In the gaming industry, nostalgia sells, which is a contributing factor to the frequent remakes of various video games like Resident Evil 2 and the evolution of arcades since the 80s. For some, this goes further back and has contributed to a number of collectors seeking older and rare games, which led to dentist Eric Naierman and his small video game collection club paying over $1 million to add 40 'new' Nintendo titles to their ever-growing collection.

These specifically cost Naierman a grand total of $1.02 million, with the sale being one of the largest in video game collecting's history, according to experts. They also say that Naierman's new collection, alongside what he already owned, is one of the foremost valuable and rarest collections in the world. Every Nintendo game he bought was factory sealed, and most are first-edition releases that are one of a kind or of a very few. Each were also considered to be "black box," "sticker-sealed" games, collecting jargon that denote an item's release date and condition.

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Naierman's purchase includes several black box, stick-sealed copies of NES games such as Mario Bros. Arcade Edition (1986), the only two known extant copies of Golf (1985), and the only know copies of Balloon Fight and Gumshoe (both releases in 1986). This collection took 3 collectors and 52 combined years prior to Naierman's purchase to put together, and for context, the highest single game sale prior to this purchase was a first-edition 1985 Super Mario Bros for $100,150. Most games in Naierman's collection could easily fetch similar, if not higher, prices.

naierman game collection

Although video game collection hobbyists are a relatively recent addition to the gaming world, it's not likely one to end any time soon. Experts state that, roughly 15-20 years after a game releases, many will look toward picking up games they had as children, and with a market rising around them, collectors have a dollar sign they can associate with games. The very same thing has already begun to happen with PS2 games and Nintendo Wii products, so it'll be interesting to see if any collections rise up in the next few years to rival Naierman's.

Regardless, Naierman's purchase speaks to the inflating price of retro games, especially those in such condition, but that's also basic supply and demand. Because of this, Naierman now owns one of the greatest retro video game collections of all time.

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Source: The Washington Post