10/20/2012 - New Grabs!

10/20/12: Flea Market Saturday

    We all know flea markets are excellent sources for retro games... so as a new collector on the scene, I had to make my mark. Taking notes from Pat the NES Punk, I grabbed my brother Jordan bright and early to beat the local competition in South Carolina.

    It's hard to take a flea market serious... Case and point: the second we hopped out of my SUV, we saw a woman on a golf cart sporting an eye patch - singing pirate songs... (I kid you not). With a look of terror, Jordan's first response was "I don't know about this man"...

   The day instantly became detective work. After asking a few vendors about retro games, we learned a local couple "had thousands" - but hadn't set up shop yet. While trying to kill time, we stumbled upon a gentlemen with Super Nintendo games and took a look. The best of his batch had to be "Killer Instinct" and "Clay Fighter"... I was ready to purchase these, but he unfortunately didn't have change. I opted to come back later... (but never did - we'll catch him next time!)

    Ridiculous moment of the day: Jordan and I stumbled upon another vendor with about 30 NES games and a collection of excellent titles. Honest to God: I had my hands on "The Legend of Zelda", "The Adventures of Link", "Mega Man 3", "Double Dragon" and "Double Dragon 2" in about 5 seconds flat. 

    The problem was, the old man selling them was crazy and his prices were off the wall! It's almost comical... I offered him $20 for all 5 cartridges (which would have been a steal) and he wanted $20 for "The Adventures of Link" alone! Are you kidding me?? He demanded $60 for all 5 games and I walked away immediately... heartbroken, but happy I didn't entertain his insanity...

    So what did I actually BUY?

    When the couple I mentioned earlier finally set up shop, their assortment of titles was honestly pretty random. First of all, the "thousands" we had been told about was more like 50 or 60... 

    The games I purchased today were more about rarity than playability. After sifting through numerous titles, I walked away with only 2: (which surprised the heck out of me).

THE MUTANT VIRUS: "Crisis in a Computer World" - (ASC) 1992

Price Tag: $3.50

Condition: Tiny tear; but excellent, out of box

Fondest Memory: None!

    I've honestly never played "The Mutant Virus", but I put some trust into my research and gambled on this title for its rarity. Being a 1992 production, I knew $3.50 for a late-release was an excellent price. I'm sure I'll play it down the road!

 

LEGENDS OF THE DIAMOND - (Bandai) 1992

Price Tag: $3.50

Condition: Slight scuffs, overall great

Fondest Memory: None!

    I've also never played this title, but I saw a little ownership value in acquiring "Legends of the Diamond" for a mere $3.50. Can't beat it!

    I didn't expect to purchase unfamiliar titles this early in my collecting, but being crunched for time - I made the buys I felt were appropriate today. Sure, I would have loved to walk off with "Megan Man 3", both "Double Dragons" and both "Zelda" titles for a steal... but the asking price was far too ridiculous. Bottom line: I snatched two uncommon titles for $7 and drove away pleased.

    I'll definitely be grabbing even more next weekend -