"NOW YOU'RE PLAYING WITH POWER"
Baby boomers have long seen the kids of the 1980s and ‘90s as the video game generation. That label isn’t inaccurate. After arcade games invaded in the 1970s, the next evolutionary step was the home console. It began with the forgotten Magnavox Odyssey system that first launched in 1972, but the real game changer was the Atari 2600 which was released in the United States in 1977. Atari reigned supreme until the dreaded video game crash of 1983.
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As the video game market limped along, Japanese gaming giant Nintendo saw an opportunity. The corporation brought its Famicom console to North America as the Nintendo Entertainment System. After being tested in select U.S. markets in 1985, the NES was released nationwide on September 27, 1986.
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Seemingly overnight, Nintendo of America dominated the sales charts. With that booming popularity, the company launched a free North American fan club in 1987 complete with its own newsletter, Nintendo Fun Club News. A year later, that newsletter would evolve into one of the most famous video game magazines ever published, Nintendo Power.
The magazine was aimed at promoting and reviewing the current and upcoming titles for the NES and its subsequent systems. It had its own teenage cartoon mascot, Nester, and a paid hotline gamers could call for tips. The title spanned an impressive three decades with different companies handling the publishing duties.
These days, Nintendo continues to be a force not only in the gaming community, but the company has proven itself in the box office with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It has inspired a renewed sense of nostalgia for classic ‘80s Nintendo products, which puts an added emphasis on those Nintendo Power magazines.
NINTENDO FUN CLUB NEWS #1
There’s no collecting Nintendo Power without reaching for its predecessor, Nintendo Fun Club News. Since the newsletter was only available for Fun Club members, the early editions are in smaller supply than the mass-marketed Nintendo Power.
Like many Golden Age comics, near-mint grades are virtually non-existent for Nintendo Fun Club News #1. The highest grade ever sold online was a 7.5 which brought $2,750 this past April. The only other grade with a recorded sale was the 4.0 which sold for $700 in 2021.
The newsletter only ran for seven issues, and most of those tend to be mid-grades that typically sell anywhere from $100-$250. However, a 9.4 NFCN #2 also earned $2,750 in April.
NINTENDO POWER #1
There’s just nothing quite like owning that first issue. Whether it’s comics or collectible magazines, the top priority is always finding the firsts. Here you have the initial issue of Nintendo Power, published in 1988, and the prices are jaw-dropping.
In July, a spectacular graded 9.6 sold for $26,400, and that’s without the Player’s Poll subscription insert. A complete copy with the insert and graded at a 9.4 earned $15,000 in May.
While those rare near-mint copies earn four and five figures, it’s the lower grades that tell the full story. Even at a 1.8, Nintendo Power #1 still sells for $150.
NINTENDO POWER #285
It was a sad day in 2012 when Nintendo Power #285 hit the presses. After more than 30 years, the publication came to a close. To tug at the heartstrings, Nester made one last appearance, mourning the end of an era. If you happen to own a high-grade copy, you can dry those tears. A 9.6 sold for over $400 in January, and a graded 9.4 subscription edition brought $317 in June.
LESSON LEARNED
There’s a lesson to be learned here: Hoarding can be profitable. Sure, you’d need to dedicate an entire room to stacking all 285 issues of Nintendo Power plus all the spinoff strategy guides. Maybe your friends and family would suggest you get psychological counseling for stockpiling magazines. Almost 40 years later, you’re the one with thousands of dollars worth of collectibles at your fingertips.
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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.
