Don’t Live Life Like an NPC: Buy Your Own Vintage Nintendo Gaming System Today

America's Antique Mall
Jul 13
4 min read

Did you spend the rainy days of your childhood in front of a GameCube, brawling your besties in Super Smash Bros Melee? Do you have an affinity for Link and his journey in Hyrule? Would you consider yourself a proper “gamer”? Then you might be the perfect person to start collecting vintage Nintendo—and it’s easier than you think.

A Look into The History of Nintendo

Nintendo’s history begins far before the Switch, the console that the current generation knows and loves, came out. In fact, the company got its start as a Hanafuda playing card manufacturer in 1889, not even introducing other games until the early 1960s. Little did they know that the small business would eventually grow into one of the biggest and most influential gaming system companies in the world.

By the late ‘70s, under the direction of the owner’s great-grandson, Fusajiro Yamauchi, the company was ushered into the new era by developing its first electronic video game systems. It started in 1978 with a computer version of Othello—but that was just the start. In the next few years, the earliest versions of the Donkey Kong and Mario (originally named Jumpman) games would hit the market and were met with immediate success.

This paved the way for Donkey Kong Jr., The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros to be made and released, a move that would result in the brand name becoming globally recognizable in the gaming world and beyond. With new financial backing and a deeper understanding of the hobby, Nintendo launched a home game console known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, for short. In the next few decades, Nintendo would continue to produce top-tier consoles and games—and it has never looked back.

What Qualifies as Vintage Nintendo?

If we’re following traditional ruling, any vintage gaming system that was made over 20 years ago can be labeled as such—but hardcore gamers tend to disagree. If you’re interested in buying a vintage NES or game, you’ll want to search for models from the 1980s and 1990s. Anything more recent, and certain vendors will claim that the NES is only “retro,” meaning it might be less financially valuable.

5 Types of Collectible Vintage Gaming Systems:

NES
Game Boy
Super Nintendo
Nintendo 64
GameCube

1. The Original Nintendo Entertainment System

Released in North America in 1985 and marketed as a toy, the original NES transitioned the gaming world away from arcades into individual homes. Its success followed the famed video game crash of 1983, where revenues had plummeted thanks to poor-quality games and market saturation. Without the NES, who knows if the gaming industry would be what it is today?

Since all the games during this era shipped on cartridges, the most popular NES games were often incredibly hard to find. If you wanted one of the original vintage Mario or Zelda games, you’d really have to hunt for them.

Valuable NES Games:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters ($200-$1,500)
Panic Restaurant ($800-$6,000)
The Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak ($1,000-$10,000)
Bubble Bath Babes ($1,400-$5,000)
Little Samson ($2,000-$17,000)
Stadium Events ($10,000-$100,000+)
Nintendo World Championships ($100,000+ if sealed)

2. The Nintendo Game Boy

As far as vintage gaming systems go, the Game Boy is a hard one to beat! Produced in 1989, this innovative design was made to be affordable, durable, and, most importantly, portable. Made from cheap materials and powered by a roughly 30-hour battery life, this vintage Nintendo model allowed players to enjoy their favorite vintage Mario, Pokémon, or built-in Tetris wherever and whenever they wanted. If they had the Game Link Cable, they could even play head-to-head with their friends!

Future versions of the Game Boy included the Game Boy Color, a handheld 8-bit console with a color screen and twice the processing power, and the Game Boy Advance, a 32-bit device with a horizontal screen and a massive library of 2D games. But if you’re looking for a great vintage gaming system, you can’t go wrong with the original.

Popular Vintage Nintendo Game Boy Games:

Amazing Tater ($200-10,000+)
Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension ($850-$1955)
Spud’s Adventure ($145-$1,500)
Mega Man 4 ($110-$3650)
Pokemon Red (over $80,000 if sealed)

3. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Released in 1991, the Super Nintendo was an upgraded version of its predecessor. With 16-bit graphics and audio, Mode 7 3D-style effects, and a new form of controller with innovative shoulder buttons, this vintage gaming system is often considered the greatest console of all time.

Valuable Super Nintendo Games:

Harvest Moon ($400-$1,800)
Batman Forever ($600-$4,200)
Exertainment Mountain Bike Rally/Speed Racer ($1,350-$4,000)
Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge ($2,100-$5,000)
Nintendo Powerfest ($18,000+)

4. The Nintendo 64 (N64)

Introduced in 1996, the vintage Nintendo 64 continues to be an all-time favorite console. With never-before-seen hardware, like the analog control stick and built-in four-person multiplayer support, this vintage gaming system made iconic franchises even more immersive for gamers. Thanks to the vintage Nintendo 64, for the first time, video games were seen as a social activity, rather than being solo.

Rare Games for the Vintage Nintendo 64:

Worms Armageddon ($1,000)
Donkey Kong 64 Not for Resale Gray ($1,800-$2,000)
F1 Racing Championship ($2,000-$2,1000)
ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut ($4,000+)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask ($8,000-$9,000)

5. The Nintendo GameCube

The 2001 GameCube is what many modern gamers grew up playing. It was the first disc-based console, offering strong, accessible performance, space-saving compactness, and, thanks to the handle, portability. Despite the fact that the GameCube was the company's second-worst-selling home console, it has a certain level of nostalgia that other vintage toys, whether it’s Hot Wheels or Garbage Pail Kids cards, contain, solidifying its place in the hearts of vintage Nintendo collectors.

Where Can You Buy a Vintage Nintendo?

If you’re in the market for a vintage Mario game or your very own vintage gaming console, shopping online is often the way to go. But, if you want to make connections with passionate vendors and sort through tangible games by hand, we recommend heading to your nearest antique mall, whether that’s in Melbourne, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, or Highland, Indiana. With hundreds of vendors all selling merchandise under one roof, there’s no telling what incredibly valuable NES’s or vintage Nintendo games you may find.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve spent your whole life playing Princess Peach on a vintage Mario Kart or have never touched a console—anyone can buy and collect vintage Nintendo products. Stop by America’s Antique Mall today to level up your journey to becoming a gamer!