Playing Favorites

HERITAGE AUCTIONS’ VIDEO GAME EXPERT EXPLAINS WHY THESE FIVE LOTS ARE REAL WINNERS

Among the top prizes in Heritage Auctions’ Aug. 5-7 Video Games Signature® Auction is the highest-graded first-print copy of Duck Hunt. The auction also offers the highest-graded sticker-sealed copy of Excitebike, the highest-graded copy of The Legend of Zelda featuring the original round seal of quality, and an abundance of other iconic and coveted titles. So when we asked Managing Director of Video Games Valarie Spiegel to pick favorites from the auction, we knew it would be no easy task. But Spiegel powered through and came up with five choice lots. Consider the following your ultimate player’s guide to the rarity-filled event:

Enlarge

View Item

Super Smash Bros., Wata 9.8 A++, N64 Nintendo 1999 USA

“Typically, it’s challenging to narrow my favorite lots in one of our auctions down to a digestible number, but this was an easy choice. Smash Bros. is a series that holds great sentimental value to me and many others. It is, unequivocally, one of the best multiplayer games ever made; it was a system seller, which is a valid statement for each installment in the series. Currently, this is the only Wata 9.8 A++ known to exist. This copy is a collection centerpiece, without question.”

Enlarge

View Item

Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2, Wata 9.4 A+, Oval SOQ R, NES Capcom 1994 USA

“I had been aware for quite some time that this was a hard title to find in sealed condition. Still, when I saw just how low the population was for this game on Wata’s population report, I couldn’t help but feel slightly shocked. Wata has graded only four sealed copies to date, and only one copy is graded higher. The Super Nintendo had been on the market for a couple of years when this game was released, so it likely had a low production run and was also overshadowed by other games for Nintendo’s shiny new console. Anyone thinking of starting a sealed Capcom set for the NES would be wise to consider starting here; this is easily one of the most challenging games – if not the most challenging game – in the set to find.”

Enlarge

View Item

Beetlejuice, Wata 9.6 A++, Oval SOQ R, The Indiana Collection, NES LJN 1991 USA

“Frankly, I just love Beetlejuice! Coincidentally, this is a rare NES title to find in sealed condition, probably because its gameplay was and is still considered confusing and, thus, didn’t sell well. Nevertheless, if I could have only one movie-based game for the NES for my personal collection, it would be this one because it’s based on one of my all-time favorite movies.”

Enlarge

View Item

Game Boy Color Kiosk, Tommy Hilfiger Edition, GBC Nintendo 1999 USA

“We rarely get the opportunity to offer store displays, so I can’t help but geek out a little bit when they come along. The Tommy Hilfiger Game Boy Color is a bit of an oddity in the best way, and I can say the same is true of the display. Plus, its condition happens to be amazing!”

Enlarge

View Item

Snowboard Kids, VGA 95 Mint, N64 Atlus 1998 USA

“This was a frequent Blockbuster rental for me. Yes, I am one of the relatively few lucky people to have played this game as a kid, and I can attest to how good it was. Many years later, I was floored to find out how hard this game is to find when I looked for a copy to finally call my own. In my book, whoever claims this one for their own has added a true gem to their collection.”

VALARIE SPIEGEL is Managing Director of Video Games at Heritage Auctions.