One of the most fun experiences with the NES besides playing is building a magnificent collection for it. Not only are there over 750 games, but some of them are actually rare. Certain games had low production counts, bad lawsuits, or just are oversought by collectors. There are also hard-to-find accessories like ROB, the Aladdin Deck Enhancer, and even the M82. Collecting for the NES in a sense is sort of like a hobby. That's why, in this section, you're going to find tips on how/where to find rare/good NES games, and how to build up your collection at the right pace. You also may or may find some new strategies and other ways of knowing that the game you buy is worth it.

Where do I start?

First of all, before you go out and begin buying anything, you must know what you want to collect. You have to ask yourself if you want to collect just rare games, commons, both, or everything you can find. Secondly, you need an income. If you were to buy every NES game individually based on their average worth, it would cost you well over $5000! Obviously, you don't want to spend that much (unless you're a super-freak) or if it's for the dreaded gold NWC cart. Don't worry, we'll get into this later. A decent minimum paying job, or chores can help support your income for NES games. Now my main goal is to collect as much of the NES as I can, including rare games. You're going to need a few essentials before you plan on buying anything worthy of the NES. Always take a NES Rarity Guide with you. The NES Rarity Guide is exactly what it stands for. It's a guide that lists the rarity of every NES game (I think), and it has an average price for each. It is outdated by five years, so some games aren't exactly the same rarity or value. Secondly, after you have this guide, you have to think about what games you want to base your collection off of. If you want the perfect collection that has no flaws, then I recommend you read my Perfect Collection article. However, if you're looking for only rare/common games, take the rarity guide with you.

I'm ready to collect - But where do I find games?

You can get some of the best deals by going to the places on the left. EBAY, yard sales, flea markets, pawn shops, EB/stores, and friends often have plenty of NES games. If you're looking for the most variety and selection, check out EBAY. If you're looking for a lucky find (that rarely happens), check out yard sales. If you want to buy a couple titles for a low price, check out your local flea markets. If you want to also make a steal/low priced buy, check out your local pawn shops. You can always check out the local Electronics Boutiques/Funcoland/Gamestop but they normally have extremely high prices. You should also ask your friends if they're willing to sell their NES, and offer them $20-$40. They'll usually take it. Those six sources are your best bet of finding anything NES related since many kids going to college and older parents tend to sell old things they get no use out of. Maybe you find a NES at a flea market for $5 that doesn't work, well buy it. All you need to do is pay $8 off of MCM Electronics and you can have a fully working NES. You have to be smart when you buy things at these places, often you will get ripped off if you aren't thinking. Don't look overly interested in what they have, just skim through and browse at a moderate pace. If you stand there for fifteen minutes thinking about buying a game, the dealer might get suspicious and try to raise the price. In my personal opinion, I've had the most success at flea markets, but that's my luck.

I want to buy some games - But how do I know if they're rare?

Remember what I said about the rarity guide? Always take it with you. Just roll it up like a scroll and walk through the store browsing through the products. Try not to look at the game at check the rarity list. You can get thrown out of a store for doing this since you are checking the value of the products. What I usually do is look at the games that they're selling, then I'll walk a few aisles or feet away. Then I look at some of the key games he had there, check them on the list, and finally go back and purchase them. You should almost always buy the classic/good games if they're for a cheap price. Even if you have two of the same game, you can sell one of the copies on EBAY and keep the other. Secondly, if you don't like carrying a 16-page rarity list around, I recommend taking a notecard and copying down the key games off of the list. Any game with an A- rating or above should be marked down on your notecard. Also, any game under $2 is an excellent deal. $3 is good too, but you should make sure that the game is worth $3 before buying it.

Another strategy people try to do is negotiate the price down. While it's smart to try and get something for the lowest price, many dealers won't lower their price a buck. If the price for something is a fair price, buy it. Don't pass it up because you're not willing to waste an extra $5 for a fully working NES. An important and overlooked key factor in the decision to buying games is what the game has. If you see a game with a box that is in complete condition, buy it. Even if it's $5, buy it. It is extremely hard to find complete, boxed NES games for decent prices nowadays. Some games are worth twice their value with everything included.

If you do happen to see a sealed NES game, be careful before thinking about buying it. An officially licensed sealed NES game will always have a horizontal meeting line on the back. Basically, it's where the two plastic sheets come together. It's one way of knowing that the sealed game is still sealed rather than resealed. Yes, people who do have resealers will try to scam you. I'm pretty sure only Nintendo manufacturers were able to make the horizontal line on the back of every game, so look for it to make sure your game is sealed. Please note, unlicensed games did not have these horizontal lines on the back, so there's no definitive way of knowing whether or not they're resealed. Below is a pic of what a horizontal scan line looks like.

Any other suggestions?

Yes. Try not to open sealed games. Even if you have the itch and desire to do so, don't. You can always bid for a cart-only auction off of EBAY and you can always clean the game so that it works flawlessly on the NES. If you're looking for a list of RARE-only games, stay tuned to this section. I'm going to sort Mike Etler's list into a rare-only list with any games that are B- and above. This way you can narrow the list down to a few pages. If you think I'm missing a few tips from this page, e-mail me. I'll give you credit for submitting them. Remember, this is to share all the collectors' tips and strategies on how to get a good collection.

I don't believe I stress this enough, try to take good care of your collection. Find a bookcase, shelf, or plastic container where you can store your entire NES collection. Make sure it is dust-free, and try to keep all the papers you have from your NES. Make sure none of the game boxes come in contact with sunlight since this can cause them to fade. If you need more help with building your collection, check out the NES General board at Gamefaqs. Lots of collectors go there.

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