Old video games and classic retro consoles tucked away on attics across Norway are turning into valuable assets, with ordinary cardboard boxes worth thousands of kroner according to Martin Nilsen, daglig leder at Retrospillkongen. The market for vintage gaming hardware from systems like Nintendo Entertainment System, Commodore 64, and Sega Mega Drive has surged significantly in recent years, transforming childhood toys into high-value collector items.
Finding Value in Retro Consoles on the Attic
According to Martin Nilsen of Retrospillkongen, ordinary banana boxes filled with old gaming gear can quickly amount to several thousand kroner. While rare collector pieces command the highest prices, standard items including consoles, controllers, games, and accessories still hold substantial market value.
Values differ sharply depending on condition. Complete items featuring original boxes, manuals, and internal inserts fetch the strongest prices. Unopened units sealed directly from the factory command significantly higher sums, particularly Nintendo products such as NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy alongside prominent titles like Pokémon, Mario, and Zelda.
Priced Hardware: Commodore, Amiga, and Atari
Classic home computers and early consoles carry distinct market values based on rarity and completeness. An Atari 2600, which popularized interchangeable cartridges before the 1983 video game crash, reaches a used value of up to tre tusen kroner. Meanwhile, a Commodore 64—which launched in 1982 and became one of the world’s best-selling home computers—commands up to 5 500 kroner with its original box and manual, though the bare machine alone yields around en god tusenlapp.
Commodore’s technologically advanced Amiga system, released in 1985, brings even higher returns. Standard Amiga units featuring a mouse and box sell for over tre tusen kroner, while an Amiga 1200 in pristine condition has fetched up to 10 000 kroner among collectors.
Pro Tip: Never discard original cardboard packaging or manuals. The original box often accounts for 70 to 85 percent of a retro game’s total market value.
Rare Nordic Editions and Holy Grail Games
Regional variations heavily influence pricing in the secondary market. A prime example is the North American release of Family Fun Fitness: Stadium Events for the NES, launched in 1987 alongside a pressure-sensitive mat before Nintendo bought the technology and rebranded it. Medium-condition copies without covers sell for well over 10 000 kroner, while factory-sealed versions command extreme sums.
Closer to home, the NES title Mr. Gimmick was released near the end of the console’s lifecycle and distributed almost exclusively in Scandinavia. Unopened copies of this regional rarity can fetch up to 25 000 kroner. Many Nordic Nintendo releases maintain high values internationally because Swedish firm Bergsala AB handled Nintendo’s Scandinavian agency since 1981, making local editions relatively scarce abroad.
Did You Know? Between 2020 and 2022, the market for factory-sealed, professional-graded retro games saw auction prices reach between $870,000 and $2 million USD through Heritage Auctions, though the segment has since stabilized.
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