Item #9: PAX Kid Icarus AR Cards

Today I'm featuring an item that just recently came into my collection, my set of 3 Kid Icarus: Uprising AR cards from PAX 2011. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a game coming from Nintendo for the 3DS in early 2011. The game features an AR card battle mode type of thing where characters from the various cards fight it out in real life. These are 3 cards that will be usable in this mode however they are just a little different than what Nintendo will be selling when the game actually launches. These cards specifically have "PAX" printed on the back, noting their special status. These were given away at the show by Nintendo for free to atendees.

Fortunately for anyone wanting to grab these cards, they aren't hard to track down. At least, not yet. On ebay you can grab one pretty easily for 10-15 dollars in the sealed condition you see here. If you do want them though, then I would move on it because although they aren't hard to come by now, this is the kind of thing that might become more rare in the future, especially when the retail versions of these cards come out.

Item #8: Zelda Ocarina of Time Prototype Figure

The big Saturday item for today is my prototype Ocarina of Time Link and Epona figure. The figures of Link and Epona are unpainted hence the "prototype" branding. These figures were produced by Joyride Studios in very limited numbers. In fact, only 500 of these figures were ever made. Given how few there are, each one is serialized. Mine for example, is number 242/500.

When they were first made, you could actually snag one for as little as 10 bucks. You will no longer find this item for such a low price. I paid 100 dollars for mine off of ebay. That however, is actually quite a low price especially considering the condition mine is in. It is totally sealed and never played with. The edges of the box are crisp with no creases and there is no noticeable flaws. If you want to find this item in the condition I've described here, expect to pay 150-300 dollars on average although at the time of writing, there is one posted on ebay for 869 dollars! I imagine you could get one for much less in opened condition but I have yet to see an opened one pop up for sale anywhere. If you're a big Zelda fan and have some money to burn on this kind of thing, I urge you to track one down. They're a fantastic collector's piece and the value of something this limited in number is only gonna rise.

Item #7: Club Nintendo Mario Pin "A"

Today's post is for this original Mario pin badge from Club Nintendo. This design along with 3 others were offered by Club Nintendo for Mario's 25th Anniversary. This particular one is arguably the most popular of the 4 pins that were on offer since it was the first to sell out. I'm not sure of the exact time frame but it was definitely sold out within 48 hours of it becoming available. Lucky for me, it was the design that appealed to me the most so I scooped this one up first (I later went one to grab 2 more. I still don't have that last one...quite sad). When the pins came out, they went for a whopping 450 coins a pop. That equates to roughly 400-450 dollars spent on Nintendo products (Something I don't seem to have a problem with very often).

Sadly for anyone looking to get this pin, they are no longer available through Club Nintendo. Once they were sold out, they were not replaced. Since this was the first of the four to sell out, it also tends to fetch the highest amount of money. I've seen one go for as high as 95 bucks! Luckily, their pricing has since become a bit more sedate. You can find one of this variety for 50-70 dollars depending on condition. The other three pins can be found at more reasonable prices between 15 and 35 dollars.

Item #6: Original Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card

Today's item comes off of my very impressive Pokemon shelf. This is the original holographic Charizard Pokemon card! This was one of the cards part of the very first series of Pokemon cards released in 1998. Coming out just a few months after the blockbuster releases, Pokemon Red and Blue for the Game Boy, pretty much every kid in America (including myself) was caught up in the craze that was Pokemon cards. Almost every one of those kids wanted this card here. Charizard was (and very possible still is) the coolest Pokemon of them all and also incidentally one of the rarest cards in the original set. If you opened a pack to find a holographic Charizard, you were pretty special.

I myself don't even know the joys of finding a Charizard in a pack of cards. This card here is actually one of the longest owned items I've got. I, or rather my dad, bought it at a card store when I was much younger. I can't recall how much he paid for it but it wasn't cheap! Luckily, my dad knowing what a destructive child I was, also purchased a screw-case that day and put the card inside it when we got home. The card has never been removed from this case since the day it was put in there and as such, its in quite perfect condition.

Pricing is difficult for this one. If you are wanting this card in the condition I own it in, not only will it be a little hard to find but you'll probably be shelling out around 25-35 dollars. in worse, more played with condition, you could probably snag one for about 15-20 dollars. Now if you really wanted to go above and beyond and get one even better than what I have, then you'll be wanting a 1st edition holographic Charizard. in perfect condition, this very rare card could run you anywhere from 120-250 dollars. This is one of the most expensive Pokemon cards around.