The woman who purchased from a Goodwill store one of the rarest collectible video games in the world—valued by some at $15,000—says her heart "raced the whole time" as she found it, bought it, and walked out of the store.
"I recognized the game immediately but verified the title online before I purchased it," the unidentified woman, from Gastonia, N.C., told GameGavel, where she is auctioning her $7.99 find. Bidding starts at $12,000. Next month she will graduate from college with her accounting degree, and the proceeds from the auction will go toward paying off the loan for that, and putting a down payment on a new home.
"Only select few friends and family know about this. Those that know are very happy and excited for us because luck like this doesn’t come our way very often," she told GameGavel.
On Wednesday, she brought it into Save Point Video Games in Charlotte, N.C. and floored the owner, Wilder Hamm, when she showed it to him. Hamm told her his store did not have enough money on hand to make an appropriate offer for the game, and offered to sell it on consignment, but she chose to auction it herself in order to keep more of the proceeds.
She told GameGavel that she had seen news a few years ago about a woman (also in North Carolina) who, not knowing what she had, listed a copy of Stadium Events in a lot that included an old Nintendo Entertainment System and several common games. That auction fetched $13,000. So she was familiar with the game's notoriety and value, but she does not consider herself a collector per se, though she is an avid gamer.
GameGavel has more in an interview at the link, and notes that " an inferior and incomplete version (torn box and missing instructions) of Stadium Events just closed at nearly $12,000." This item is complete-in-the-box, meaning it has all materials, and is in nearly pristine condition. Its only alteration is a slit in the shrinkwrap, so the box could be opened and its contents inspected.
Goodwill Stadium Events Auction [GameGavel, via Polygon]
Goodwill Hunter Who Found Rare Game is Selling It to Pay Student Loans