Is there a pictorial guide to box conditions??
i was wondering if anybody had done a guide with pictures of what a 5/10 box looks like compared to a 6/10 box? You know, show a pick and point out why it deserves this rating.It can have arrows pointing out the flaws. Show all ratings from 1/10 to 10/10. They do this with sports cards, why not with boxed games?
I am considering on starting a small CIB collection of games I had as a kid and said I want NM boxes. Now I might be happy with a game that is 8/10, but have no reference so I just say NM. A guide like this would be wonderful for people just getting into CIB collecting and cut down on disagreements on condition.
What do you guys think???
I am considering on starting a small CIB collection of games I had as a kid and said I want NM boxes. Now I might be happy with a game that is 8/10, but have no reference so I just say NM. A guide like this would be wonderful for people just getting into CIB collecting and cut down on disagreements on condition.
What do you guys think???
Comments
I was thinking of doing this for cart conditions. I used to collect and grade coins as a hobby so I think I would do a good job. Whenever I took my coins to a dealer they said I graded them right.
If you start doing this and you need pics of games in the lower end like 1's 2's 3's 4's etc.. PM me
I have the worst of the worst when it comes to cart quality on NES.
I was thinking of doing this for cart conditions. I used to collect and grade coins as a hobby so I think I would do a good job. Whenever I took my coins to a dealer they said I graded them right.
If you start doing this and you need pics of games in the lower end like 1's 2's 3's 4's etc.. PM me
I have the worst of the worst when it comes to cart quality on NES.
so Paul can give you picks of the lower condition carts, can you do a boxed guide as well?? You would just need picks of all the conditions so you can write up the guide.
Yeah I think the numbering system is in the eye of the beholder. Someone's 9/10 may not equal another's 9/10 for example. But for me, 9/10 has virtually no box creases or blemishes, and very little wear on the corners. The only noticiably worn portions should be the box flap spine where the game was opened.
To give you a quick baseline masonsushi, I would also rate a 9 to have no creases or blemishes, just some slight wear to corners and maybe the flaps. A 10 is perfect of course. An 8 would include the wear of a 9 plus maybe some small creases (less than an inch and no more the 2 or maybe 3 very small inperfections). A 7 would include a few creases or a large crease or 2. A 6 would be creases up or a few creases and some small tears around the flaps, maybe in decent shape but shows crushing along the sides of the box.
A 5 would now start to be torn up, maybe missing flaps, multiple creases. 4 has lots of crushing and creases, small tears. 3 is torn and crushed. 2 is faded, crushed flat, tear flaps and barely holds the cartridge. 1 is possible a rental cut-up or completely trashed. 0 goes in the garbage because you're not sure what game it's for haha.
Again, it's very subjective unfortunately and someone else may rate differently. This is how I usually try and rate my games and is probably close to how others would (I hope)
~~NGD
Ultimately, such a guide would be unnecessary since using a picture of another game that simply resembles your box is no substitute for just taking a picture of your box!
So what I'm saying is:
Step 1: Collect underpants.
Step 2: Take detailed pictures of underpants.
Step 3: Profit!
Exactly... this is so much personal preference. I was just discussing this with Right Nut the other night. He bought a game and was told it was very nice but it had a flap missing. To him that means 6/10. To the seller it was very nice. SOme people don't care about the dog ear flaps cause you can't see them from the outside. For me if it's missing an inner flap it already is a 7/10 ABSOLUTE MAX even if the rest of the box was DEAD MINT PERFECT. For me 8+/10 is collector grade. So missing a flap automatically makes it a copy that needs to be upgraded.
In addition on my personal collection list the highest grade anything can get even if it is dead mint perfect to my eye is 9.5/10. UNLESS it is sealed then it can obtain 10/10 status if the sealed item looks perfect to my eye.
Not to mention, and it's funny that Ray is participating in this thread, but some people are super duper strict on stuff, LIKE RAY. What might be a 9.5 to you might be an 8.5 to RAY in his mintest of the mintest BB quest.
A black box game that was touched up with black sharpie.
Game boxes that are faded.
Dead mint box that had one small razor blade mark on the side because some idiot accidentally got the box when opening the original game.
Sticker residue... how do you classify that?
Stickers in general?
As you can see, shelf wear and creases are only a small portion of a boxes criteria. Not to mention you'd have to go at least by increments of .5, maybe .25 if you are trying to be anal.
And like already mentioned, no two criteria are the same. Frisbee has the single strictest 10/10 condition grading out of anyone I've dealt with, if you even breathe on the game it's automatically 9.5. Then look at braveheart, he's basically saying it's impossible to have a 10/10 game unless it's sealed. There's so much differing opinion here that it'd really be a waste of time to do such a task, at least IMO.
why is it that other collectibles have a similar type of guide, but we can't?? You guys are saying; sports cards, game cards, Barbies, action figures ( of all kinds), coins, comics, books and a slew of other hobbies have figured it out, but we are incapable of agreeing on 10 pics and reasons? All it takes is a couple of people that have experience with CIB to agree on pics and why they think they deserve the rating that it gets. Of course the minute it gets released you will have a few guys that say they disagree, or it isn't accurate. That's fine. They don't need to use it.
I for one am super glad we don't have this type of thing. Most collectors (at least for video games) don't want grading or services like this, I know I don't personally. I would never use a set of rules to sell my stuff. I send people pics and they can make up their own mind if they want to buy it or not. My 10, and Frisbee's 10 might be way different and you will have to take pics anyways so why bother with the extra steps when you are going to have to do it regardless. There are just to many variables on to many different items to make a this really work.
What if a box is a 100% gem mint a 10. The manual has 1 sticker on the back cover, and the cart has a peeling corner. What grade would that get? Which piece holds the most weight in the grade? What your proposing would almost need a math formula to get a accurate number if you break it down by piece which you would have to do. Each one of those criteria might get a different score for different collectors throwing the whole thing out the window. Good intentions but impossible to make a viable resource IMO.
~~NGD
Ok Seriously. Mason the other collection hobbies have in a way been around far longer than ours. They have had a couple of decades or so to work out this type of thing. That system evolved long before the invent of the net. Pictures were more difficult to send. So the necessity was there for a standard system of grading. However, my guess would be there was a lot more pissed off people who felt items were over graded so to speak.
Today it takes all of 2 minuets to take a snapshot and e-mail it to someone. But yea I'm kinda curious on what an 8.5 looks like. But as stated before different strokes for different folks. Steve will say something is mint and I'll look at it and pick out a dozen flaws LOL
Of course the seller would still have to list the flaws and/or provide pictures.
If you are going to have to do that anyways, why bother with have a standard grade? You will have to take the time to figure out the grade, plus take the time to describe it and get the pics. Your just adding to the workload of selling and getting zilch in return. There is no way a single grade can take into account all the parts and pieces. Sealed grading works cause they are just grading the box for the most part, CIB grading is way to subjective on a case by case basis.
~~NGD
Of course the seller would still have to list the flaws and/or provide pictures.
If you are going to have to do that anyways, why bother with have a standard grade? You will have to take the time to figure out the grade, plus take the time to describe it and get the pics. Your just adding to the workload of selling and getting zilch in return. There is no way a single grade can take into account all the parts and pieces. Sealed grading works cause they are just grading the box for the most part, CIB grading is way to subjective on a case by case basis.
~~NGD
because if somebody lists a bunch of games with ratings beside the names, I at least have an Idea of what condition the game is in. Yes I will have to ask for picks and decide on a case by case basis, but I an avoid that hassle if I know that it meets a "basic" standard.
You grade all the pieces separately and then average the total.
because if somebody lists a bunch of games with ratings beside the names, I at least have an Idea of what condition the game is in. Yes I will have to ask for picks and decide on a case by case basis, but I an avoid that hassle if I know that it meets a "basic" standard.
Then move forward with your project then
~~NGD
Yippie I win the most anal award!
hmmm...