collecting is an odd thing, one piece you see like this and can justify not buying it.. then you cna see that much loved, or forgotten game and the same price will seem just fine. I did some 2600 cart collecting way back (glad as a few have jumped in price a bit) back then stuff like chase the chuckwagon in a box was $50.. (no i dont have one, had no interest, i do have a couple of the 'adult" ones) I never really went hog wild so only ended up with a few hundered total.. most worthless, but back then you could pick some intereting ones up in pawn shops. I picked up a few double enders and some of those many games on one.. those i spent a little time searching for and paid more then I should have fro ( and its fine now as they have value)... I had no interest in the games by that time, it was pure collecting that drove me.. And why I decided those where worth .. in hindsite I would much rather have the boxed copy of chase... I have since changed.. I dont collect unless i have a real interest.. I wish i had done more like Bill and worked on hardware as that is where my real interst is. I did pick up many obsolete PC's in the early 90's as we had a few "closeout" stores and I was a sucker for that type of stuff. WHen i move it all I wonder if i should have got it sometimes, but I did enjoy collecting it so its all good with me.

Whew long winded again.. I was just mussing on what we feel is worht it and not.. And how its differnt for each of us..

On the computer-specific side of my collection, I have literally thousands of boxed games from all eras for countless different platforms. I would not be able to have such depth if I paid anywhere near such prices. The most I ever paid for a single boxed item was in the $100+ range, but I average maybe a quarter of that. Once in a blue moon I'd consider paying the Siva price for some hardware, but typically once a certain threshold of say $100 or so is exceeded, it's exceeded by a LOT and is only viable for hardcore completionists who collect specific things or those with unlimited resources. I fall into neither category.

Are you willing to shell out that kind of cash, or something close to it, for a collectable?