Captains games are generally consignments with lots of shill bidding to drive prices up. The owners would rather keep their items then sell for too low. This is a true “stuff’s gotta go” auction. There still could be fakes and trolls to drive things up, we’ll see.

It’ll be really interesting to see if that much stuff selling at once keeps prices reasonable…or if all the new collectors who want games + retailers who want inventory will keep prices bonkers.

Yeah - there’s generally one of each game, so it only takes one person who really wants that title to pay up to get it now.

I wish. I miss the old in-person only auctions. We’ll be competing with everyone. Thanks, internet!!!!

There were games on loan? I thought it was all Weeks’ huge hoarde of buys from over the years.

John bought my Austin Powers years ago - and told me about his massive storage unit collection of games & how he planned to open a pinball restaurant…I think it was a year or two later that his project turned into the museum. I’m pretty sure it’s all his stuff.

Hahaha, arcade auctions…ethical…you are hilarious.

Captains auctions are basically consignment sales, and sales of their own stuff. You pay what they want you to pay….they’re not true auctions like the old days.

Oh I see. I don’t see them fake-selling the games to themselves at a low price if bids are coming in. But - I can still see them buying stuff thinking they can sell it later at their auction for a few bucks more plus auction fees (again).

Maybe no one. Might be the owners of the machines bidding it up & buying it back.

This is why I think Banning Auction could still be worth checking out - no consignments/buy backs. Prices might be more real.

How is that a good deal? I got it for $2 on Switch.

My guess is they’ll need all 6 days for just what’s in the museum. The point of the auction is that they gotta get out of that building. If Weeks has no reason to get out of storage, then there’s no reason to auction storage.

I think most “normals” seeing these news stories are gonna be shocked & bounce when things aren’t going for a few hundred bucks.

Yeah, everyone who's sending it to me...I'm like "You think I didn't know? You. Are. Adorable!"

Even though this is getting a ton of attention, I still don't think "normal" people are willing to pay this much or deal with shipping....I still think deals will be rare or a fluke...but I don't think it's gonna be flooded with new wanna-be hobbyists bidding huge money. We'll see, though!

OMG, it's going to take forever. They might have to extend to a third weekend if they aren't gonna "Blahdedooblahalahahlablaah SOLD, NEXT..." this shit.

At this rate, they'll have to just take bids from those there hahaha....DEALS DEALS DEALS!

...but the Covid is on the house!

They're going to have to add 3 more weekends at this friggin' pace. OOOPH.

I miss Super Auctions .... "bladadadadadda SOLD, bladadeeedadadedaaa SOLD, bloodoodododododoo SOLD"

...and that's how I got a Pac-Man cocktail table for $75

Do they have a hard cutoff time, or is this thing gonna just go deep into the AM?

Well, let's look at the bright side....this will drive up the prices of our collections.

My Tron LE will be $50k by Christmas! Buncha suckers who just sold theirs for a measly $20k! BWHAHAHAHA!

What. A. SHIT SHOW.

Nah, they're just games. Not restored. Some were bought new and didn't get much play...but, these aren't museum pieces despite the place being called a museum.

Just watching...

Who the FIZNUCK would pay over $5k for WATERFUCKIN'WORLD!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!

Sooooo...I guess this means Stern LE's will be like $50k lol

First BILLION gets my collection....LETS GOOOOO! lol

I thought this auction wouldn't have shill bidders.....

...but there has to be...no one would spend this much on these games? What's the scam?

I'm convinced there's something ultra shady going on here.

No way someone just randomly spends $12k+ on a fucking Rocky.

Usually people who have no clue think that pins cost $500.

Something isn’t right here.

I’m not sure this is gatekeeping. It’s just shock at insane prices for shitty games.

At the end of the day, this prob makes the values of our collections go up…we’re not going to be that upset. Lol

When I was watching last nite, that seemed to be one of the few game prices that kinda made sense. I was like “damn, no love for Power Drift!” More obscure than Outrun, I’m sure it’s a tough game to find these days. Congrats!

They’re just in their own world. Console games have been going for pinball money. Never made any sense when you can literally play the same exact game in multiple ways with a ROM. If someone wants to brag about their rare NES game in a shelf, whatever - I’m playing it on an Everdrive lol

Multitasking, bruh!

Are businesses closed today? Are you staying home all day? C’mon.

BTTF was my first game. Paid $300. Could barely get $700 when I sold it.

I’m not sure I buy the “rich newbs who don’t care & just want shit” theory. Why wouldn’t these people have just overpaid retailers or eBay if they wanted pins? Why buy an unknown condition game with no warranty for triple normal prices?

This thing just feels scammy….and after the WATA/Heritage collusion, it wouldn’t shock me if something unethical or illegal was going on here.

Why wouldn’t these people have just ordered a container of every new Stern? Why buy ratty old DE pins for more money?!

Why do people keep saying this? These are all
John Weeks’ purchases.

If someone donated games, they would have gone and taken them back & not let someone else profit from sales.

I’m talking about people bidding $8k+ on the DEs like Star Wars, South Park, Godzilla, Jurassic Park etc. Sterns are generally the same pop culture themes - some even the same exact themes!

Not sure what you’re talking about, but John had been buying up/hoarding games for years before opening the museum. I can’t imagine anything was donated. He would have just bought it.

That’s why it’s fishy. I understand rich newbs overpaying….but for DE & Sega games? At these prices? Why? There can’t be that many people who’d fight over these common mostly shitty games. It doesn’t add up.

I’ll sell you mine for $7999, no fees/tax!

I wonder if Tim Arnold is going “hmmmmmm…” right now.

Yup, I never even logged in. I knew there was no way I was gonna bother bidding. I was thinking “maybe one of those Nintendo Red Tents would be cool for a few hundred.” LOL

Why do people keep saying this? Who gave them pinss? John Weeks was buying pins for decades and stashing them away in storage. He had pins & money. Who would give him anything?

Haggling for a better deal happens with everyone.

Donating games for free? I doubt anyone did that…not hobbyists, anyway. Maybe some rando with an old game in their garage they just wanted gone.

Why is that a deal? It’s a fake game. Captain kept saying it was in the film. It was an animated movie lol

Real games by real companies with real history are collectible.

Boxes of lights made by an irrelevant a-hole are not. 18.5k wasted by the buyer.

…and it ends with Goatf***ers LE, the worst game ever made, going for $17k.

LOL…thanks for the laughs, Banning Auction!

Welcome to the insanity! (And fun!)

A person can be both. I def have friends who are enthusiastic collectors, but also definitely hoarders.

I think “hoarder” indicates the items taking over your home & life. 16 & 23 is nothing compared to the thousands of John’s games…or my friends with hundreds that take up homes & storage. The term isn’t necessarily an insult - just a word to describe a situation.

Well, I don’t think this ultra rich men are going to be upset at someone using the word “hoarder”. Clearly, John’s QOL has just improved immensely.

I just sold my TSPP to a guy who bought 4 or 5 things from the Banning Auction. They had some things he wanted, he didn’t mind paying what he paid to get what he wanted. Perfectly nice guy who I now consider a friend in the hobby!