Episode 267 takes a sip from gaming's holy grail collectibles
Remember: In the Latin alphabet, "Jelly Boy 2" begins with the letter I.
Ah, what better way for this podcast to close out the decade* than with a look at, uh, games we'll never own and that may no longer exist? OK, there's not actually any real symbolism here. But the topic is interesting and the discussion is lively, as Bob and I team up with expert collectors Steve Lin and Chris Kohler to talk about the "holy grails" of collecting. We kind of fudge the definition of "holy grail" here, discussing games that are both impossibly expensive and also literally impossible for anyone to own.
You can treat this as a sort of companion piece to my recent NES Works episode on Stadium Events, which was also aided and abetted by Steve:
But Stadium Events isn't technically a true Holy Grail, since Steve actually owns the copy that was lent to produce this video. It's just crazy rare and expensive... but it's in-hand. Are we splitting hairs? Oh, definitely. But collectors are all about splitting hairs and being incredibbly precise about fine details. After all, in the case of Stadium Events, the placement of the logo on the box determines whether it's the moderately uncommon European release or the vanishingly rare American version—a difference in value of roughly $40,500.
Collecting, man. It's hardcore.
As always, thanks to Steve and Chris for joining us on this episode. And thanks to you, the loyal listener of Retronauts. This is my final public episode release of 2019; I do have a Command & Conquer developer interview due for Patreon next Monday, but otherwise this is my Retronauts mic drop for the year. See ya in 2020, aka the year that is not named for my eyesight.
Retronauts Episode 267: Holy Grails of Game Collecting
MP3, 46.8 MB | 1:41:15
Direct download | Retronauts on iTunes | Retronauts on Libsyn
Episode description: Hide your wallets: Jeremy Parish, Bob Mackey, Chris Kohler, and Steve Lin discuss the pricing perils, pitfalls, and occasional perfidy surrounding the rarest/costliest/most non-existent video game collectibles in history.
*Yes, the decade doesn't technically start until 2021, but here's the important thing about that: No one likes an insufferable pedant.
