Everyday folk discovering colossally valuable collectors' items amid everyday junk has been the lifeblood of antiques shows for years, but it's not every day you see a real-life gold-in-the-attic tale play out on eBay.
Last week, North Carolina eBay user lace_thongs35 thought she was putting up an everyday, 80s-era Nintendo Entertainment System (together with five games) up on the popular auction site. But less than an hour after the first bid, the price was over $6,000 -- and on Wednesday, when the auction closed, the final selling price topped $13,000.
Why? Not the console itself, but one of the games bundled with it -- a deeply obscure 1987 release called Stadium Events, a highly sought-after collectors' item. But it wasn't even the game itself that was worth the bulk of the money -- it was the original cardboard box, which collectors value at a breathtaking $10,000. Fewer than 10 complete copies of the game are thought to exist, and retro gaming aficionados consider it one of the hardest-to-find NES games ever made.
Bet you're wishing you hadn't let Mom throw out your Nintendo collection now, eh?
I'm not surprised in the least! I remember selling my old school Nintendo system with 50 games back in college. I received 100 e-mails about it from 100 different college students. It came with the power pad which is what everyone wanted the most. Finally, someone came to me with a check of $2,000 for the system, all the games and the Power Pad. People want this shit and they will find ways of making it theirs.
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