Authentic, or fake? Identifying Big Box Computer Game Shrink-wrap
Channel: The Oldskool PC
Date: 2021-10-19

"Big Box" computer game collecting has been around for decades, but has only recently joined video games as trading for increasingly crazy prices.  Unopened games fetch the most money, but since shrink-wrap can be re-applied to an opened game, how do you know if your expensive software collectible is truly unopened and factory-mint?  In this video, I share my knowledge of the properties of shrink-wrap as it pertains to "Big Box" computer games, and give you the tools to spot both original factory seals, as well as re-wrapped items.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
01:49 Overview
02:29 Who is this guy?
03:20 Definitions and Scope
04:23 DISCLAIMER
04:48 The shrink-wrapping process
08:48 Identification Methodology
09:30 Characteristics of "factory-original" shrink-wrap
13:45 Characteristics of NON-original shrink-wrap
18:49 Test Your Knowledge!
24:13 Q&A
24:25 Aren't you teaching scammers how to make better fakes?
25:14 What can I do to protect myself from fraud?
25:48 Should I remove original shrink-wrap from a collectable item?
26:54 Are there any situations that justify re-sealing a collectable item?
27:54 I had my item graded and slabbed by a grading company, so isn't that proof of authenticity?
29:19 What should I do if a seller scams me?
30:11 Are collectors really paying these insane high prices, or is something else going on?
30:55 Why *did* they shrink-wrap big box computer games, anyway?
31:57 Wrapping it up
32:32 Special thanks

Links and more information:
- The Big Box PC Collector's Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BBPCGC/
- LGR's excellent video on the history and terminology of "Big Box" computer game packaging: https://youtu.be/S9EOrJ9eWiU
- Karl Jobst's video on Heritage, WATA, speculation, and possible market manipulation: https://youtu.be/rvLFEh7V18A
- Artrageous' video on how art forgeries are investigated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA5Kr1qhSyg
- Retroboxed, makers of fine acrylic Big Box game protectors, can be found at: https://www.retroboxed.com/

Special thanks to:
- Tom Carroll at Industrial Packaging, for helping with research.  Contact Industrial Packaging for any industrial packaging needs: https://www.industrialpackaging.com/
- Stuart Feldhamer for providing pictures.  Check out Stu's Game Reviews at https://www.youtube.com/c/StusGameReviews (and view https://youtu.be/Ffi7MTNxQgM for a video relevant to this topic)
- Pascal, for providing pictures.  Contact him at your own peril :-) at the Big Box PC Collector's Group on Facebook.
- Kevin Ng, Joel McCoy, and Enrico Ricciardi for proofreading and general quality control
- @harrymccracken, who tracked down the Tacoma Egghead picture (image credit: Russ Carmack, Morning News Tribune)
- @CompStoreVisual, for tracking down more Egghead photos
- PAC Machinery for the sealing machinery videos: https://www.pacmachinery.com/
- US Packaging and Wrapping, for the centerfold film demonstration: https://uspackagingandwrapping.com/
- VDO1980 on Tumblr for the Babbage's photos
- Brenda Romero for clarifying how Sir-Tech stuffed and sealed.  Her extensive curriculum vitae can be found at http://brenda.games/, and she can be found crafting quality electronic entertainment over at https://romerogames.com/
- My numismatic father, Robert D. Leonard, for passing honor amongst collectors down to me.  If you're curious about currency, buy his book:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0794846394/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4V730EVC4V2E3AFBXCGS
- And finally, my loving wife Melissa, who saved the egghead SKU stickers from ending up in the trash when I accidentally brought them home.

Production Notes and miscellaneous info:
- After the video was completely finished, it occurred to me that the X-CAR sample shown in the video may have simply been a sloppy re-assembly job at Bethesda, when adding the additional car and track mentioned on the wrap's promo sticker.  I think that's the most likely explanation, since the wrap's patina is almost certainly genuine, but the inner box has definitely been tampered with.
- The file uploaded to YouTube was 10-bit h.265, but YouTube's compression mangled the quality somewhat.  Any banding you see watching on YouTube is not present in the file I uploaded.
- All music licensed from Epidemic Sound

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Contact info:
Twitter: @MobyGamer
Email: http://www.oldskool.org/personal

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Play the Shrink-wrap Video Drinking Game!

Drink when:
- Jim talks about "touching" or "manipulating" shrink-wrap
- A giant finger or thumb is onscreen
- Spotting something that isn't a game
- Guessing correctly during the "Test Your Knowledge" examples
- Spotting a game you have in your own collection

Chug when:
- Jim pokes at something with a blue pointer

Finish your drink when:
- You realize that game collectibles have no intrinsic value, as they have no earnings and no melt value