I was just checking eBay to see that a sealed copy of Ico (PS2) has skyrocketed in value recently. An auction just ended for $106.75, and there are several active BINs at just under $100.

My sealed copy came from a Sears clearance just at the very end of Ico’s shelf life for a cool $9.97 and it’s now one of the treasures of my collection. At the time, my friend had just introduced me to the game (months before Shadow of the Colossus’s release) and I was instantly enamored with it. I kept it because of a collector’s instinct that it was going to be a classic.

When I checked the value of a sealed copy a year ago, it was around $65.

Ico’s value has been rising steadily, nearly doubling over the past year. What’s most remarkable is that it seems to be gaining “classic” status on its own merit, through word of mouth on the ‘net. Although Sony’s media blitz for Shadow of the Colossus certainly turned a lot of people on to Ico, that was two years ago, and shouldn’t affect what happens in 2008.

(Chart taken from Videogamepricecharts.com)

Team ICO have already announced that they have a PS3 title in the works, although they’re keeping it under tight wraps until it’s ready. (Hit the link for a teaser screenshot.) I predict that Ico’s price will spike even higher once Team ICO’s PS3 title is out (barring a reprint or re-release, of course).

I love Amazon to bits, but I can’t help but shake my head at this… Their scratch ‘n’ dent discount site Warehouse Deals is selling an original model PS2 with “cosmetic blemishes” (read: scratches, dings, dents, or who knows what else) for the low, low bargain basement price of $133.13. And that doesn’t even include the original box. But hey, shipping is free.

Maybe they can dig me up a dirty N64 for 10% off MSRP?

What I ordered:

What I got:

This is one “wrong item received” that I won’t be filing a complaint for.

I believe the look on my face was priceless when I opened the evelope and thought, “I………. didn’t order this…… did I?” The fact that I couldn’t answer that clearly is the reason I named this blog what it is.

eBay seller springledge_entertainment_inc has recently listed a huge number of games (about 6000) including a pretty large number of hard-to-find sealed titles. Their feedback is 235 and 100%. Most of their items also accept Best Offers, so you can probably knock a few bucks off if you’re patient. Here are some highlights:

• Growlanser: Generations PS2 PLAYSTATION 2 NEW — $42.99
• Growlanser Heritage Of War PS2 PLAYSTATION 2 NEW — $45.99
• Mega Man Legends PS PLAYSTATION 1 NEW — $23.99
• Mega Man 8 PS PLAYSTATION 1 NEW — $17.99
• Radiata Stories PS2 PLAYSTATION 2 NEW — $25.99
• Um Jammer Lammy PS PLAYSTATION 1 NEW — $17.99
• Irritating Stick PS PLAYSTATION 1 NEW — $19.99
• Armored Core Master Of Arena PS PLAYSTATION 1 NEW — $28.99

Here’s my haul from this weekend’s yard sales. Not a ton of stuff, but I do like what I picked up.

• 3 Pokemon guides: Yellow/Red/Blue, Gold/Silver, Ruby/Emerald — $1 for all
• Veronica Mars First Season DVD — $1 (Lots of people have recommended this one to me.)
• Metal Gear Solid 2 PS2 — $1
• Boggle — $1 (I recently got a friend hooked on Boggle and he asked me to find him one.)
• J. Crew “Critters” style Hula girl shorts — $2 (I don’t normally buy clothes at yard sales, but these definitely caught my eye. The guy told me he bought them for vacation but forgot to take them, so they’re pretty much unworn.  They’re a 34 whereas I usually wear a 36, but they fit OK. It looks like these retailed for about $50.)

There’s a great coupon in this week’s Gamestop email newsletter — 25% off used PS2 games, limit 2. This is one of the best coupons that they offer once every few months. This coupon will stack with the Edge Card for a total of 35% off. Good only from June 6 to June 12. (You may want to print it directly from the Gamestop site, lest the wage slaves give you any hassles.)

Credit to dcyphr and jp0213 at Cheapass Gamer for finding it a day early.

Here’s a couple of recently ended eBay auctions that just about made my jaw drop.

The first, a complete set of Karaoke Revolution games for the PS2. Yes, I know they’re very much sought after, but the price? $800, sold to one “lvlovernpink.” Meanwhile, other complete sets sit unpurchased at $229. No one ever said eBay bidders were rational. (thanks to monkeydeew for the tip)

Karaoke Revolution 1 2 3 Party Country American Idol — ended price: $800

Silly me. I put in a bid of 3 GBP (about $6) on this next item, thinking that I actually had a chance of winning. I love Final Fantasy, but as I told my friend on this one, at $132, I don’t think the winner of this item can really be called a “winner.”

McDonald’s Final Fantasy Chocobo Dungeon Promo Moogle — ended price: 68 GBP, about $132 US

eStarland is having their semi-recurring “buy 1, get 1 70% off” sale on all used Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance games, accessories, and hardware.

Of special interest to collectors: they have a large selection of Game Boy Advance games that are complete with the boxes and manuals.

The promo code is: STARSALEPXG. Enter it at the top of the checkout page. This is a special advance code, as the sale has not yet been announced for the general public. The sale runs until June 15, 2008, so don’t miss it.

Can someone tell me why people are still paying $30 for Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance when Konami released a fine 3-game Metal Gear Solid Essentials package this month (Substance included) at the same price?

Has Konami done a poor job at getting the word out about the new set? I predicted Substance’s price to drop like a rock this month.

The highly-recommended blog over at VideoGamePriceCharts.com once again has another stimulating post, this time recommending readers to be liberal in their late-gen PS2 game buying.

To put it simply, late generation games on every console tend to become collector’s items. VideoGamePriceCharts name drops Dragon Warrior IV (1992), Chrono Trigger (1995), and Paper Mario (2000) as examples. I’ll add Valkyrie Profile (2000) as my own input. I wrote in the comments that Video Game Collector #9 has a big feature on the Sega Saturn, where they point out that the last 5 games released on the system in 1998 are the most coveted — namely Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III, Magic Knight Rayearth, Burning Rangers, and House of the Dead. This isn’t a coincidence, folks.

Atlus, NIS America, and SNK are pumping out a last round of high-quality niche titles including Baroque, Mana Khemia, and a surprisingly large number of budget-priced fighter compilations. These are all sure to have at least a steady demand over the next few years.

Another punter in the comments writes, “hey dummy, by telling people to save these titles you are effectively making them worth less because more people will have them….sigh.” Frankly, the small number of collectors that see any blog like this are not going to make any dent in the sales numbers, so enjoy the tip! You might thank us in a few years.