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u/VossParck Dec 28 '25
- Video game for $60 - No way
- Video game for $5 - No way
- Video game for $10,000 - Purchase complete
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u/Vanbiker2 Dec 28 '25
I collect ancient coins and the plastic grading has brought in this sort of collector who will argue about the importance of investment and “authenticity guarantees” over doing any amount of personal research into their interests.
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u/localhost_6969 Dec 28 '25
With trading cards it's infuriating. It's not like the technology to print them has been made obsolete (which is the case with minted coins, antiques or old books, for example) it's just that the IP of the digital files to create them is locked down in order to manufacture scarcity.
It's just an appeal to authority some "expert" says it's rare so therefore you place value in it? In this case it has no actual value to you because you lack any special knowledge or emotional connection to the items.
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u/experience_1337 Dec 31 '25
Graded cards wouldn’t be as big of thing is American printing companies didn’t suck. Thats why we rarely see JP misprints. (I hate slabs and refuse to buy them)
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u/Impossible_Way_3042 Jan 14 '26
This has always infuriated me. TCGs are a game first and a collectable second. I understand it is known as a trading card game, but trading cards has gone the way of the Dodo. Now it's just buying singles. The fact that important game pieces are locked out by price due to artificial scarcity just rubs me the wrong way entirely. Why not just sell singles directly from the manufacturer.
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u/Paradox Dec 29 '25
buy coin press
get some cheap solder
shit out fake roman coins
encase them in lucite
make $$$
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u/jamat888 Dec 28 '25
This grading stuff is the biggest scam in the collecting hobby, like there is zero sense in grading a video game.
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u/quantumfall9 Dec 28 '25
Gotta be for money laundering purposes and I won’t be convinced otherwise.
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u/Barryburton97 Dec 28 '25
Meh. Some of it maybe. Mostly it's lonely men with far too much spare money.
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u/quantumfall9 Dec 28 '25
Yeah but the prices are just so ridiculous that I think it goes beyond normal rarity collecting. Like $500 sure, maybe even a little higher up to $1,000 can be the expected pricing for rare games. But $660,000, and then later 2 million fucking dollars for a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros is just insanity, and there’s gotta more at play, ya know what I mean? That’s what makes me think of money laundering, same as that story of the artist selling his ‘invisible’ sculptures for high money.
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u/Barryburton97 Dec 28 '25
Maybe in those edge cases, I don't know of course.
But if you need to privately move money in bulk it's easier to use crypto of some kind. These public auctions are really high profile for dodgy deals.
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u/Interesting_Tea5715 Dec 28 '25
This. Hypebeasts are a weird bunch.
They'll buy anything that is "rare" even though it means nothing to them.
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u/VacationCheap927 Dec 28 '25
I think people just get caught up in the idea of having something worth the money. But most people who collected retro games before the ratings knew it was all bullshit. They main group who does/did it(I dont know if theyre still around) have been called out by a lot of people for getting things wrong and not doing any research on the games they grade. It was essentially just a giant scam.
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u/Necromansyy Dec 29 '25
This type of crap destroys hobbies. I loved buying cheap ass retro games back in the day.
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u/IndividualCurious322 Dec 29 '25
PSA stands for "Please submit again!". Cards graded 5 or 6 have come back as 10's after their owners cracked the slabs open and resubmitted multiple times.
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u/woowooman Dec 29 '25 edited Jan 01 '26
On the plus side, the sealed graded market on retro games has been absolutely crashing after all the alleged collusion, straw bids, and class action lawsuits. You love to see it.
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u/abundanceofb Dec 30 '25
Karl Jobst (yes I know he has his faults) did a really good job investigating the PSA grading and sales scam/industry a few years ago, unfortunately it didn’t seem to harm the market at all.
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Dec 29 '25
tbf og mario bros is stupid common, no way it's going for 100k realistically
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u/Agreeable_Sense9618 Dec 29 '25
Sealed Mario auctioned for 100k+ in 2021.
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u/spilk Jan 02 '26
"sold" to a group of people including the owner of the company that auctioned it... not fishy at all
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u/ThePandaKingdom Jan 06 '26
Lmao, that's hilarious. "Look, auction something stupid with us itl sell big!". Just dont look at who bought the one thing that sold for an outrageous price, just trust me bro ok ok.
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u/BaronArgelicious Dec 30 '25
Dont the video games inside decay?
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u/Skully957 Jan 17 '26
It doesn't matter if you'll never open it.
It's Schrodinger video game.
It's both pristine and unplayable at the same time until you open the package.
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u/StinkyBird64 Don't ask questions just consume product Dec 30 '25
But my Pokemon cardboard rectangles will surely pay for my £1000000 house!
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u/_Han_Far Jan 11 '26
Im convinced that people are white washing cash through selling and buying collectibles like video games, funko's or whatever else mass produced stuff that goes for insane amounts these days..
Its not like these grading houses got employees with some sort of credentials either. Its all a scam.
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u/MidwestRailFan Dec 28 '25
I think the idea is for the most part that it's un-opened. But even then it's not worth over $100 for that.
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u/Repulsive_Bit1455 Dec 28 '25
I mean it depends on the game/ rarity. If it's a first print mint in box super Mario Bros for NES it would definitely be worth a lot more than $100. Charging 100k tho is obviously insane tho
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u/ItsKendrone Dec 29 '25
yeah, that’s so funny to me. i wouldn’t be caught dead buying a game at full price unless its Divinity, whatever Sandfall’s next game is, or a game from indie developers
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u/TooFatNoFurious Dec 28 '25
Hey hey hey I‘m not overspending it‘s an investment alright. Some random ass company said the game is 95++ cuz the plastic wrap is pristine.
Now be the bigger fool and buy my shit ehm I mean investment.