Labels and box reproduction, What do you think?

[Jrecee]

I'm not a fan of the custom covers that look nothing like the originals. A gameshop makes those and puts them in those universal cases.

On some of my loose genesis games, or on the more expensive ones, I printed off the original art from thecoverproject. It fits in the original genesis cases pretty much perfectly. You really can't tell the difference from a distance, and it makes everything look organized. I guess it's not legit, and eventually when money is no longer an issue I'll probably replace them with the real deal, but I'm happy with it for now. Now if somebody tried to dupe me with one, I'd be unhappy.

[Krejlooc]

I like my games to be boxed with manual and look generally as presentable as possible. In my entire collection that spans a couple of thousand now, I probably have less than 100 unboxed games across all systems. I have no qualms about buying empty boxes or gutting a case to print out a box. I have access to incredibly high quality laser printers and I've boxed several Sega CD, Sega Saturn, and Genesis games this way.

Similarly, I have no problems buying a box or label from someone else for a fee. I see the fee as paying them for the cost of work, because, tiny as it may seem, it still takes effort to put together a full, presentable box. This goes double if they can make me a nice, authentic looking manual.

However, at the end of the day, I keep track of which one of my games have original boxes and which don't, even if they're virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. It's nice knowing which one of your games is real deal authentic. For that reason, I'll usually buy an empty box off of a forum or ebay or something before I resort to building or buying a reproduction box.

An entirely boxed collection looks much nicer than a carts-only collection, even if the space requirement is enormous.

I'd rather have an imperfect collection, something more pure. It's retro, that's the way it is.

I should note that virtually everything I have from when I was a kid is still in pristine condition. I've always taken care of my stuff, and a good 2/3 of my collection I've purchased brand new, meaning I'm the only owner. To me, mint and neat IS retro. Buying a retro game and getting something that someone didn't take care of isn't what my experience is about.

[AppleQueso]

I should note that virtually everything I have from when I was a kid is still in pristine condition. I've always taken care of my stuff, and a good 2/3 of my collection I've purchased brand new, meaning I'm the only owner. To me, mint and neat IS retro. Buying a retro game and getting something that someone didn't take care of isn't what my experience is about.

Interesting how much our experiences as kids shaped our collecting habits. Nearly everything I owned when I was a kid was second-hand. Bought from pawn shops, thrift stores, handed down from family members, etc.

[serge85]

Well, I'm all for it, I like to have my items in good condition, and sometimes I find in the wild some poor badly damaged games , and I enjoy restoring them to their former glory

Example:

This is a badly damaged Mega Man X3 I found:



I printed a new label, and of course, I'll never be like the original, but it's way better than that damaged label:

[CRTGAMER]

Well, I'm all for it, I like to have my items in good condition, and sometimes I find in the wild some poor badly damaged games , and I enjoy restoring them to their former glory

I printed a new label, and of course, I'll never be like the original, but it's way better than that damaged label.

Welcome to Racketboy! Nice first post and great job on that label! What did you use to protect the new label and what cleaning method for the marker?

[serge85]

Thanks! , Well, I printed this label using matte photo paper, and then I applied contact paper on top of it, I'm still looking for better ways to improve my printings .

I cleaned the marker with some detergent and water.

[bryan_65]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Splatterhouse-3 ... 7675.l2557

Man the more I see this stuff it just about scares me out of the hobby.

Put it next to a real copy and you will see the right side is off.

[Jagosaurus]

Man the more I see this stuff it just about scares me out of the hobby.

Put it next to a real copy and you will see the right side is off.

At least the seller noted it. Most wouldn't have. Good for us who want to fancy up a cart only, bad for us when we get sold a fake!

[bryan_65]

Man the more I see this stuff it just about scares me out of the hobby.

Put it next to a real copy and you will see the right side is off.

At least the seller noted it. Most wouldn't have. Good for us who want to fancy up a cart only, bad for us when we get sold a fake!

He was honest, but the buyer could pair that with a $25 cart and sell them together for $70. It just makes me cringe. Maybe I am just paranoid?