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WATA load of...
Sep. 21st, 2021 06:10 amFirst things first: I'm not a major follower of the video game collectibles/auctions market. The most exposure I've had to it was the occasional mention of shady eBay sellers on Pat Contri's "Completely Unnecessary Podcast" a few years ago. I don't know if he's still working on that, but I think this article I read from Nintendo Life about a recent Sonic the Hedgehog auction might be right at home in that category.
The very idea of Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most common Sega Genesis games of the early '90s, selling for anything higher than $100, much less six figures ($400,000 for a mint copy of Sonic? $1.5 million for a sealed Super Mario 64?!), is completely laughable to me. And when you factor in the possibility of the market for these "WATA-certified" auctions being goosed by employees running the auctions and grading systems, that's when you really start to see raised eyebrows.
Personally, I think I'll stick to the bargain bins and flea markets to get my rare/uncommon game fix, regardless of their alleged condition.
(Sources for all articles: Nintendo Life)
The very idea of Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most common Sega Genesis games of the early '90s, selling for anything higher than $100, much less six figures ($400,000 for a mint copy of Sonic? $1.5 million for a sealed Super Mario 64?!), is completely laughable to me. And when you factor in the possibility of the market for these "WATA-certified" auctions being goosed by employees running the auctions and grading systems, that's when you really start to see raised eyebrows.
Personally, I think I'll stick to the bargain bins and flea markets to get my rare/uncommon game fix, regardless of their alleged condition.
(Sources for all articles: Nintendo Life)
