Genesis Cartridge label issue, is this normal?

goldenpp72goldenpp72
in Collector's Corner
So I recently have begun collecting genesis titles and I have noticed a really bizarre trend. a lot of the cartridges I get have something that resembles staining on it. Usually little black specs of sorts, it's difficult to capture in an image but I will attempt to do so now. I'm posting one of the more subtle games I have with the issue as I don't know if some of them are outright stains or something else.



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Notice on the yellow part of the logo, there is some kind of black grain on it, it's subtle but definitely prominent when compared to the manual, as such.



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I have other games with more severe cases, but some don't seem to have it at all. Does anyone know if this is normal and if so, what causes it? 



Edit: I also got in a game with a severe case of it today below.

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Comments

  • maelwysmaelwys
    I've seen this on a lot of Genesis carts. I think it caused by a mix of humidity and oils from handling discoloring the glue used to apply the labels.
  • goldenpp72goldenpp72
    So if the games were kept in a relatively neutral climate, do you think it would retain its original luster?
  • maelwysmaelwys
    Hard to say for certain, but I believe so. I also have a lot of carts in excellent shape, and have seen plenty of instances where two copies of the same game released about the same time can differ - one with spots and the other mint. To me that says there has to be an environmental component.
  • JohnnyJohnny
    It might also vary on which factory made the cart as far as the staining and durability go. Genesis has lots of quality variations.
  • SpaceFleaSpaceFlea
    Every Sonic 3 cart I've ever seen suffers from this. Including the one I've owned since the day it was released which has never been mistreated physically or environmentally.
  • Jimmy YakapucciJimmy Yakapucci
    I remember this being a big issue with Atari 2600 carts from Activision. Google the term actiplaque.

  • OutriderOutrider
    Yeah some of my carts have this going on, some don't. I have noticed that carts that were kept primarily in the case are much less likely to have it.
  • MrFlutterPieMrFlutterPie
    I have a bunch of carts like this. It seems to be a widespread problem.
  • The CountThe Count
    It happens to NES carts as well. I believe it's the adhesive under the label and likely irreversible.
  • nieds16nieds16
    My guess on why this happens is a seperation of the paper/plastic layers on the labels. It would kind of be like a bad car tint job where is starts to bubble because the adhesive was not properly spread. That's a total guess but it makes sense to me.
  • T.A.P.T.A.P.
    Some dudes on an Atari forum have said you can apparently fix it using some complex and very expensive cleaning process similar to what stamp collectors do, but it doesn't sound worth it. I know it isn't optimal, but honestly, I'd just accept it as part of the natural aging process of this things.
  • final fight cdfinal fight cd
    I've never seen this happen to any Nintendo product. But I always see it happen with genesis games.
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