Tuesday, June 23, 2009

How I Got Nintendo World Championships Gold

Nintendo World Championships Gold and Gray Together
I recently bought Nintendo World Championships Gold and was able to reunite the Gold and Gray cartridges together. I'm sure they missed each other. The process of getting the Gold cartridge was actually pretty interesting and full of emotional highs and lows so I thought I would share it with the VGPC readers.

The NWC Gold I bought was the one recently listed on ebay. I contacted him about the condition and the history of it. I wanted to know where he got it and call those people to see if they could verify that it was authentic. After some due diligence and talking to two other people who owned this cartridge, I was confident it was real. I gave him an offer of $17,500, which was quite a bit lower than his asking price of $25,000.

He said he would think about it but wanted more for the game so he was going to wait for some more offers. Over the course of 3 weeks I called or emailed him once a week to see where we stood. A few offers emerged that were higher than mine, but they were bogus (probably just kids using their Mom's email accounts). On May 24th he emails and tells me he is going to sell it to someone else who is going to pay $18.5K in cash and pick it up locally. At this point I figured I would never hear about the game again and had lost my one chance of getting the Gold Nintendo World Championship.

Seven days later on May 31st, the seller emails me again saying the $18.5K offer fell through. It was a scammer trying to pay with Western Union and then have a "friend" pickup the item. My offer was now the best one and the seller decided to accept for $17.5K. I had just come to grips with the fact I wouldn't get the game and then everything changes in an instant. This definitely wouldn't be the last of the emotional highs and lows.

On June 1st we agree to complete the transaction via escrow.com. I wire my money to the escrow service on Monday June 8th (I was at E3 the week before so couldn't send the money any sooner).

The next day I expect shipment, but hear nothing from the seller. I give him a one day grace period and tell myself "maybe he had to work late, don't worry about it".

June 10th rolls around, still nothing. I call him. He says "I will mail it tonight". A FedEx tracking number is emailed to me that night. I get really excited, "I'm finally going to get the game". About 10 minutes later an email comes from FedEx - "Shipment Cancelled".

The next day the seller tells me it finally shipped and gives me the address he sent it to. THE ADDRESS IS WRONG. It is my neighbors place. I call him to see about changing the address and he tells me "Sorry, I've decided not to sell it. I love the game too much."

I tell him I feel cheated because we agreed to the terms, I sent payment, and he's been dragging his feet for more than a month since I first spoke with him. Plus I'm down a couple hundred dollars in escrow fees. We end the call and I am really upset the rest of the night.

The next day, June 12th, I email him saying we have a contract and I will not accept his cancellation. He calls me 15 minutes later apologizing repeatedly saying he felt really bad the rest of the night because he felt like he had cheated me too. He says he will ship it that night via FedEx overnight with guaranteed 8AM delivery. I'm a bit skeptical but double check he has the correct address and pray for the best.

That night FedEx emails with a tracking number again. 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours go by with no cancellation email. I refresh the tracking page on FedEx about 100 hundred times and finally it shows it was actually picked-up. I might finally get the game!

The next morning at 7:30AM the FedEx man comes to the door. I'm holding my 7 week old baby, probably have a ridiculously big smile on my face, and sign for the package. I quickly open everything up half expecting some other problem.

Nintendo World Championships Gold is neatly packaged inside with a custom built display case and looks just as good as I imagined it would. I have the "Holy Grail of Gaming" and the emotional ride is finally over.

Nintendo World Championship 1990 Gold

Creative Common Nintendo World Championships Images


Some readers asked for large images of the cartridges I own with a creative commons license. The images are below and are listed with a Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike 3.0. This means anyone can use the images if they want to but you must attribute the source. Please link back to this article as your source if you post these images online.

1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Large Image
Nintendo World Championships Gold
Click for Large Image


1990 Nintendo World Championships Gray Large Image
Nintendo World Championships Gray
Click for Large Image

289 comments :

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Grooveraider said...

Touching story but i'm trying my best to find the logistics in paying nearly $20,000 for a competition cart that's had its rom dumped for emulation and reproduction carts. I'm actually surprised nobody has ever questioned this. I mean, I can understand if the competition cart was pure and not shared. This in my mind would justify the $20,000 value.

With that said - if I was given the opportunity to trade my two Shigeru Miyamoto autographed copies of Yoshi's Island (SNES) and Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 Limited Editon Gold ) for a gold NWC cart. I couldn't take the deal because the game has been shared with many people for practically no charge.

JJ Hendricks said...

Grooveraider - I can definitely understand people not wanting to pay a lot of money for a collectors item. But I'm not paying that much money to play the game, just like people who buy a Honus Wagner baseball card aren't going to put it in the spokes of their bicycle or Action Comic #1 buyers aren't going to buy it so they can read it while they eat breakfast. The same can be said about rare paintings, "why would I pay millions of dollars for a Picasso when I can just look at a poster of the same painting?"

They are pieces of history and very rare. That is where the value comes from. Not because someone wants to play the game.

That being said, I can completely understand why someone wouldn't want to spend that much money on a video game. Just as I can understand it for a painting, a comic, a vintage car, or anything else.

David Sanford Hesler said...

Great article man. I am always using your site for checking prices and things of the like and I enjoy reading the blog articles. Glad it finally all worked out and that you got the gold NWC cartridge. Oh and the demon blade post card things showed up in the mail, thanks!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! After all your articles on it and how the value will go up, I bet it feels good to finally be an owner of one.

Unknown said...

That was an epic story JJ. Good for you in getting the cart & happy for you. What was your first reaction when you first held it in your hands?

(Also btw, thanks for the bag, will treasure it lots)

JJ Hendricks said...

Bob - I think my first reaction when I held the game was surprise. I was surprised that I had actually bought the game and actually received it. The process took so long.

Also, because I spent so much on the game there was a moment of doubt too. "I just spent all this money on a video game?" That passed quickly though because I don't think it will go down in value. I've already had someone who said they wanted to buy it for $20K.

Anonymous said...

wow. congratulations. glad you're the happy owner of a legit copy!

Unknown said...

btw, i found a copy of stadium events on ebay for $150. It is supposedly a PAL version (does it look any different to NTSC?) but is it worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=139973&item=160341785986

JJ Hendricks said...

Bob - PAL Stadium Events is not worth as much as the NTSC version. I'm not sure if there is an easy way to tell the difference between the two but PAL is definitely not worth as much.

Unknown said...

Okay, i was just kinda interested since i noticed this auction that was just there & seeing if there was any interest in it.

moshaspartan said...

good on you, fella. cant imagine how amazing it must feel to have that in your collection. ignore the naysayers!

Anonymous said...

You left out whether you're fairly well off or not. I don't begrudge you your expensive hobby if you have a decent amount of money, but if not...that bit where you receive the package containing a game cartridge you paid 17k for, while holding your little baby in your arms...

Anonymous said...

I dont think someone here among these comments has any idea what logistics means.

Anonymous said...

cool story, bro.

Anonymous said...

Sure are a lot of flakes out there (and by there I mean here: the internet). Glad this one finally came around and did the right thing.

Anonymous said...

Wow! That was quite an epic story. Congrats man!

Anonymous said...

Couldn't the money have gone towards college tuition for the seven-week old baby or something. Also, you mentioned you were dealing with the seller for "a month". So this all started when the baby was three weeks old. You let this video game affect you more than your newborn child?

Anonymous said...

Gratzz mate.....u the mannn

Anonymous said...

Can't you just paint one gold? How do you know it's not fake?

Anonymous said...

An interesting read and all...
But it's just a silly purchase if you're gonna keep it.

Unless you're ridiculously rich, I don't think spending 20k in these times when you have a baby is a wise choice - rather a very selfish one.

What did your wife think of it?

Anonymous said...

Hersuri hit it on the nail. This is disgraceful. Have some sense and sell it to the person offering 20k, at least for your baby's sake.

Anonymous said...

$17.5k? Really? Sad.

Anonymous said...

What do you do for a living that you can spend that much money on an old video-game? Was it on credit or did you have the money just sittng around?

Anonymous said...

Ignore the naysayers and the first comment who is obviously some hoarder who insists that dumping ROMs somehow magically makes any original cartridges less rare (here's a tip - it doesn't, it's still the same number of originals) - this is an awesome cart, congrats on getting it!

jglc said...

Welcome to the Internet. For every compliment from another appreciating your victory and congratulating you on your success, there are 15 anonymous jerks ready to bash your decision.

For what it's worth, sounds like an amazing moment. Congrats.

Anonymous said...

Will it blend?

Anonymous said...

now to find a working launch xbox 360

Anonymous said...

LOLOLOLOL

Anonymous said...

Wow I am amazed at the emotional ties this game can bring with it. It indeed is the one ring to rule them all of gaming. Parting with it must have been difficult for that guy.

Congratulations!

John Miller said...

"I'm holding my 7 week old baby, probably have a ridiculously big smile on my face, and sign for the package."

Better avoid that. It's just... sad.

Anonymous said...

Sad? People to be that passionate about their collections is normal, it's the best moment of the whole story.

Congratulations with your new cartridge!

Anonymous said...

Everybody bashing this guy is jealous!!!!
I'm sure it would be ok for you though, if YOU bought something YOU really liked, regardless of the price...

And all you morons whining about the price, who cares? $17,500 is a drop in the bucket for some...now go buy a value meal, you poor jealous assholes!

Anonymous said...

I think he meant the cartridge is his 7 week old baby because the whole process took that long.

Anonymous said...

Wow.. You all have a very ignorant side.
Listen, both sides are right. Have course he couldve better spend the money on the baby in MY oppinion. But if he wants to spend it into his hobby where hes SURE that it will rise up in value, What really is the problem here?
He might sell it in about 15 years for lets say 50,000 dollars, That way he'll be able to invest in his baby + Another part of his hobby IF hes interested.
Also, even if he was rich or poor, what really would it matter? This guy makes the decisions for his life, If he makes a mistake HE will be the one baring the consequences NOT you. So dont call him out for jack please.
Further Id like to agree with the man, who explained how COLLECTING FOR HOBBYS actually work. IF the rest of you are really that superficial that you would congratulate someone on buying a car for his hobby but not a game, I think you need to lay off the internet, and learn some new morals and values in life.

Last, Id like to add my personal congratulations on buying the game. Pretty much know jackshit about it, but if it has that high emotional value to you, theres nothing else I could say.
Good luck in the future and on raising the kid.
Im out. Peace - DsT

Unknown said...

Grats dude.

They Call Me....Senor Martinez said...

While I can't personally think of anything I'd spend that much money on (at once) I too know the feeling of getting that one item you've desperately been seaching for.

eBay and the people on it can be tricky tricky beasts.

Congratulations on getting this. Now all you need is a fireproof/bulletproof/anti-theft display case for it. Fingerprint and retina scanner included of course.

MW said...

Kotaku was right about your story giving readers a knot in their stomach :) I felt your pain when you said the seller decided he wanted to keep it AFTER you'd paid. This is the worst part about eBay... letting foolish people post items with inflated prices. It never turns out good in the end (What with sleepless nights, FedEx tracking page refreshes, and boxes getting sent to neighbors homes - yes, my awful mailwoman did this to me and I lost a package from eBay!! It even had a tracking number that she scanned and then delivered to someone else).

Anonymous said...

Uhhh, damn, I wish "anonymous" put in a screen name or something. But he definitely has it right when he blasts out all the naysayers.

It sounds like it was one helluva an experience for you and congrats your purchase.

Alex said...

Nice read, good job on obtaining this artifact if I may call it like that. It will proof to be a good investion if you keep it another 15/20 years.

Anonymous said...

i had the same feelings when i found my brand new unopened vectrex on ebay. wanted one all my childhood, but couldn't justify my parents to get it.

felt good getting that brand new vectrex 25 years after they stopped making them, and it's a low serial version.

JJ Hendricks said...

Hersui - Thank you for your concern for my new born baby. I guarantee you that my baby brings infinitely more joy to my life than this game does. I didn't post a blog article on this site about my beautiful baby boy though because I don't think many gamers would care that much.

Anonymous said...

You are the reason the economy is on the downfall, because people pay for the dumbest and most expensive items when in fact like others have said, the money could have gone to a variety of other sources. People like you make me sick to my stomach and I truly hope that you one day realize the huge financial mistake you made for a stupid piece of plastic and some micro chips. People will label this post as ignorant as we have seen above, but the truth is you chose to do this and in your mind it may have been worth it, but all together unless you are rolling in money, it was an ultimately selfish thing to do. Shame on you for wasting what takes people months to make. The people who are congratulating you, must be either too young to understand financial freedom, or too obsessed with the collection culture they are feeding into. Great you got a collectible item, that is fine, but spending that much money is a travesty and I am sure that when your kid grows up he will be ashamed that his father wasted money that could have payed for medical bills, tuition, and other important financial decisions.

Anonymous said...

17500 is not that much. its only 50 a day in a year.
i spend this on gambling last year. hehehe

VIVA LAS VEGAS

Xris said...

Congratulations!! I know how it feels to have such wonderful part of history. I have a Original Nintendo Pikachu VW (1 out of 10), and im very very proud of it. And this, what you have is such WONDERFUL items! Hope I could see those at least in person once! Congratulations again! =D

Anonymous said...

@853am - Uhh, banks giving out subprime loans, credit card companies enacting universal defaults on their customers, and ousted CEOs getting golden parachutes had WAY more to do with the downfall of the economy than one guy buying a Nintendo game ever could.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant read! A brilliant eBay find to say the least, and it would defiantly be worth all the work you put into buying it! Congratulations! I would have done exactly the same if I had the money spare!

Anonymous said...

Nice job man. Very dramatic. I can't imagine how crushing it must have felt when you read that email from the guy explaining that he was going to keep it despite receiving payment. I'm happy to see you bested it all, though.

Anonymous said...

Huge waste of money IMO but then again I am not the one with a disposable income. I am also curious as to what you do for a living in which you can blow 17.5K on a game with a family. Also to those saying this will increase in value, I fail to see how. The next generation will have no interest in Nintendo games, unless maybe you can sell it to like a game museum or something.

Grats on getting what you wanted though.

Anonymous said...

JJ, don't mind the sheeple.
I too have purchased outrageous items,and I
have no shame in saying I have quite a lot of
money.

Please people, do not begrudge this man for
spending his hard earned money!

JJ Hendricks said...

I run VGPC.com but my main source of income is from selling used video games at JJGames.com.

For anyone interested in why I think the game will increase in value, I posted an article about it. Basically it is very rare, game collectors will have more disposable income in the future, and other rare items have continued to increase in value too like Honus Wagner and Action Comi #1.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to hear you finally got the game after that long wait. Congratz!

That's a lovely collectors piece you can now say is your own. ^_^

Dana said...

As the wife of a gamer and the mother of an infant, I'm horrified that you could spend that much money on a piece of plastic crap. As others have posted, it can be emulated. It can also easily be broken by that 7 week old of yours.

I hope you have millions of dollars of disposable income. I also hope that you have the support of the mother of that child for such an asinine waste of money. You want an investment? Invest in a fund for $17.5K that will pay for that child's education and/or your retirement. That's the better pay off.

If you were my husband or the father of my child, I think I'd leave.

JJ Hendricks said...

Dana - Thank you for comment. My wife and my baby are very happy actually. We have a great marriage and love each other very much.

I didn't take from my babies diaper and milk fund in order to buy this game. My wife and I live a very frugal lifestyle and I have managed to save some money for this game (and for retirement and college).

Anonymous said...

Don't waste your time trying to explain why someone would do something like this. You either understand or you don't, and the only way to understand it is through their own love, commitment and dedication to something special to them.

LTJPunkass said...

Where do you people get off on telling this guy what he can and can't buy? Just because you (nor I) could afford this, that doesn't mean HE couldn't. Dana, I'm sure for him it's not just an investment, and for all you know his could come out paying back more than yours would (seeing that he's already given that a thought, he's probably right.) Finally, everyone of those anonymous posters bashing him should worry about your own lives as opposed to him.

That being said, congradulations JJ on you're purchase!

Anonymous said...

Dana - thanks for the awesome tip on how to get rid of you cheaply if I ever found myself unfortunate enough to be married to you!

Anonymous said...

Who are you guys to tell him what to do with HIS money?

Anonymous said...

Democrats.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. You are a collector of the calibur I wish to one day become. I know what that feeling is like that you felt, but I probably have no idea what degree of happiness this brought you. I hope to one day know how you felt. Nice article.

soeffinmetal said...

How dare you want to own the true holy grail of gaming? And to pay market price for it, no less? You make me sick. Try spending your money on something worthwhile, like alcoholism. It will be the last you see of those emotional highs and lows because when you're an alcoholic you're ALWAYS having fun. Let's see you figure the logisticality of that shit out. I hope your son smashes up the cart and uses a shard to shave your eyebrows off while you sleep.

Anonymous said...

if u ask me that is not the holy grail of gaming this is http://starmen.net/stonehenge/bluedisks/ and each disk probably costs more than that cartridge

Grooveraider said...

Trust me, I have nothing to be jealous of. I'm actually blessed to have gotten my hands on some very nice Nintendo items that are one-of-a-kind and priceless. I'm just being critical of the hype surrounding these competition cartridges. Noone seems to be challenging these folks who like to spend tens of thousands on gaming memorbilia that really have no real historical importance, dare I say. There's no official certificate of authenticity proving the rarity of any those carts. Nintendo never came out declaring the fate of the remaining carts. The roms have been dumped. Besides its just a maniac collector with a disposible income who got media attention. I wouldn't even doubt some of the people defending JJ Hendricks are some of his accquaintances.

And for the guy who called me a hoarder - that fine. Atleast I share info of items that DO EXIST. Wether I release them or not is my perrogative. I'm a collector and I like to own things noone else owns. That's just how I roll. Sorry if it upsets you.

Anonymous said...

That was an awesome read, and to the people who are bashing him for buying it over his baby's well-being. How do we know he's not going to wait 18 years before selling the game and by that time it could be worth double what it is now. I'm not saying you should sell it, thats an amazing things to have.

Anonymous said...

Wow I wonder what my original Pong, Atari, and Intelevision are worth. Maybe with this price for one cartridge I can sell all three for $250,000. Seriously I had no idea that games I played 15 years ago had any value since mine are 25 years older maybe they are worth a fortune.
LOL

-Maha said...

Congratulations for buying the game! I envy you, though I am proud to have myself a Psychonauts with Tim Schaefer's autograph and text that the game is for me. I'm always glad to see people who buy collectible stuff, the only collectibles I don't understand are action figures. But it's just a matter of opinion..

But once again, congratulations!

Anonymous said...

@Hersuri and anyone else saying that money should've gone toward the baby's college tuition: if it's worth this much now, imagine how much a collector would be willing to pay for it when that kid is of college age? That cartridge set is an investment.

Anonymous said...

Seroiusly, those cartidges are worth that much? How do I sell mine?

Mayhem said...

I spent $2,600 on a game once (and it's more rare than the gold NWC cart talked about here). I still get occasional funny looks for that. It is tempered by the facts that my girlfriend at the time was a big videogame collector herself (yes, they do exist!) and that others gradually came to understand and know that I'm one of those people who preserves games for posterity. It had found the right home to be under, to be cherished and looked after, not randomly thrown out into a skip. I say enjoy it mate, these opportunities don't come around very often ;)

Anonymous said...

just wanted to say congratulation's and i hope you take good care of it and that its value continues to skyrocket. Nice work on obtaining it and i bet it felt absolutely great to finally own it.

VoiceOfTruth said...

I find the bashers in this article to be HILARIOUSLY hypocritical and very silly.

Despite what they say to justify getting so worked up over this article, you CAN practically hear the bitter jealousy dripping off their every word.

Because seriously. Anyone "horrified" or "appaled" or critizising the guy, or getting SO worked up to be on such a moral high-horse HAS to be jealous of him, and most definately IS on some level.

Or else, why bother writing such a vehement and intense comment, as if they take it personally somehow what a complete stranger does with his own money?

Yup. Jealousy. Quit denying it. You know how you look, and we see how you look. You're all jealous, shut the fuck up.

You reveal yourselves by having to take the time to hate and bash someone for the crime of having something YOU don't.

Right? Right.

Look.. You people don't have a good point. You're hateful and pathetic, because he has something you don't. Look at your own words. You cannot deny that you only sound whiny and bitchy when you critizise someone who has obtained an item that you cannot obtain.

If you saw the words "Nintendo World Championships Gold" in the title of this article and then clicked on it to read and especially comment on, then you obviously clicked on it, because you wanted to read about "Nintendo World Championships Gold.", right? Yes. Yes, you did.

That means that YOU bashers cared enough to read the article about the gold cart, and therefore, your responses ARE out of jealousy, on some level, since you HAD interest to read the story, and your curisoty MADE you click, right? Yup.

Maybe it IS true on some level that some of you bashers just find it strange that he spent that much....

But still, if not out of jealously out of the championship cart, then you're STILL obviously jealous that he HAS that much money TO spend, and you don't. Right? Yup.

So you're still humilating yourselves by revealing your sour grapes. No matter which way you look at it, no matter what poor excuse you make up to save face in front of us.

No matter how you respond. YOU came here. YOU read this. And YOU whined about it. Open and shut case.

Now, I know it's embarassing that i've exposed you bashers, but you need to deal with it.

I get so sick of pathetic little crybaby attention seekers trying to troll someone else's acheivments, in order to pretend to elevate your own pathetic lives and lack of similar accomplishments in life, out of some knee-jerk inferiority complex response.

And you call HIM sad. He's the one with the cart, while you're just bitching about how much money he had to get it. See the disparity in your logic there? Let it keep you awake at night, knowing i'm right and you're wrong.

The internet is definately a place where, for every well-meaning person congradulating someone for acheiving something with their life as he has, there's always pathetic trolls willing to call someone else pathetic for the crime of having something they don't have.

And especially to get so hot and bothered over it that you need to insult him out of jealousy.

Oh, you can fabricate whatever pathetic little self-defense and whiny backpedal excuses for your passing judgment on a stranger all you like.

But it does nothing.. NOTHING to change the truth about how you make yourselves sound, why you all sound like jealous dicks, and that you get so worked up over a story about a Nintendo Gold cart that YOU CLICKED ON, BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO READ ABOUT, AND BASK IN HIS GLOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.

It's just that some of you misguided morons are unable to bask in his glow in any other way, aisde from trolling him, to make yourselves feel better.

That's what this bashing is all about. You know it. I know it. We all can see it. And just stop it, now.

Either grow up, or get your own Nintendo World Championship Gold carts. THEN we'll see if your worthless critisisms and sour grapes whining measures up to him.

And not until.

Grooveraider said...

Just keep in mind, the only reason the Nintendo World Championship carts gets any attention is soley based on the narcissistic video game collector, nowadays. Comparing this to a Honus Wagner baseball card - that's abit of a stretch. The Nintendo World Champion cart has never been officially appraised by a professional appraiser. Hell even if there was such an appraiser - you'll have to investigate them to see what exactly are they basing and grading these cartridges on. There's no official word from Nintendo America on what actually happened to the remaining carts as they had complete control over the distribution of those carts before and after the event. You just have a community assuming the value. Here say doesn't cut it.

Grooveraider said...

@VoiceofTruth - I can understand your frustration over criticism. There isn't any jealously, trust me. Also, I don't hide under non-linkable ANONYMOUS names like some of YOU do.I'm the real deal. I came to JJ Hendricks site because I care about the gaming industry more than you actually realize. Screaming out buzzwords like TROLL, BASHING, JEALOUSLY, and few curse words just simply shows your incompetence to handling criticism.

Anonymous said...

All I know is that passion is a great thing.

End of

Anonymous said...

Passion is a great thing indeed. Congratulations JJ and family!

Anonymous said...

Can you send me a picture of it like Front and back? thanks email is jsevander@yahoo.com

Brett said...

ZOMG HOW DARE YOU W/ BAYBEE!~?>!?!?!

Just kidding, congrats dude. Common sense dictates that a collectors item like this isn't going to plummet in value, so if need be I'm sure you'd just sell it. People are clearly jealous of someone with some disposable income.

Probably a safer bet than the stock market ;) .

JJ Hendricks said...

@Groovraider - I appreciate your continued comments and I do think you feel strongly about gaming. Can you explain why you don't think the NWC Gold cart can be compared to Honus Wager or other rare collectibles.

Nintendo has never come out and said how many they still have but neither did the tobacco company who made Honus Wagner. People assume the numbers they have are correct after so many years.

It is the same with NWC. We were told there were 26 of these given away by Nintendo. That was almost 20 years ago and we have no reason to think overwise.

About your comment on the item being "appraised". Value is not determined by an appraiser, value is determined by the market. An appraise just says how much they think the market will pay. The market has already determined how much this item is worth.

Anonymous said...

That cartridge is fake!

You can tell by the fact that the logo is shifted slightly to the right, On the real one it's perfectly centered.







TBH, I just made that up.

JJ Hendricks said...

Now that you mention it being fake Anonymous, I should go into how I verified it was the real deal.
The two biggest things were opening up the cartridge to look at the components. All of them need to be from the 80's some time since it was made for an event in 1990.

The sticker on the game is raised and you can feel the edge (this worried me at first) but is actually how the cartridge was made.

I also compared close up pictures with some other gamers, including a collector who owned 7 of these at one point (I will be posting an interview with this collector on Monday for anyone who is interested in reading that).

Alhazad said...

I have to hand it to you for having that much courage to trust someone like that (the seller). I got ripped off on eBay buying a collectible a few years back. It wasn't $17k, but $2k. It turned out the item was legit but the certificate of authenticity was not present, because the item had a lein on it from the maker. That's right; the seller received the item on a payment plan, but since he never finished paying they never sent him the certificate of authenticity. He used eBay to get rid of it. I should have asked for a photo of the cert before buying, but that was my mistake... trusting the guy. There are some real jerks out there.

Matt said...

I just wanted to congratulate you on getting a hold of the cart! If anyone deserves a copy, it's you. Thanks for everything you provide for the rest of us.

Grooveraider said...

@JJ Hendricks - I can appreciate you for being who you are because in the end you are a huge fan of gaming just like me ^_^ We just have difference in opinions on the value of the NWC carts. I didn't say the Nintendo World Championship cartridges shouldn't be worth anything. By all means they are rare carts and should be worth something. But to think that this is the "Honus Wagner" of game cartridges - well it could've been had the program not been shared as far as exclusivity goes. I'll explain. The program is and will always be the same program that came from a Nintendo World Championship cart. There is no way to duplicate a Honus Wagner baseball card from the 1900s. Those cards are what they are at the time they were printed. And there's no going back to making duplicates to equal the original card. The Wagner card is worth millions on the material used to print those cards and Wagner's rejection to associate himself with tobacco since he was a non-smoker. Plus he was considered one of baseball's greats.

As as the market goes its trivial. Its never set in stone. People were only told there's 26 of those carts - by whom ? I could atleast have a few of those of those Gold NWC carts and not say a word for years. You should never assume anything. Even after 20 years. But since you're a collector - it shouldn't matter to you anyways because you don't ever plan to sell it, right ? :)

Anonymous said...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While I'd be hard pressed to think of anything more foolish to do than spend 17k on a nearly 20 yr old video game that may not even work, I say f/ck the world and good for you.

Anonymous said...

Grats JJ. Great article. I also collect video game stuff, but not on this scale. I think the most I have paid is $1000 for a collectable. I see a lot of posts about this being a waste and concerns for your 7 month old baby. I am sure this is just Internet bravado. Look, the man can spend the money on what ever he would like. I am sure JJ has thought this out. So much jealously in these posts as well.

Anonymous said...

I wish I could have had the opportunity you just wasted for your child by buying that game.
That money could have bought him a year of tuition at an Ivy Leage school. How do you sleep at night?

Anonymous said...

while i would certainly never spend that much for something like that,if you have the money,go for it..

but the one "retarded" thing about it,you would buy it online..sure you talked to some people,but how hard would it be for him to get a couple of friends to assure that they've owned it before?

you got lucky i guess,congrats

Robert Onit said...

I have an original copy of Mike Tyson's Punchout that Mike signed, bit AND jerked off on. Top that!

Anonymous said...

idiot

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, but I would never fork over that amount for any game, no matter how rare it is. Specially when the game will eventually be sold off in the future. Sure, when it happens, you may actually get alot more than what you paid. But still...forking over that amount when there are other necesities in life...I just don't know. And yes, there will be a time in which you will sell the game, even if you are adamant that you will not. Everyone, at one point or another, does. In any case, congrats.

Anonymous said...

Wow amazing!!! But it kinda makes me wonder too, that much for that game? Truly admirable, but for me I'd probably buy more games or other things with that. Sorry if it offended you. Congrats though!

Anonymous said...

Seller was a doosh. You should poo in his gas tank.

Anonymous said...

Hendricks doesn't feel like he got ripped off, so please can the concern-trolling people.

I think it's a silly purchase, but I don't share JJ's passion for video game history and artifacts. Not everyone would pay what he pays, but when the time comes that JJ decides he wants to cash in, it only takes one buyer to meet his price; he can sell it only once. Presumably, that person will feel about Mario and Luigi how Randy Constans feels about Peter Pan...

Weird as it seems to me, congrats, JJ on landing the big one.

Anonymous said...

Excellent story. Us collectors know when we must jump on something, or it's gone forever. Altough I don't collect video games, I do collector basketball trading cards. I've dropped as much as $56,000 on a single card, so, you're in good company with me.

Enjoy it. Cherish it. And pass it on to a museum when you're time comes :)

Dave W said...

Lucky S.O.B. !I have resigned myself to being happy with my grey. You made a brilliant investment, btw. It hasn't been more than 10 years since DreamTR sold Nespit his for a mere $1000. Nothing like a 1500% increase in value. :)

I'm surprised this is so newsworthy. I've been collecting games for 10 years... jesus, make that 11 years and never before has something videogame collecting been mainpaged on a site like Yahoo before.

Dave W said...

Also, as someone who has seen NES collecting spike insanely over recent years, those people mocking you for your purchase are going to shocked in 20 years when that cart commands six figures. What will happen with game collecting is what happened with comics books and sports cards. It will happen in time as NES gamers get older and more retrospective about their youth.

- portnoyd

Anonymous said...

Cool story bro


you realize you could have bought a car with that money.. that makes you a fool.

Anonymous said...

Wow - I wish I had that much time and money to throw away!!!

Anonymous said...

"Jealously" is such a cliche accusation to throw at people who deny a purchase.

Let's be honest here - 17.5k when you aren't absurdly rich and have a 7 weeks old son to look after is sad. Sad, sad, sad.

Then there's the fact that he did that for bragging rights, proved by this article.

Lastly, there's the fact that I'm 100% positive his wife feels really uncomfortable about this and just couldn't oppose him or had no say in the matter.

Anonymous said...

What a fool, he could got same one for $14.99, on eBay. some fool don't check before they spend.

did really help your kid learning, in finding a future job, when grow up? what waste of mind!

pedro.i.alcocer.jr said...

Dude, screw everyone giving you a hard time. It's your hard earned money, you do with it what you like. Congrats.

Anonymous said...

Forget the comments about the baby. You can always make another one. It's a lot easier to get a baby than an NEC Gold!

Good for you, dude!

I have too many babies. Anybody want one?

MayflyF said...

Ugh. Getting a 'featured story' on Yahoo is both a blessing and a curse, huh? You get a lot of attention from random people (like me), but you also get spammers and people who clearly don't understand collectors. "You could have bought this and this and this, think of the children, etc." Ridiculous. I'm sure you, and most other collectors, have thought about their collecting habit for a long time and it's not something you do on a whim. Your kid will grow up learning to appreciate video game history, and if it turns out you do decide to sell the cartridge 15 years into the future, your family will be so much better off because you bought it in the first place.

Anonymous said...

Investments come in different types and sizes and are purchased for different reasons. This, in my opinion, is no different than buying precious metal, oil contracts, or stock shares. For those "wishing" about being able to do this or talking trash, it's neither a waste of time or money. Get a pell grant or student loan and become a broker of any kind.
This kind of trading is what educated people do and it's also what makes the world financial market go around. Thank you for allowing me to contribute, and good luck in your future trading.

Anonymous said...

Cangrats on buying the game man. No one understands the value and how much fun old school games and rare games can be. Everyone wants to sit on their PS3's and xbox 360's. I go with the old school game systems because the games are much funner. Oh, and also all the buttmunches that are trying to bust your bubble can go jump off a cliff because you did all this for something you care about and are going to get good use out of whether you play it, sell it, or put it in a bullet proof glass case. Once agian congrats man.

Unknown said...

WOW! What a story. I don't play games but my son, who is 29 years old is an avid gamer. I have shared the gaming experience with him in some form or fashion since I bought him his first game system some 20+ years ago. I really enjoyed reading your story. Through my sons own experience I can relate. I used to see the magic in his eyes when he was just a little boy rushing off to the magazine stand to look at gaming mags when we went to the grocery. I felt that same magic when I ready your story. I am very happy you were able to get your game.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on getting the game! Finding and buying a "holy grail" is always an exciting time, one which can only be understood by fellow collectors. Hope you enjoy it and can appreciate it's collector's value throughout the years.

Anonymous said...

dang my uncle had one of thos games i think he lost it lol

Anonymous said...

btw my uncle dosnt collect games he just just had it for a while XD

Anonymous said...

Loser

Anonymous said...

@^ that guy
errr...why are you hear commenting on this if you are clearly disgusted by it?

by the way, congratulations on finding one of the 26 originals =)

i would never do what you did. i'll just admire the picture XD

Anonymous said...

I'am speechless, if you have that kind of money
in these tough times to spend on an old nintendo cartrage, maybe i can borrow some money from you to pay so many past due bills
and get all the creditors off my back. i want to pay them but they don't understand when i Tell them I DON'T HAVE A JOB, nor will they accept a smaller payment amount, so they keep calling. anyway my CONGRATULATIONS.

Anonymous said...

you're an idiot. spending $17,500 on something that is worth, what, 50 cents.

Anonymous said...

I wish you were my dad.

theuprising said...

yeah I think the baby was a game, and at first I was like, dude that's way too much money...

But then remembered people pay Hundreds of thousands for rare baseball cards and MILLIONS for rare paintings. This guy is a collector of games. Collectors are collectors, I hate people here who have double standards, go take a class of sociology, society has effected your way of thinking WAY too much.

Anonymous said...

dude, let me play that game. I challenge you to a Nintendo World Championships battle.

-jamesy b from san diego

Anonymous said...

wish I had that kind of money to blow,I can't even get any help fixing up my house and I'm a single parent.would you like to help me???????

Anonymous said...

Very interesting story indeed. I suppose we all have our "Holy Grail of Gaming", mine personally is my original NES cartridge of The Legend of Zelda which holds a place of high honor on my bookshelf along with cartridges for The Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past. However, what you have there my friend is indeed a once in a lifetime find, and I envy you for being able to both possess it and afford it. Enjoy your Holy Grail!

Steve said...

I honestly feel that if 85%-90% of the world walked into your home and you introduced them to this guilded plastic and told them how much you paid for it, they might slap you silly.


And the other 10%-15% would say congrats (in Mandarin).

Steve said...

And bob,

There is a larger group of baseball card and art collectors in the world than... Super Nintendo? collectors in the world.

Anonymous said...

I am glad that I live in America, where people are allowed to spend the money they earn on anything they see fit. For those of you full of righteous indignation, move to Cuba where the government makes sure everyone spends the "correct" way. Better yet, just punch yourselves in the nuts.

nintendofreek said...

I have this game, I picked mine up at a yard sale with about 200 other nintendo games. Looks like I have a piece of treasure!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations , you are loser of the year. Why don't you give that money to a foodbank or charity.

Anonymous said...

People are also allowed to speak freely on whatever topic they want, regardless of their comments nature, Poon.

Anonymous said...

it doesnt even have good graphics i bet

Nintendo Forums said...

Glad you got the game in one peice, have you tried to load the game up in a ole NES system and check if it even plays/is real yet?

Anonymous said...

i hate sellers make you wait to get your items...but a very good story man.. congrats!!

Anonymous said...

Dude... I thought $7.00 was too much to pay for Tetris on my phone!

Anonymous said...

that money could have gone to help your kid and you spend it on a game?!?!

Anonymous said...

SAYANG ANG DATUNG M0 JAN D0NG ,,...

r0ck 0n ... ^_^v

Anonymous said...

i think the people who are trying to put you down saying you wasted money, are doing that cuz they dont know what its like to own it, i bet theres like only 15 left now cuz people probalby lost them, ild like to see you collection i wish i had that money to spend on collector stuff, and then comes the qusetion... what do you do with it when your about to die?

Anonymous said...

(thats me up there lemme just say something again) they probaly dont know what its like i mean they arent the kind of people who collect stuff so they wouldnt go to legnths to do it, thats wat i mean

Anonymous said...

take 20 k cash? 253 576 4419 jm

Anonymous said...

You are a tool Sorry 17k for a game 100 dollars is to much.

Anonymous said...

Wow - lots of comments. I'll add my 2 cents about the concept of paying $17,500 for a video game.

With some exceptions, no matter how much you spend on something you covet, some people will think its way too much and some people will have spent a lot more.

I'll take watches as an easy example that the people posting negative comments will probably be better able to understand.

The most I have spent on a single watch was $5,000. I could easily afford it, it didn't impact anything else I might want to / need to spend money on, and I wanted it. I'm guessing the author of this article could easily afford $17,500. I highly doubt his kid won't be able to go to college because of this purchase.

Anyway, some people think "$5k for a watch is crazy". Perhaps some of those people have paid $500 for a watch. If that is the case, those people should know that other folks think $500 is a crazy amount to pay for a watch. Maybe those people spent $100 on a watch, and they have people thinking that's crazy because they've never spent more than $100 on a watch. You see where this is going...

I know some people who have spent $50,000 on a watch - and others that have spent $500,000. That seems crazy to me. But I don't judge because I know other people think I'm crazy for spending $5,000.

So my point is this - if JJ could afford the item at the price he paid and it gave him happiness - anyone who calls it "sad" or "silly" should reflect on their own lives. Its my guess these people are in tight financial situations and should review their expensive purchases more closely. Did you spend $250 on a mountain bike you couldn't afford, perhaps? Did it make you happy? Do you know people, perhaps overseas, that could live on that for a month? How sad.

Cheers,
-P

Anonymous said...

Someone has a enough to burn in this crap ecomony we have. Collectors yes, waste of money: def yes.

Anonymous said...

I hate being negative but this man is insane.

Anonymous said...

Yahoo posted a story about it:

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/the-17-500-video-game/1332488

This dude could have spent 17K on Michael Jackson memorial tickets instead.

Anonymous said...

I have a hard time understanding how anyone could spend this kind of money on a game, when everyday I fight to survive ovarian cancer with my medical bills running in thousands and haven't been able to work for three years now, life isn't fair. That kind of money can help someone in need.

Anonymous said...

I was positive you were a fat 51 year old virgin who lived in the basement of your mom's house. But you wrote and I quote "I'm holding my 7 week old baby". Which means you are a idiot with a kid who will not be going to college because you had to bump up your nerd points! Have fun refinancing your moms house dork.

Tom said...

You guys are all very very foolish chastising JJ. 17k is pocket change for some, and others a years salary. I have spent this kind of cash this year in Europe alone, maybe you should blame me for the 2nd Great Depression as well. Maybe you lot who are complaining should have got a fecking education and made something of yourselves.

Congrats mate, hope you enjoy it

Anonymous said...

Oh boo-hoo. The man has enough of his own money to spend on a hobby, how sad that must be.

No. it's not. It's not even crazy in the least bit.
If people would bother to read through comments, he has set aside money to afford such purchases. That concept is not all that difficult to understand, unless so many people just don't understand how 'saving' works.
With that in mind, I don't think it's too hard to grasp that his child won't end up suffering some horrible backlash set upon by his parents spending.

And who are you people to say his decision was poor? People that can't afford it? Too bad, that's life.

People that spend thousands of dollars on cloths or shoes, that wear and tear or they grow out of, they are far more nuttier that this man. Comparatively, this man is completely sane.

This man is a collector, the product(s) that he or she buys are investments. Just like stocks, or bonds.

Honestly, you people who attack him just need to get over yourselves. Sorry, you couldn't afford such a purchase or have the interest to do so if you did. Again, that's life. It happens EVERY DAY. Go harass someone else.

Anonymous said...

What a way to waste a lot of money. Why not use your money to feed the homeless or give clothes to children? I can understand buying a car for that much, but a NES game... you're a selfish fool.

Anonymous said...

Point #1: Yes, I'm sure a lot of you have ideas about things you would use $17,500 for. Good for you. When you save up that much money - as JJ said he did - you can use it for what you want too. If you have medical bills or other debts stacking up, my heart goes out to you. It really does, and I'm not being sarcastic here. But the cold hard truth is that its his money, and he gets to do what he wants to with it, because he made it. Not to mention that it is his job to analyze the market of rare collectibles just like this one, so he knows far better than any of you exactly what he is getting into. If you don't have some kind of civilized, logical discussion to post, please just don't post at all. It gets us nowhere.

Point #2: If you want people to take you seriously, please spell words correctly. (i.e. "Definately," "Cartradge," etc.) And this goes without saying, but typing in all caps and using words like "slut" will generally get you completely ignored.

Calvin said...

Calvin- congratz, people mite say terrible things about why you care more about that game than your baby but, 18 years later where do that college tuition stay then?

Calvin said...

Oh bte lol by college tuition I mean the game

Anonymous said...

Is it insured? How much is my Sega Genesis games and console worth?? Or my Atari console?!

Anonymous said...

Do you people not realize that this game is made out of PURE GOLD??!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your purchase. If you don't mind my asking, what do you do for a living?

Unknown said...

Amazing, amazing story. I think all of us have something we'd pay good money to own if we had the money to spare in the first place. Congratulations on acquiring something that made you happy. :)

I've just blogged about your riveting tale:
http://www.thenerdybird.com/2009/07/worth-its-weight-in-gold.html

Anonymous said...

happy for u dude. just hope when your kid needs braces or needs money for college u have it for them. hope the fate of your kids health and education dont lay in the hands of ebay and you trying to hock the crap u pay rediculous money for.

Joey said...

I understand the passion of a collector but... looks like that cart is worth more thanyour kid.

Anonymous said...

The kid can get a scholarship to go to college.

Anonymous said...

sad

Anonymous said...

Congrats.

It is a wise investment.

Let the peasants be jealous, they are inferior.

Anonymous said...

Well whatever I say has probably already been said, but congrats on acheiving a dream! And cognrats on the baby!! I have a 3 1/2 year old and 20 month old. I hope your wife is doing well.

JJ Hendricks said...

Thank you all for the comments, both positive and negative. I like reading what everyone has to say.

I will be deleting any comments that have curse words in them though. Both positive and negative reactions. My son might read this one day :)

Anonymous said...

lol

Anonymous said...

Sure, the country's in a recession.

Newsflash: We are not ALL in a recession. Some of us made wise financial decisions and have money to spend as we choose; we did not choose to get into debt that we could not afford to get out of and have no qualms about spending as we please. You do not know this person's financial situation. My family could easily afford to buy this game MONTHLY while staying out of debt, paying bills, enjoying luxuries, and maintaining college and private school tuition for two children.

To be frank, some of us are simply wealthy people - this may evoke feelings of rage and jealousy in the rest of you, but please try not to project your own financial failure and uncertainty onto this person. We are not obligated to donate our hard-earned money to anyone (as we have, in fact, EARNED it), although most of us see fit to do so; unfortunately for you, it often goes to people even less fortunate than yourselves, all of who are fortunate enough to have access to the internet.

Congratulations on the purchase of a game which will bring you much joy, JJ. It doesn't matter whether you collect video games, cars, or artwork - it must feel great to finally hold the ultimate piece of your collection.

dcgldmn@yahoo.com said...

I've learned that "one person's trash is another person's treasure". It is all relative as to what has value. Just as long as your family and loved ones don't suffer, that's all that matters.
Incidentally, I have one of the original video games -- with the paddles that you played "tennis" and the gun to shoot at the "moving target" that is still virtually "mint" condition, which I'm about to put to the eBay world, unless you (or someone) may have an interest in it. Otherwise, good luck and "Happy Hunting".

Anonymous said...

This is, suprisingly, inspiring for video-game collectors....
While reading the recount, I was holding my breath.
So happy for you!

ericguzmantx@yahoo.com said...

wow thats freakin awesome i wish i could get something like this in my hands the best i ever did was get a original sealed copy of metal gear for the nes I know whats its like to hold a rare game in your hands but something of that greatness i envy you!!!

racketboy said...

I'm a bit late to the party, but congtrats JJ.
Don't mind the haters.

This is much more responsible that paying even more money for a new car that will just drop in value as you drive off the lot or buying a house you can't afford.

And if he runs into tough times, it would not be that hard to sell -- even for a quick profit.

Again, best of luck on the venture!

Tatsujin said...

I think those games are highly overpriced regarded to their amount of existent pieces. there are more rare items which going for way less.

I also wouldn't call it "the holy grail of videogames", since there are way more rare pieces of digita shit out there. for example a Vampire Killer COLD cart which worldwide no more than 1 piece exist!!

so what would makes that? the uberhouly grail of gods own collection itself?

Anonymous said...

Some people would say you're an idiot....they would be right. People say "If you can afford it why not?" but it's still lame. You're not an idiot because you collect NES games, you're an idiot because you bought it just so you could tell other people you got it. Bragging rights is all it's worth. The game itself is a lame compilation. You paid that much to brag on the internet and then have it sit and collect dust. I think collecting is a great hobby but people like you are just stupid. To the people defending you, you're already know.... you're f@#king lame too!

JJ Hendricks said...

Tatsujin - There are definitely games that are more rare than the 1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold cartridge. There are lots of one-of-a-kinds out there. BUT rarity is not all that determines value. You have demand too.

A lot more people want NWC Gold than want Vampire Killer COLD or other unique games because it has a big history behind it, people remember playing in the event, and it is very popular. Because more people want this than other games with a smaller supply the price is MUCH greater for NWC.

EarthBounddddd said...

To all of you who are complaining about his child, and how he'll never go to college yada yada yada etc....:
You don't realize how much more this game is going to be worth in 15ish years, do you?
It's a wicked good investment, and something that certainly will not drop in price.
I'm sorry you can't afford it (nor can I :P) but get off your high-horse and stop criticizing this man for what he does with his money.

I'd never spend that much, but congrats to ya :)

ChrisD said...

Congrats on this rare and historical find! You know own a valuable piece of video gaming history. :)

I personally would like to hear more about the guy who owned 7(?!?) of these.

JJ Hendricks said...

You can find more information about the guy who owned seven of these by reading my interview with him.

Hector said...

Congrats all around. You're in the 26 club!!! :D

Also, I'm pretty sure that guy @8:53am was Bill O'Riley.

Alvaro Salvagno said...

Congratulations.
Some people don't know what a collector is...

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I too own one of the gold carts, I won it in a contest over 19 years ago! Antonio D. - Meriden

ReyBrujo said...

Hey, congratulations! Interested in releasing the main picture under CC-BY-SA 3.0 so that it can be uploaded at Wikipedia?

Cheers!

JJ Hendricks said...

ReyBrujo - There have been a few requests for an image of the game. I will try to get some hi-res images later today and post them online with a Creative Commons license so they can be used on Wikipedia and other sites.

ReyBrujo said...

Cool, thanks! We got a picture of a golden one there, but I doubt it is really a free image and could be deleted anytime. And we are missing the grey one too.

Congratulations and thanks again!

Anonymous said...

You got jipped.

Anonymous said...

nice story. what are you gonna do with it now?

Anonymous said...

All you retards do realize you are talking about a VIDEO GAME right?

JJ Hendricks said...

I posted large images of the Gold and Gray cartridges for people to see and use. I posted them with Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike, which means you can use the images as you please but you need to attribute us as your source. You can link to this article as your source for the images.

Emmanuel Tamayo said...

I was reading this article as I worked at my internship.

I might not have been old enough to see the NWC championships but I did grow up to become a gamer and learn the history.

Being a gamer, I find it hard to read some of these negative comments people have posted.

Firstly, as many have pointed out, Mr. Hendricks did save money for this game and he has many sources of income. What would give you the idea that this purchase hurt him financially in such a way that he wouldn't be able to raise a child despite the fact that he has been able to provide for himself and his wife well over the years?

Secondly, there are those who think that simply because it's a video game it's both not worth more than a hundred dollars and that it's only for playing it. Wrong. Video games are as much a part of history as any other form of media; be it newspapers, movies, or even old tv shows. Memorabilia from such media is often a part of history and an art form in itself. To a movie collector, a prop from Star Wars could be his holy grail ,the one which he buys for a what you seem to think is a high amount. For a newspaper collector, he might buy a copy of a newspaper with a story on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln that was published the day after the event. Yet if any of these collectors made such purchases and had their stories posted on the internet, they would not have received near as much criticism as did this one.

Others who commented think that Mr. Hendricks is a greedy millionaire who cares less about his son, and the well being of the humanity race, than he does an old game that is engraved as a part of history to some. I'd like to see how many of you really do the acts you suggested and how many of you would simply splurge 17,500 dollars on something less meaningful and less likely to increase in value over the course of a couple of years. I do very strongly believe that given 17,500 dollars you nay sayers would simply go to a mall and splurge it on fashion ware or an expensive import car (which costs near 5000 dollars less the moment you drive it out of the dealership) than on saving it for future investments or even less likely, giving even the smallest amount of money to any charity.

Seeing all of you comment using such stereotypical gamer references is sickening. Seeing some of you comment on how you think that the actions made by this man have led to a recession in the economy, but smile in glee when a celebrity buys a phone or an ipod glittered with jewels and don't even think that such a purchase is frivolous or selfish in anyway, simply depresses me to the state of believing that the current generation of human beings has been degenerated to the degree that common sense and common courtesy are now the rarest thing to find in someone.

I do feel the need to congratulate Mr. Hendricks for such a smart and financially smart purchase of an artifact to many people.

P.S While I do share compassion for those lesser fortunate that believe that this money would have been better spent paying their bills and such, I can not go without saying that if you would have , still can, tried harder in your life to get ahead, that you would not have been in such mess in the first place. For those who have sick family members and never had a choice of whether or not make a greater income, I can wholeheartedly say that simply because you feel that the world has wronged doesn't mean you can wrong others by denouncing their beliefs. Just as I am glad to accept any criticism and say that the above is entirely my opinion and I was trying my best not denounce any of your opinions.

Anonymous said...

it be funny if his kid breaks that video game.

Anonymous said...

i would never pay $17,500 for an video game,even if i was an billionare!

Anonymous said...

Those that are not collectors on this level do not understand the thrill of the hunt, the anxiousness that arises in the haggleing portion of aquiring such a high end collectable, and the heart racing feeling as you open the package when it arrives.

I fully understand as I collect vintage Star Wars prototypes and rarities. I own many items that people classify as holy grails for the hobby,and have spent the money and time hunting needed to own them.
Like anyone else I have bills, as I'm sure JJ does as well. People that collect at this level generally have the income to take care of lifes needs as well as have expendable income to spend on thier hobbies.

Those that are saying that he should give the money he EARNED and SAVED to make this purchase, to a charity or sadly not joking but still laughable those that want him to give it to "you" because you can't grasp how to budget your life or you've fallen on hardship, thats really not up to him, me, or anyone else to fix your life for you.

Congrats to a dedicated collector for finding and getting to own his grail.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

Good Job and enjoy. I own my NWC cartridge since 1990 ( I was lucky to win it in the contest). I will sadly part with mine one day but for now it allows me to look back and see how rare it was just to be one of the lucky 26! Kudos to you, it's only money.

ReyBrujo said...

I have uploaded the images at Wikimedia Commons, and used them in the Nintendo World Championships. Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Your all sad!

Fajar said...

very expensive for such a thing. but if you like that much then it was fine i think

Anonymous said...

The value of an item is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. What I don't understand is the demand for these cartridges. Sure the originals are rare, but anyone who feels nostalgic about the competition can play it on an emulator or buy a reproduction cartridge. This thing was just a byproduct of a huge nintendo marketing campaign, and it's not even a good game. I've been a nintendo fan since it's release, but even as an eleven year old, I understood that The Wizard was a two hour long commercial, about as transparent as Mac and Me. For me, the value of a game is based on how much fun it is to play. I think that the number of people who feel that these cartridges are something special is quickly dwindling. JJ, sell that thing now before the hype dies out.

Grooveraider said...

The NWC (Gold carts) are rare but c'mon $20,000 rare? The NWC carts are being hailed as the "Holy Grail" of Nintendo collecting - but that's subjective. I'm an old school game collector and I own two classic bestsellers - Yoshi's Island (SNES) and Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) both signed by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto. They're one-of-a-kind signed items and considered my "Holy Grails" of Nintendo game collecting. The difference between me and people with $20,000 bank accounts is that I don't get the MEDIA ATTENTION to make my "Holy Grails" seem sought after and important. Am I jealous? Why should I be? I'm blessed to have been in the same room with video gaming legends such as Miyamoto and the late Gunpei Yokoi. And to have personal photos and signatures of those legends is just simply special to me. I dunno if I could put a price on my experiences. But in the end - i'm actually glad video games are getting the recognition of being valued collectibles like anything else before it. Congrats to JJ Hendricks for owning both NWC carts and the media attention ^_^

Anonymous said...

Wow great story. 20k on a game sounds like a lot, but people pay well over that for a vintage car they may never drive. Something like that will only go up in value its a good investment! I think if I found a copy someone was willing to sell at that price, I would personally fly out to see the item and pick it up 20k thought the mail is kind of scary. Kind of curios where you store the gamel do you display it out in the open or keep it in a safe... have it insured?

JJ Hendricks said...

The game is not on display in the store. It is kept in a safe deposit box to keep it safe. It would be really fun having it in the store, but I would be too concerned with security.

Nuno E. said...

Very nice
I totally understand,it's not the bragging rights (not that it doesnt feel good) it's the pleasure to own a piece of history. I'm not there yet (probably because i'm a student and as you might imagine, have alot of other money priorities), but i just started my neo geo aes collection, just beacause, just like you,i feel i own a piece of history,and more importantly a piece of my history, since i grew up playing in arcades, and hearing the storys of a gaming console that had those same games, but it was very expensive, i never even seen one up close, till i got mine. And i really love that. People often question me why i spend so much money when i can have the game on my pc or psp or whatever, i just reply... simply because it makes me feel good to own a game and a cart that really fills my chilhood memmories ( and let's be honest, neo geo aes has the most beautiful cases inhistory =)just the size of those things,its like laserdiscs and dvds (i'm starting to think i need to get me a ld player and some lds by the way lol)). You said you don't play it,i don't blame you,but i can't resist to play my games, it just feels so good =) So i really enjoyed your blog, sorry about the bad spelling,but i'm Portuguese/and lazy (to translate and to re-read to check for errors/ and it's almost 4am over here =)

i'll be sure to stop by once and awhile to ask for advice on future buys (if you have spare time of course)

regards

JJ Hendricks said...

Nuno E - Thanks for the comments and good luck with your Neo Geo collection. I just started gathering more prices Neo Geo to put on VGPC.com. I realized our AES price list doesn't include many games. Hopefully our list will be more comprehensive soon.

Anonymous said...

Get a life you sad sad man, $17.5k for a game cartridge? You could have brought a car, done some home improvements, put them towards anything really apart from a bloody game cartridge.

I guess you live with your mum though so it all makes sense.

Anonymous said...

I'm curious to know how the guy you bought it from got the cartridge and who owned if before hand and how they got the cartridge. A sort of personal history for the cartridge if you will. Probably not really that interesting but I'm still curious.

Anonymous said...

I love video games, but I will never do anything as dumb as you. You could get something way better than that with that kinda money, but its your money, who gives a damn ? nerd ? So tell me, when will you and the NWC cartridge gonna get marry ?

Anonymous said...

wow, soo many negative comments. don't worry, their just jealus.
congratulations to you, JJ for that fantastic find!! a great investment indeed as the value of the cartridge will for allways grow ;)

Anonymous said...

Nintendo also gave away brand new Geo Metro convertibles as prizes in the competition. I wonder if they have appreciated in value as well?

cephalod said...

Honestly, to all those that are giving him shit for spending so much money on "just a game", especially since he has such a young child--

It is not your life, and it does not affect you. Also, I'm pretty sure that you don't know what this man's financial situation is like.

The gold cart of Nintendo World Championship is the fucking Holy Grail of videogames. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same thing...

Give the guy some slack.. and before judging him so harshly (and unfairly), maybe you should examine your own decisions in life.

I mean, seriously, are you seriously saying that this guy cares more about a video game than his own child?

Anonymous said...

JJ, I came across this site while looking up something else at work. I was a finalist in the NWC Champsionships and have a gray cart. I cannot believe what people are paying for mine and the gold one! Congrats to you. It truly is a one-of-a-kind game. I'm wondering if I should sell mine or keep it for the 25th anniversary of the tourney in 2015 - maybe it'll be worth even more??

JJ Hendricks said...

It's hard to say what the value will be in 6 more years. My guess is the value of these games will increase over time as more people get into video game collecting but you never know for sure.

Congrats on being a Finalist of the original competition.

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