I was thinking about the rarest or most valuable (they don't always go hand and hand) games of each decade, and it got me thinking about what they could possibly be. Let's start a list, as I have never seen a similar topic. For now, let's focus on US official console releases first, then we can do foreign and computer games later.

1970's: No idea. Possibly something for the Fairchild Channel F, RCA Studio II, Bally Astrocade, or Odyssey II.

1980's: Stadium Events for the NES easily wins the most valuable, but it isn't the rarest. That distinction probably goes to Air Raid for the Atari 2600.

1990's: Nintendo World Championship 1990 Gold had to be the one.

2000's: I'm drawing a blank. Doesn't seem to be anything insanely valuable.

2010's: The decade is still brand new, just two months old. I'm guessing come March 16, the $100 God of War III Ultimate Edition will take the cake so far.

Ter wrote:1980's: Stadium Events for the NES easily wins the most valuable, but it isn't the rarest. That distinction probably goes to Air Raid for the Atari 2600.

Does Air Raid trump anything from the Adventurevision? And how does it compare to the Vectrex's Mr. Boston?

Interesting topic

Darryl B. wrote:

Ter wrote:1980's: Stadium Events for the NES easily wins the most valuable, but it isn't the rarest. That distinction probably goes to Air Raid for the Atari 2600.

Does Air Raid trump anything from the Adventurevision? And how does it compare to the Vectrex's Mr. Boston?

Interesting topic

Air Raid is probably the rarest, with like 10-12 known copies. I have two sealed Adventurevision games. Some I have talked to say their combined value could fetch me in excess of $5 grand, maybe more.

Darryl B. wrote:

Ter wrote:1980's: Stadium Events for the NES easily wins the most valuable, but it isn't the rarest. That distinction probably goes to Air Raid for the Atari 2600.

Does Air Raid trump anything from the Adventurevision? And how does it compare to the Vectrex's Mr. Boston?

Interesting topic

I honestly believe Air Raid to be rarer than Mr. Boston. I'd also venture to say that Ter's two sealed Adventurevision games are probably rarer than my Mr. Boston cart.

I'm not complaining though, because the rarer that Mr. Boston is perceived to be, the more valuable it is for my kids and grandkids. Somebody started a rumor years back that there was only three in existence, but I know there to be at least ten counted for. I have it on *fairly* good authority that around 200 were produced, and I wouldn't be surprised if in the next decade or so, someone unearths a case of them sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

This mystique sprang up around it because A: it was a rare game that wasn't sold in stores B: anything Vectrex-related is shrouded in enigma C: How many adults in 1983 owned a Vectrex, lived in Massachusetts, shopped at Mr. Boston liquor stores, and purchased the required product that made them eligible to receive the game in the first place? Probably not enough to count on two hands.

Mr. Boston went out of business a few years later, and I'm told that the remaining stock was probably handed out to employees and their families. Wouldn't it be great if someone up there in New England goes to clean out a relatives garage and stumbles upon oh, say a hundred copies of that game?

But getting back to the main list, I'm drawing blanks for anything past the nineties. For the seventies, I'm thinking Gamma Attack. Or did that come out in the eighties?

Cool, thanks for some insight into Mister Boston there

Darryl B. wrote:Cool, thanks for some insight into Mister Boston there

No problem! I don't write much about it because there's two or three guys out there that are real pricks about the whole thing. I remember years back posting a pic of my copy at Digital Press or something and these guys were flaming me saying that it was a bootleg copy and stuff. They want to keep this mysterious air about it and they're the ones mainly responsible for perpetuating the myth that there is only three copies known to exist. That's BS!

Yeah, that sucks, especially with everyone being an expert on the internet y'know! (NOT!/rolls eyes) Because that's a good point you made earlier about how few people probably got theirs during the day through the proper channels and there could be way more than originally thought that were produced...I mean, hell, I've tried putting up posts in regards to finding out how many Vectrexes were made PERIOD back in the day, if it were only a few hundred thousand produced, half a million, two million, whatever. Best of my knowledge no one's supplied an answer as of yet. So how could someone know for SURE about Mr. Boston if they can't even get a number down on the Vectrex in itself? (My guess would be about two million units or less, btw, since there were only about two million Atari 7800s produced, and 7800s aren't real common either nowadays...so I'd say it's probably a bit less than that for the Vectrex.)

Got a link in regards to your post though? Or repost the pic here, either way

I will when I find it

Time to bump this since the 2010's are long over. What do you guys think was the rarest game of that decade? Possibly a Sing game for the Wii. I have one from 2018 I believe.