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| 20 NOV 2003 at 11:44pm |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By coreoverload (20 NOV 2003 5:47pm)
Would that be 2400 AD? That is pretty hard to find too.
Sirdave, why do you use Celtica so often in your examples of rarity? There plenty of other games that are equally rare if not rarer. There is Armaeth the Lost Kingdom, Who's Fat Lou, Grackon's Curse, Gordak, Escape from the Haunted House, Riddle of the Maze etc.
Alien Incident-NIB sold for less than $100
Fair question. I suppose I do mention Celtica more often when discussing this subject because IMHO it is a game that is recognized by most people as being a collectible and a game that is of interest to many AGers because of its Myst-clone label. Also, it is a true collectible because 1) the company that made it went under soon after its release so that not many games were distributed to begin with and 2) it's packaging (ie. box) is so fragile (made of thin material with no cardboard insert) that not many boxes in good condition exist.
On the other hand, many of the other games mentioned (some of which you mention above) are not recognized by, or are of interest to, a lot of adventure gamers.
However, that said, as I look up at my 'rare game shelf', instead of Celtica, I could mention Secrets of the Luxor, Gordak (as you did), The Cassandra Galleries, Pilgrim, Liath, Reah (red & blue-green), Versailles 1685, Flight of the Amazon Queen, Case of the Rose Tattoo, Neverhood, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Dinotopia, Mirage, Morpheus, Fable, Bad Mojo, Infocom Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces, and Obsidian. Not all are worth as much as Celtica, but still darn hard to find under $75 nonetheless.
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 21 NOV 2003 at 12:02am |
dombrewerGuild Master
Posts : 3103
Joined: 19 JAN 2003
Status : Offline | I find it really interesting that a game that can be considered average or even mediocre can be worth a lot of money just because there aren't that many copies of it. There probably aren't for a very good reason!!
I'm surprised (and pleased) to see Gene Machine is thought to be worth something. I bought it pretty cheap when it first came out off the shelf and thought it was a fun but unremarkable effort. Also, some of the animation is pretty cheaply done if I recall!
I did splash out a bit when I bought The Neverhood, mainly because I knew it was a game I really wanted to play and that I was probably going to enjoy it a lot. Having said that I got it for only £26 fully boxed (what's that, $40?) Can't have been much more than its original shelf price. I waited around for that price though, took a good few months to find the right auction. I think it's always possible to get what you want with patience and a sensible budget!
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| 21 NOV 2003 at 12:08am |
WimliGuild Master
Posts : 3259
Joined: 14 MAR 2003
Status : Offline | It's just so strange that, for some of these rare games, things differ so much in the various regions of the world. Reah and Liath were sold at rock-bottom prices about a year ago at Free Record, one of the largest chain of multimedia stores in the Netherlands-Belgium (when the stores couldn't get rid of their stock, Liath was sold for only 1,5 euros!). And it's something that can still be felt on e.g. the Belgian and Dutch ebays where these games won't sell for more than a few euros because everybody interested already has these games.
I've also heard that the Gabriel Knight Mysteries (GK1 + GK2 + novel GK1 + soundtrack cd) box sometimes sells for a lot of money too. Not sure whether it's true though.
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| 21 NOV 2003 at 5:23am |
coreoverloadIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 17
Joined: 7 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By jaap (20 NOV 2003 10:42pm)
Nice topic!
>$300 Alice interactive Museum
$150 Duckman (English version)
>$300 Vampire Diaries
$150 Orion Burger
$300 Treasure hunter (unopened)
$200 3 Skulls of the Toltecs
$180 Celtica
$100 Master of Dimensions
$100 Hamlet a Murder Mystery
$100 Puppet Motel
$70 Roberta Williams Anthology
$50 King's Quest Collection
$50 Space Quest Collection
$50 Quest for Glory Anthology
$50 Leisure Suit Larry Collection
$30 Monkey Island Collection
$50 Loom (CD)
$80 Touche: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer
? Dinotopia
$30 Jack the Ripper
$70 The Gene Machine
? Night Trap
? Case Of The Cautious Condor
? Cassandra Galleries
$50 Alien Incident
? Eve Burst Error
? Hard Evidence: The Marilyn Monroe Files
$20 U.F.O.'s
? Blue Heat: The Case of the Cover Girl Murders
? Monet and the Mistery of the Orangerie Museum
? OPSYS
? Opera Fatal
>$300 Nippon Safes Inc.
>$300 Igor: Objective Uikokahonia
$ 150 The Big Red Adventure
?Maupiti Island
$40 Stagefright (Phantasmagoria I+II)
$100 Secret Mission
$50 Chewy Esc from F5
$50 Lost files of Sherlock holmes - Rose Tattoo
$50 The Muppets Inside
$70 The neverhood
$40 Queen the eye
Jaap
There are many in that list that are really rare, and not many people know about them so sometimes they don't go for really high prices. But sometimes 2 serious collectors find them and have a bidding war. And some are really popular and get a really high price because so many people want them. I think a few prices are to low/high.
Nice collection Sirdave. I had Cassandra Galleries, Neverhood, Dinotopia and Pilgrim, but I don't anymore. :'(
I have Mirage, Bad Mojo, Obsidian and Rose Tattoo.
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| 21 NOV 2003 at 7:31pm |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By coreoverload (21 NOV 2003 5:22am)
There are many in that list that are really rare, and not many people know about them so sometimes they don't go for really high prices. But sometimes 2 serious collectors find them and have a bidding war. And some are really popular and get a really high price because so many people want them.
That's right! The popular games are usually not all that rare. Lots of Neverhoods and Obsidians on ebay. But only a few people are interested in Yellow Brick Road and it's the bidding war between two people that drives up the prices. Someone pays a small fortune for a rare game and guess what the BIN or reserve price for that game will be in future...
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| 23 NOV 2003 at 7:42pm |
shrimpnoseIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 15
Joined: 19 NOV 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By coreoverload (20 NOV 2003 8:57pm)
I'm curious. Why did you start this thread? If somebody who was going to sell one of the games on this list and saw this they might think twice before selling their game(s). And they would probably put a high reserve/starting bid. And these are just the highest prices for games anyway. Not the average.
To Coreoverload,
I posted this thread in the hope that some people out there might have known of other games demanding high pay.
And you were right about some people taking this opportunity to start their games at a higher starting bid (see eBay link below), but there is no guarantee people will bite when prices start that high (we game collectors tend to bid higher when starting prices are low and bidding wars ensue), I guess we will just have to wait and see.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3060723552&category=11047&rd=1
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| 23 NOV 2003 at 9:36pm |
coreoverloadIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 17
Joined: 7 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Actually that seller always starts that particualar game at a high price. And yes he/she has more than 1.
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| 23 NOV 2003 at 10:12pm |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Just one thing to add:
When someone says that certain games are 'frequently' on Ebay or are commonly available otherwise, they need to distinguish between the jewel case and boxed version in good-excellent condition. There are games like Neverhood and Obsidian to be had on Ebay but there are relatively few offered in good boxed editions which are the only kind I'm interested in!
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 24 NOV 2003 at 12:15am |
shrimpnoseIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 15
Joined: 19 NOV 2003
Status : Online | Here is an opportunity for us to find out what the top game "Alice" might be worth...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3060722310&category=11053&rd=1
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| 24 NOV 2003 at 12:32am |
scoutPrivate Detective
Posts : 736
Joined: 2 NOV 2002
Status : Online | I wonder if they know what they have yet? They will soon enough. The last person to list a boxed Alice as "Alice Wonderland Interactive Museum" pulled the auction two days later, probably as a result of a private offer. Looks like it's in nice shape.
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| 24 NOV 2003 at 12:37am |
sennebecGuild Master
Posts : 3334
Joined: 15 NOV 2004
Location: US, maine
Status : Offline | jeepers, wouldn't you know it,
i'm totally broke right now :'(
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| 24 NOV 2003 at 6:27pm |
PatvsSpace Cadet
Posts : 154
Joined: 4 DEC 2002
Status : Online | I was surprised I couldn't find any of the "money grabber games" on Ebay the past month, and a few days after this topic, Ebay suddenly listed:
Alice: An Interactive Museum
Duckman
3 Skulls of the Toltecs
Dinotopia
Cassandra Galleries
We can all benefit from this now, and get these games for a low price.
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| 24 NOV 2003 at 8:57pm |
BelindaSchattenjger
Posts : 2093
Joined: 21 OCT 2002
Status : Online | Seems like some prices for games have gone up at ebay since last year.
I've sold quite a few of my adventure games on ebay last year. I had 3 games that sold kinda high, and I was surprised about it.
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream-- 51.00
Leisure Suit Larry Collection-- 46.00
The Kyrandia Series Collection-- 51.00
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 12:06am |
PatvsSpace Cadet
Posts : 154
Joined: 4 DEC 2002
Status : Online | Leisure Suit Larry Collection easily makes $80 now.
I've sold 30 Roberta Williams Anthologies the past 4 months. (highest winning bid: $192.50, lowest $81) and the average price pretty much stays the same.
Which makes me wonder. In 10 years nobody will know Sierra anymore, while right NOW the Sierra collectors are at an age they want to make their collection complete AND they have the resources to do so. Maybe there is a PERFECT time to sell games and for the Sierra Collections (and Anthologies) that time is now.
As a collector, of course I'd prefer to HOLD on to my 'precious collection', but when people are willing to pay $100 for which I paid $10, I'm not strong enough to not make some quick cash.
[URL=http://members.chello.nl/pvanscha/]My Homepage (+200 pics)[/URL]&&[URL=http://patvs.kicks-ass.net:8080/]My Live Webcam + Desktop + Sound[/URL]
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 2:10pm |
shrimpnoseIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 15
Joined: 19 NOV 2003
Status : Online | Hey "Alice: An Interactive Museum" just sold privately behind the scenes and out of the auction. I guess we will never know what the real worth of games like Alice really is, too bad... Shucks!
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 5:09pm |
coreoverloadIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 17
Joined: 7 MAY 2003
Status : Online | The reason it was ended early is because an incorrect starting amount. Maybe they will relist it with a reserve price or a higher starting bid.
Or maybe a friend told them they had a valuable game. Or some idiot trying to show off their knowledge and ended up getting the seller to decide not to sell the game. >
There has been at least one auction I was going to bid on for a very rare game where the seller said somebody told them they had a valuable game. Fortunately they kept the auction listed without changing it.
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 6:18pm |
scoutPrivate Detective
Posts : 736
Joined: 2 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Typically whenever Alice goes up for sale the seller is inundated with private offers. One seller even stated in his description he wouldn't sell the game privately so that should tell you somehthing. The original Ultima and the Drash game bring this same kind of response too. There's not much you can do about it other than hope you find it erroneously listed in some dark corner of ebay or elsewhere. Me, I just know I'm gonna find it in a hardware store someday for 99 cents.
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 6:47pm |
RecklessJourneyman
Posts : 962
Joined: 14 NOV 2002
Status : Online | But is this Alice really any good? I'll admit to not even knowing about it before now so excuse my ignorance.
[url=http://leisuresuitlarry.dyndns.org/]Leisure Suit Larry Archive Site[/url]&&[url=http://www.adamhearn.co.uk]Hearn Garage[/url]
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 6:56pm |
scoutPrivate Detective
Posts : 736
Joined: 2 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Actually, seeing as how many rare games aren't that good, Alice is excellent. It's arty though and that puts off a lot of people. Also, it's not a Sierra or Lucasarts adventure game format so that also leaves a lot of people scratching their heads, wondering what the hell they've got. It also has adult content, though very restrained and that upsets others. I liked it enormously. You can't save, in fact don't need to. It's hard to explain unless you actually play it.
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| 25 NOV 2003 at 11:31pm |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By coreoverload (25 NOV 2003 5:08pm)
The reason it was ended early is because an incorrect starting amount.
Unlikely!
Maybe they will relist it with a reserve price or a higher starting bid.
Wouldn't hold my breath!
Or maybe a friend told them they had a valuable game.
Or maybe someone on the most popular, well-known Adventure forum announced that the game was selling on Ebay in the same thread that indicated the real value of the game?
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 26 NOV 2003 at 12:35am |
shrimpnoseIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 15
Joined: 19 NOV 2003
Status : Online | SirDave,
Your interpretation of what might have happened to the "Alice" auction, seems more accurate to me, even though I think the 3rd point had more to do with the number of private offers, and the subsequent falling to temptation, than the posting here....
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| 26 NOV 2003 at 1:44am |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By shrimpnose (26 NOV 2003 12:35am)
SirDave,
Your interpretation of what might have happened to the "Alice" auction, seems more accurate to me, even though I think the 3rd point had more to do with the number of private offers, and the subsequent falling to temptation than the posting here....
Yup! I The seller was likely aware that the game was somewhat rare, but didn't appreciate how rare othewise there would have been a Reserve. As far as falling to temptation goes, I think he/she did the pragmatic thing and there was nothing wrong with it if the offer was right; there are too many unknowns these days on Ebay- as people have pointed out, every once in a while a rare game slips thru the cracks and someone makes off with it for a song. If I were the seller I would tend towards the premise that a bird in the hand is worth more than one in the bush.
The future ain't what it used to be!
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| 26 NOV 2003 at 2:54am |
PatvsSpace Cadet
Posts : 154
Joined: 4 DEC 2002
Status : Online | I contacted the Alice seller after he cancelled the auction.
He said he's not going to offer it on Ebay again, but had made 'a mistake'
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| 26 NOV 2003 at 3:14am |
shrimpnoseIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 15
Joined: 19 NOV 2003
Status : Online | Actually, I made an offer to the seller prior to the auction magically vanishing in thin air (which confirms the game being sold to a higher bidder) and here is his reply:
"This is a very valuable piece of software, around $150.00, and I DO NOT sell my items directly. I start out all my auctions with a very low opening amount and let the bidders take it where it ends up."
Obviously my offer was less than $150, and whomever changed his mind must have paid enough money to make him re-think his strategy. I guess the seller not knowing the real value of the game, must now be a very happy camper.
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| 26 NOV 2003 at 4:34am |
SirDaveGuild Master
Posts : 4940
Joined: 17 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By shrimpnose (26 NOV 2003 3:13am)
"This is a very valuable piece of software, around $150.00.."
A boxed Alice Interactive Museum around $150? I think not!
As most collectors know, Alice is one of the rarest games to show up. A jewel box version will go usually for easily over $175-200 and a boxed version, well.......
The future ain't what it used to be!
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