•    The crazy auction of two sealed and graded Pokemon cartridges for the Nintendo Game Boy sold for a combined $162,000 last November in the US.
•    What sold over at Heritage Auctions last November 20 were sealed copies of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Yellow at $84,000 and $78,000, respectively. Both are least 21 years old.
•    What is the value of a complete-in-box Pokemon Red or Yellow, without the cellophane? A collector gives a wide-ranged estimate, but it's still a far cry from that tantalizing seven-figure sum that the US auction achieved."I would expect a price within the range of P8,000 to P25,000 each, depending on whether it's a US or European version, and of course the condition of the boxes and cartridge."
•    But the thing with old, desirable game carts like Pokemon is that their prices are always fluctuating based on demand. Locally, core Pokemon games (like Red, Blue, and Yellow) have shot up in price the past couple of years based on sales in various FB retrogaming groups like Retro Gamers & Collectors Philippines, Game Boy Philippines, and Classic Gaming Philippines.
•    With the Pokemon franchise set to celebrate its 25th year anniversary in February 2021 in Japan, another collector believes that related games and merchandise will see another surge in both value and appreciation.

Aside from "pandemic," another three-syllable word beginning with the letter "p" that grabbed headlines last year was "Pokemon."

But unlike the pandemic, the recent news about Pokemon brings potentially good tidings for four people that Manila Bulletin has tracked down. These are Erwin Esteban, a gamestore owner; Paolo Bernal, a nurse; Anel Camelon, an entrepreneur; and Kelvin Valmonte, a business analyst.

If you've been following the gaming press closely, you might have heard of the crazy auction sale of two sealed and graded Pokemon cartridges for the Nintendo Game Boy (remember that thing?) that sold for a combined $162,000 last month in the United States.

P7.7 M for 2 game carts!

That's a whopping P7.7 million for two game carts that you might have taken for granted, outgrown, cast aside, and forgotten as the child gamer in you became an adult.

But some people--like the quartet mentioned above--take their gaming and game-collecting more seriously than others. And they could very well be easy millionaires by virtue of that record-breaking auction sale and simple logic.

First let's get some technical stuff out of the way: what sold over at Heritage Auctions last November 20 were sealed copies of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Yellow at $84,000 and $78,000, respectively. Both are least 21 years old, having been released before the turn of the century.

9.8 rating in condition

The sold games were also given a lofty 9.8 rating in condition by Wata Games, a professional grading company. This is as immaculate as you can get with games of this age, and again, it's from a very popular franchise.

While Esteban, Bernal, Camelon, and Valmonte don't have sealed copies of Pokemon Red or Yellow, what they do own are complete-in-box or "CIB" copies. Those are nothing to sneeze at, with the only physical departure from sealed games being the thin cellophane used to wrap the games' cardboard boxes with.

This is where it gets interesting: given that very slight difference, is it reasonable to think that the CIB Pokemon Red and Yellow games in the hands of Filipino collectors also worth a pretty penny, say P5 million? P3 million? Or even just P1 million?

Finding the right buyer

Esteban--endearingly referred to as "chairman" in the local retrogaming community--said that it's basically useless for a seller to have a valuable game if there are no serious buyers around you. "It's about finding the right buyer at the right time. Tiyempo-tiyempo 'yan (It's about timing)," he noted.

Valmonte agreed, saying that the Philippine market can be challenging if you're in the business of selling old, valuable games.

"In my opinion, it would be difficult to sell it at that amount here in the Philippines. Why? People will haggle and complain that 'it's just a game, a child's game' and will try to lowball. People keep asking, 'Why it is too expensive? What is special about it?' They say that they would rather buy a house or a car," he said.

Valmonte reckoned that a true collector would be "willing to spend as much (as nearly P8 million)" for a sealed Pokemon Red and Yellow but finding one is easier said than done. "The possibility of selling it here in the Philippines for a good amount is slim compared to offering it to buyers overseas," he noted.

Europeans are big spenders

Esteban said that based on his experience, it's the Europeans who are the big spenders when it comes to retrogaming, probably since retrogaming and hunting have always been a huge pasttime in the region. It's because of this that his retrogame shop has been visited by dozens of Europe-based buyers throughout the years.

If finding the right buyer is a crucial factor, then the condition of the game is another one. Remember that piece of cellophane we metioned? That's essentially what makes a game cart a big ticket item, says both Camelon and Bernal.

It’s not just a cellophane

"To a normal person, it is just a cellophane covering the item. But to a collector, keeping an item in pristine condition over the years could be worth that much. I myself prefer to enjoy my collection rather than just having them displayed, and untouched. That's why all my copies are open box CIBs," said Camelon, the man behind the Facebook page "Coolikot."

"Sa experience ko bilang collector (In my experience as a collector)," Bernal shared, "malaki talaga ang pagkakaiba ng sealed sa CIB dahil nagiging mas rare pa yung lumang bago, or yung 'brand new, sealed, old stock' (there's really a huge difference between sealed and CIB games because 'brand new, sealed, old stock' games are rarer)."

Like a time machine

Bernal says the games act like a time machine of sorts that can always bring you back to your childhood. "Kaya salute sa mga collector na nagtiyagang alagaan yung mga laruan nila (That's why I salute the collectors who have managed to keep their toys in good condition)," he said.

Sealed games

Esteban further gave perspective on how special sealed games are when compared to their relatively more attainable CIB counterparts: "Napakahirap na makakita ka ng naka-sealed pa na hindi man lang nagalusan o nabuksan ng konti. Yun yung nagpapataas ng value ng lahat pagdating sa collecting (It is very difficult to find a game that has remained sealed and undamaged. That's the difference-maker when it comes to collecting)."

So the question now is, what is the value of a complete-in-box Pokemon Red or Yellow, without that darn cellophane? Camelon gives a wide-ranged estimate, but it's still a far cry from that tantalizing seven-figure sum that the US auction achieved.

"I would expect a price within the range of P8,000 to P25,000 each, depending on whether it's a US or European version, and of course the condition of the boxes and cartridge," he said.

For Red and Yellow carts that are "loose" or with none of the packaging they came with, Camelon pegged their value at "nothing more than P1,000 each, if the cart's sticker is still in good condition."

But the thing with old, desirable game carts like Pokemon is that their prices are always fluctuating based on demand. Locally, core Pokemon games (like Red, Blue, and Yellow) have shot up in price the past couple of years based on sales in various FB retrogaming groups like Retro Gamers & Collectors Philippines, Game Boy Philippines, and Classic Gaming Philippines.

Pokemon’s 25th anniversary

With the Pokemon franchise set to celebrate its 25th year anniversary in February 2021 in Japan, Esteban believes that related games and merchandise will see another surge in both value and appreciation. The COVID-19 pandemic has also given gamers a good reason to stay home and, well, keep playing, whether or not Pokemon is their thing.

But for those who do like Pokemon and have the older games in the franchise, the best move might be to simply keep the games, enjoy them, and wait and see.