Unlike comics, the video game community has never codified “eras” of collecting. So we are here to formally introduce the idea of breaking down collecting by Ages according to tent pole consoles and the games that defined the time period. If you guys prefer to watch the video instead of text, here is the YouTube Link https://youtu.be/bMa7rp2IW8o?si=WBYc8tdppmGqCalh

Prehistoric Age (1972-1985)

The age of Atari, Commodore, Intellivison. Certain games are collectible like Pac-Man, first appearance of Mario for the Atari 2600 and so on, but by in large, 99% of the games are forgotten and will never come back to people’s radar. You also have uber rare games like Air Raid that sell for 5 figures but the collecting base will only grow smaller over time as people age out and new collectors come in. 

Golden age (1985 NES-1995 SNES)

NES saved home console gaming back in the 80s and the most valuable games and the largest number of collectors will always collect for this console. 

Mario became what it is currently because of Super Mario Bros 1 and Zelda started it all because Miyamoto wanted to create a game that captured the wonder of exploring nature in his childhood. Other amazing IPs include Kirby, Metroid, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, and others.

Genesis biggest and arguably only investable exclusive IP is Sonic. Even then, it’s more of a tier 3 IP, where it’s being kept alive by box office success but the actual games themselves haven’t been relevant since the Dreamcast days of Sonic Adventure. 

SNES is also a juggernaut with important starts to franchises like Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart and Starfox. Its RPG library is extremely collectible like Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG. 

Silver age (1995 start of N64 TO 2000 before Gamecube)

Nintendo 64 grail games are Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Zelda OOT, Smash. Tier 3 titles like 007 Goldeneye and Sculptors Cut are also very valuable. Perhaps it’s because N64 has a small library that it’s easy to collect for but somehow they are as expensive if not more than SNES.  

Playstation 1 is an interesting console with a ton of firsts- Grand Theft Auto,, Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Twisted Metal and the list goes on. And beyond firsts, they got console defining games like FF7, Castlevania SOTN, Metal Gear Solid. With major franchises like those you’d think PS1 games would be near N64 pricing. However these 4 points limits PS1 pricing-

• Jewel case vs cardboard, just easier to get higher # grade on jewel

• Lots more shovelware, a lot of games are complete garbage 

• Double jewel case games don’t have the manual with staples that can get messed up, and thus have higher # grades as well

• It isn’t Nintendo

Bronze age (2000 start of PS2 Xbox and GameCube To 2005)

The BIG console of this generation is arguably both Xbox and GameCube. PS2 had some new IPs like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Devil May Cry and God of War but most other top games are continuation of series like GTA Final Fantasy and Resident Evil.  

Original Xbox has the mega IP Halo and Star Wars KOTOR. It doesn’t have a ton of original IP that’s relevant today however. 

Gamecube Introduced series like Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Luigi’s Mansion, and Chibi Robo which are still going strong. Also other major gamecube IPs are continuations of big Nintendo IPs like smash Bros Meele, Mario Sunshine and Zelda Windwaker. 

Modern age (2006 PS3 and beyond)

This is when online play really took off with Sony and Nintendo catching up to Microsoft. Big games include Last of Us, Little Big Planet and Wii Sports. Besides being selective with high grade and big franchise games, wouldn’t recommend pouring any investment funds into this timeframe of games.  

Tier 1- It’s Mario. It’s Zelda. It’s Pokémon. Great future upside and limited downside but more expensive now to participate in. Collect any game you have nostalgia for but if you’re worried about it retaining or growing in value, then you have to consider the longevity and relevance of the IP. For example, consistent investment in the Mario IP by Nintendo, whether through games or theme parks or movies, help make it the blue chip franchise of graded game collecting.

Zelda is not far behind in popularity and IP investment by Nintendo, with the movie coming out as well as consistent banger Switch games.

Pokémon is a behemoth when it comes to cards but for games, it’s oddly lacking behind especially when compared to the price of some Pokémon cards. Remember, Pokémon came out as Gameboy games FIRST before cards or anime.

Tier 2 IPs are other Nintendo 1st party mascots like Metroid, Donkey Kong, and Microsoft giant Halo. They still have consistent game releases through the years but typically lag behind the tier 1 IPs in terms of value, and aren’t nearly as heavily invested by their developers as compared to the tier 1s.

However rare variant and high grades are fought for when they come up for auction. For example, Metroid Hangtab 9.6 A+ sold for 125k in 2024.

Tier 3 IPs are IPs where they had important games during NES’s or the consoles heyday but have fallen off the cliff when it comes to IP and game development. Examples such as Castlevania, Mega Man, even Kid Icarus have occasional new games but come out for the DS handhelds only and the quality of the games aren’t up to par with the first 2 tiers. There’s always a possibility they become tier 2 or even 1 IPs again but it will take a drastic change in company philosophy to refocus and reinvest in those IPs.

Tier 4 IPs are niche IPs that have a cult like following but will never be mainstream and do not have games that were released during the golden era of cartridges (NES SNES N64). Games like Nier or Phoenix Wright were amazing games and have strong fan bases but as for investing, will likely not grow in popularity and limits your potential buyer base when you go to sell your game.

Lastly Tier 5 IPs are just completely dead franchises from long ago. Buy only because of your nostalgia, not because of investing.

Final rule of thumb, simple rule in how to tell if your game is a top tier IP. If you go to a non game collector and told you invested in a game, how many words do you need to answer the question WHY?

There’s a lot of similarities between the 3 leading video game grading companies and card grading. Essentially, WATA = PSA, VGA = Beckett and CGC = CGC. Do remember that there are 2 components to grading sealed games- the Box integrity and the seal quality.

Grading Scale

WATA- uses comic scales that go by 0.5 increments until 9.0 and then goes up by 0.2 until 10. Seal grades are from A++ on downwards. 

CGC- same as WATA but has a 9.9 grade 

VGA- uses a scale up to 100 that uses increments of 5 and a +. So you have 85 85+ 90 90+ and this one grade encompasses both box and seal. In general VGA grades harsher on seal and more lenient on box. In general a VGA 95 hardcase game is 9.8 A++ or higher. For cardboard it can be a wider range because of leniency on box.

Pricing 

WATA- anywhere between $50-150 for 5-30 day turnaround + Fair market value upcharge. But recently have introduced discounts anywhere from 10-30%.

CGC- anywhere between $40-125 for fast turnaround + 1.5-2% FMV upcharge. Also has membership where you pay upfront for 10-20% discounts for the year.

VGA- $50-150 for standard games with 21-75 day turnaround. Only game in town for custom size cases but goes from $115 on up. No upcharge

Grading Consistency

WATA- anecdotally has gotten easier to receive 9.8s because 10s are now possible to to get. Harder on seal than CGC.  

CGC- 9.9s are easier to get now than before. Harder to get 10s than WATA but also possible to get 10s with non A++ 

VGA- most “mint” games end up in the 85 and 85+ grade.  Extremely difficult to get 90 or better.  

Resale value

WATA- typically outsells CGC 20-50% if the same grade, only outshined by very high grade VGA (95 or more), which would equate to a BGS 10. 

Collector base

WATA has the widest collector base since the pandemic boom onwards, much like how PSA dominated after 2019. And WATA is owned by PSA.

CGC just entered the space 2 years ago and is having a much bigger presence in Heritage Auctions so the future is looking bright as well. 

VGA has a die hard fan base with long time collectors since they’ve graded the longest since 2008. And for things like consoles and games that require custom sizes, they are the only game in town. 

Case quality

WATA’s new case is much sleeker and form fitting but the blisters have had issues and can come scuffed that inhibit eye appeal

CGC’s case is quite clear but the blue labels are not anyone’s cup of tea and the case looks like a hanging blister pack

VGA’s acrylic is the clearest and most form fitting because of its custom nature. Labels are clean but lack pertinent variant info.

Since a lot of Mantel users are based in sports cards and maybe TCG, I figured it’d be good to make a crash course on how and why you should collect video games that you guys care about or have nostalgia for. Every topic is intended to let you guys learn more about why we think video games are cool and how they are vastly different from modern sports cards, but VERY similar to vintage cards.

If you guys digest content easier through video form, here’s a link to @GetTheGreg weekly podcast that goes over this topic- https://youtu.be/YNMOJBc9t9s?si=8Y8GT9n4zGOBNmKW

1. Huge disparity in graded collector market size- Video games are 10-50x smaller than sports cards or TCG collecting, with graded games a smaller niche. Liquidity is a bigger issue on games that aren’t sought after. But, you can collect what you want without a ton of competition, which means much lower price points. E.g. Paul Skenes debut patch for $1,000,000 vs Super Mario Bros 1 for $20k. PRO for collector, CON for flipper

2. Pump catalysts essentially don’t exist in games- Video games don’t have volatility when a new game comes out. Comics used to with Marvel movies but that has died out. Modern sports cards are all about the chase cards that can either 5x or tank 90% depending on player performance. Vintage cards are much more aligned to how video games operate- slow and steady up over time. PRO for collector/investor, CON for flipper/speculator

3. IP Risk vs athlete or character risk- Mario/Charizard/Spiderman aren’t tearing ACLs or going to Diddy parties PRO for everyone

4. Profit potential over time- Video games do not currently have any gambling mechanic like how ripping wax does for cards. It’s much more geared towards long term investing without crazy short term volatility like modern sports cards. PRO for collector/investor, CON for flipping

5. Barrier to entry much lower for cards- Graded video games can be affordable around $50 for non 9.8 modern Mario games, but still doesn’t compare to a $10-20 PSA 10 of a random athlete. It inherently is more expensive because grading games are more expensive ($40 the cheapest option so far). CON for all

6. Utility for games and TCG but not sports cards (gives rise to Organic Collectibility)- Video games inherently are meant to be played and were never intended to be sealed. TCG cards are meant to be played as well but are just way easier to keep in good condition because of its smaller form factor. Sports cards entire existence was meant to be collected, although vintage cards have had tons of attrition due to bike spikes and passage of time. Because people aren’t told that games can be collected, you have segmented group that hates any sealed, let alone graded game. But just like comics were meant to be read, overall narrative will change over time since the popularity of graded games really came about in 2018 with WATA (grading games were around since 2008 with VGA but never marketed to a wider audience). PRO for everyone long term, CON short term with vitriol from normies and Redditors

7. Organic rarity is king, there are no 1/1s- Games were not meant to be sealed, comics are meant to be read. Vintage cards have had attrition over time but modern sports cards and even TCG like Magic the Gathering rely on serialization and parallels to maintain value. People like to be told what to collect, but true rarity lies in the things that were never meant to be collected at all. The one issue for the future is that there will not be enough sealed game supply for everyone who jumps into the hobby. For example, our most graded NES game is Super Mario 3 with a total WATA population of 400 and only 16 9.8s. Compare that to any modern sports card like Wemby prizms and you can see the difference. PRO for everyone joining early

Shout out to Ciraya on the GettheGregGames discord for this find.

Gamebox I’mwas supposed to release a PC port of Halo but it was cancelled just before release. As usual they are supposed to be disposed of, much like NBA Elite 11 but a few seem to have survived.

These discs were rated E for Everyone and we know that Halo was rated M for Mature.

Always new finds in the video game space!