colorforms Play Set- For those who can’t remember what a Colorform set is, let me refresh your memory. Remember those thin plastic pictures that stick to any smooth or glossy surface? This is it! These back in the 80′s usually ended up on the fridge for a while until they fell off when nobody notices and then get kicked under the fridge and get covered in dust and never work again!… Or maybe that was just me lol…

Squaresoft Promo VHS- This promo tape contains trailers for Crystal Chronicles, Final Fantasy IV, and Chrono Trigger. These of course were not mass produced and were not available for sale. It’s a great value. 

30th Anniversary Pac-Man Zippo- There’s an eBay store that sells great Zippos from Japan called Japan Zippo Station. In their listings is a category called “Character” which has a bunch of great looking gamer Zippos. They feature titles such as Pac-Man (linked above), Dig Dug, Galaxian, and Xevious.

There’s a Star Fox PAL Prototype on eBay right now. Yeah I know, it should say Star Wing on the cart, but since it’s a prototype I guess nothings written in stone.

The seller says that on the title screen it says “Star Fox” instead of Star Wing which is interesting note. Not much is said about this cart, and on the down side the seller doesn’t offer any story with it.

Star Fox Prototype PAL Version

I also happened to stumble upon a seller that has listed a lot of factory sealed vintage NES stuff. Seller seanbigblue has a bunch of sealed games, but he does have a brand new Nintendo Entertainment System, the one that comes with the Official Nintendo Players Guide. He has loads of other stuff and the prices are geared towards serious buyers:

Electric Jimmy’s Sealed Nintendo Collection

Other Video Game Auctions:
Silent Hill Pyramidhead Statue Cheap - Yes, a cheap Pyramidhead statue. There is a broken arm which the seller super glued back together(looks very well done) which is why the bids are currently low.
Sega Dreamcast Promo Clock – nice promo clock and quite cheap for the condition it’s in
Microsoft XBOX Promo Mens Sandals Flip-Flops – I’m diggin these flip flops! Summer isn’t too far away!

Insomniac Charity Auctions for Japan
Insomniac has finally entered the eBay scene and have listed limited/one-of-a-kind auctions for Japan’s tsunami & earthquake relief efforts.
Resistance 3 Art signed by Insomniac #1
Ratchet & Clank Art signed by Insomniac
Resistance 3 Art signed by Insomniac #2

Coins are something that always seem to show up in video games. The most famous coins would probably be the ever-present coins in every Mario related game ever made. But, why coins? Why not gems or stars? It could be as simple as coins = money, but I like to think that coins were chosen because of Mario’s arcade roots. In the original Mario Bros arcade, you collect coins to beat the other player. Why were coins put into that game? It’s not like kicking crabs and turtles often causes coins to appear, lol. My take on it is that since you need to put a coin into the machine to play, two players put their quarters into the machine to try to take the other player’s coin. It’s like grabbing the coins on the screen is you taking the other player’s coin they put in. This is of course just my theory, but whatever the reason; coins are a big part of Mario games and always will be.

Here’s a set of coins that were available for a limited time when Nintendo Power printed their 100th issue.

I haven’t heard anyone putting a number down on how many of these coin sets were produced, but I would guess the quantity is far less than you may think. If anyone knows for a fact how many sets there are, please feel free to post a comment.

The original price for the set was, I believe, $30. The set currently up on eBay is priced much higher. The rarity of the coins is in question and I would recommend making an offer before the buy-now option.

Nintendo Power 100th Issue Coin Set

If you pre-ordered Super Mario Galaxy, you may have received one of these awesome looking coins…

Not only is the design of the coin itself great, but the way it is packaged is also very nice. It’s clearly meant to be set beside your copy of the game on the shelf which is kinda cool.

Super Mario Galaxy Commemorative Pre-Order Coin

Next up are some candy coins!

The display case for these candies is almost as cool as the awesome [?] blocks the actual candy is boxed in. Although the picture shown above shows the display opened and set up, the boxes (2 available) are actually still factory sealed. This is an item that I’m sure is often overlooked.

New Super Mario Bros Coin Candies Sealed Box

You wouldn’t think to find video game items in an eBay store called 1 Sterling Collectible Antiques, but this store actually has a collection of great arcade tokens for sale. I can very much see myself getting into collecting these.

If you prefer to  jump right to their tokens, click here.

eBay Seller m-o-j-o has a bunch of neat Mini Arcades that are built to perfection! You got a variety of different games from Donkey Kong to Gauntlet, all the way to Crystal Castles. I’ve had the opportunity to play the real arcades at my friends house(Elio), and let me tell you what a treat it was!



Just take a look at these beauts!

Every area was built to be an impeccable resemblance to the life-sized coin-op arcade machine. Just take a look at the rest I picked out as my favorites:

The high quality craftsmanship on these arcades are very impressive, and at the price these mini aracade’s are at it’s definitely worth a purchase. They are only available in the United Kingdom so bear in mind.
Seller says:”I sell these awesome models on behalf of the workshop that creates them. These models have been purchased and collected by fans and customers in a dozen different countries worldwide. Each model is painstakingly hand crafted to the highest spec, and can take over four hours to complete.

Please Note – this is a display piece designed for adults, it is not intended for use by children. Also please note ( although it seems obvious ) that these models are display pieces and are not working games systems !”

Here’s the list of arcades I thought were neat:

BUBBLE BOBBLE Arcade Model
Q-BERT Arcade Model
THE SIMPSONS Arcade Model
CONTRA Arcade Model
DONKEY KONG Arcade Model
NINJA TURTLES Arcade Model
ASTEROIDS Arcade Model
MARIO BROS. Arcade Model
PUNCH OUT Arcade Model
GAUNTLET Arcade Model
MS. PAC MAN Arcade Model
CRYSTAL CASTLES Arcade Model
DEFENDER Arcade Model
ZAXXON Arcade Model
GALAGA Arcade Model
GALAXIAN Arcade Model
STREET FIGHTER II Arcade Model
DONKEY KONG Junior Arcade Model
PAC MAN Arcade Model

The seller has other arcades if you’re looking for a particular game.

Have a good day!

I thought I’d put away some of the auctions I was going to highlight today and instead change things up with eBay seller stopmenandbuy1. But before I go on here’s two auctions at a great price for you retail display box collectors:

You get 28 PS1 store boxes all brand new for the first auction, and 25 SEGA Dreamcast store boxes for the other auction. Both are at great prices and it’s the same seller(save on shipping!). In the description of the auction you get the list of game boxes.

Click here for Playstation 1 PS1 Store Retail Display Boxes

Click here forSega Dreamcast Store Retail Display Boxes

Now the second seller I want to feature is stopmenandbuy1. He has a BUNCH of posters up for a good price. Some are common, some are rare, but the best part is that he combines shipping.

I’ve bought a lot of posters from one seller who happened to live in the UK, and shipping was cheap so don’t let that get in your way . All posters are brand new! I’ve highlighted some of the auctions that caught my interest, but stopmenandbuy1 has a bunch of other titles you might like so check it out!

I also purposely created the post below to look like steps. Wanted to save room so you don’t need to scroll for 1 kilometer



Ton of Video Game Posters:

Rogue Galaxy PS2 Promo Hanging Sign

Warioland Wii Promo Store Box

Sonic Chronicles The Dark Brotherhood Poster

Metroid Prime 2 Hanging Store Display Sign

Rachet & Clank Locked and Loaded Poster

Legend of Spyro Eternal Night Poster

Final Fantasy Dissidia Poster Double Sided

Metal Gear Solid 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS Poster

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Poster DS

BULLY Scholarship Edition Poster

Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning Poster

DISGAEA 3: Abscence of Justice

Super Mario Galaxy Poster

INFINITE UNDISCOVERY

Animal Crossing Wild World Window Sticker

Silent Hill Origins Poster (I really like this one)

Metal Gear solid Twin Snakes Poster Rare

Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction Poster

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes Standee BOX

Metal Gear Solid 2 Susbtance Standee BOX

Twisted Metal Black Store Display

Parasite Eve II Box Standee

Kingdom Hearts 2 BOX Standee

Ratchet and Clank: Locked and Loaded Hanging Sign

Metal Gear Solid 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS Standee

ECCO THE DOLPHIN Shop standee

GOLDENEYE 64 Blaster Masters Store Standee

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle BOX Display

FINAL FANTASY IV PROMO Mini Counter Display

Today I will be highlighting an eBay store. This will be a VGA first, however, this was one of our main idea’s for the site; showing you rare and interesting auctions as well as highlighting eBay stores.

Basically the whole idea behind this is to highlight any eBay store that sells rare and interesting video game items; from promotional items, merchandise, swag, and anything of that sort. Any eBay store we will highlight will be listed under “eBay Stores” in our Categories section in the right side bar.

Today’s eBay store is called “Once Read Mangas” who specialize in Anime, Manga & Video game character related collectible and cosplay items. With well over 1000 items in their inventory they have quite the selection. There’s nothing that is extremely rare or limited, however, a lot of these items cannot be found else where. I scanned through most of their items and came up with a bunch of ones I thought you all might enjoy! From all the auctions I listed, the seller says that all items are official.

Below I will list each item in it’s designated category to simplify things but if you are interested in checking out their store, I highly recommend it!

eBay Store “Once Read Mangas”

The Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda Wings Gold/Green Belt Buckle
Legend of Zelda Map & Route Nylon Wallet
Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Splash Art Beanie Cap

Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy Series Bomb 2″ Mini Plush Keychain
Final Fantasy Series Chocobo Plush
Final Fantasy Series Moogle 4″ Mini Plush Keychain

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega Classic Sonic the Hedgehog Ear Muffs Warmers
Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Plush Slippers
Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Gray Canvas Messenger Bag
Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Cosplay Plush Fleece Hat Cap
Sega Winking Sonic the Hedgehog Plush Bi-Fold Wallet

Nintendo
Nintendo Original Controller Keep It Real Patch
Nintendo Controller Zelda Mario Keychains Zipper Pulls
Nintendo Super Mario Galaxy Chain Chomp 3D Keychain
Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Bullet Bill Belt Buckle
Donkey Kong Barrel 3D Rubber Keychain
Mario Donkey Kong Leather with Chain Wallet

Meta Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 4 Bullets Metal Belt Buckle
Liquid Snake and Solid Snake Pin Set

Other items:

Shu’s Blue Dragon PVC Keychain
Call of Duty World at War Bullets Metal Belt Buckle
World at War 3D Rubber Grenade Keychain
Assassin’s Creed Crest Ball Cap Hat
Halo 3:Mob Anti-Aircraft Belt Buckle
Gears of War Marcus Fenix Beach Towel
Disney Kingdom Hearts 2 King Mickey PVC Figure
Silent Hill Save Point Necklace

Cosplay, for those who may not know, is where people dress up as their favorite fictional characters. It’s something only the brave and passionate fans can do, but I have to say… If you’re going to do it; do it right. The more accurate the design and the better quality of the material is the key to having the best costume. I have found an eBay store which sells costumes, weapons, and accessories of the highest quality. Seriously, this stuff is amazing and it has all been custom made. They even take commission jobs for any item you can think of!

Ninety-Nine Nights – Full Suit of Armor

I haven’t played this game so I can’t say much about the character, but the accuracy of the armor design is dead-on %100. When you go all-out like this in terms of quality for cosplay at a convention, expect a ton of people wanting to take your picture lol. There are currently two sets available here on eBay.

Lineage II – Sword & Scepter

Lineage II is a MMO with unique stylized graphics. I’ve heard the game is crazy difficult because of it’s player vs. player side, so I’ve stayed clear of it so far. Still, I find myself wanting to try it. Check out this sword that has been worked to the finest detail…

If that’s not enough for you, check out this scepter! Keep in mind that these are cosplay props and are 1:1 scale and that puts the sword over 4 feet and the scepter around 5 feet long!

Click here for the sword. There are two available at this time. The scepter can also be found here on eBay.

Devil May Cry – Dante’s Sword (Awakened Version)

It’s hard to tell from the picture, but this sword being 1:1 scale is actully 55″ long! it’s made out of fiberglass so that you don’t get exhausted by carrying it around all day at a convention. Click here to get one for cosplay or just to display! There are more then ten available.

Final Fantasy XIII – Lightning’s Gunblade

This brilliantly designed gunblade can be taken apart so that it can be carried in a leather holster (the gunblade in the game actually folds closed, but there are no moving parts on this version). Once assembled, it measures at 47″ long. Click here to get one of you own! There are currently more than ten available.

Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core – Zack’s Shoulder Armor

This bit of armor is instantly recognized as being “SOLDIER” armor from Final Fantasy VII. Ever since the cover of the original game that shows Cloud’s left shoulder covered in this rounded shoulder plate, it’s become iconic to the series. There are four sets available here on eBay.

Kingdom Hearts – Key Blades

These are awesome because each design is so different and creative. I would love to collect all four of them, but that would be quite a bit of money to spend all at once maybe lol. Each are 37″ long and masterfully painted.

Halloween

 

All of these great items and much much more can be found here at 0404 Cosplay Plaza!