So, I’ve jump down yet another rabbit hole.

As I’ve been down sizing my Super Nintendo and NES collection the idea has started to grown in my head that I’d like to get the games I really want in my collection ‘complete in box’ (CIB). This past weekend I now have my first five CIB NES games.

And thanks to Retro Game Bros. it was so much easier than I expected!

I already have most of the NES titles I want, but they are loose cartridges (some with their manual). Finding just a box for sale is really hard to do. I thought I’d be stuck re-buying games just to get a box. But as I was browsing and chatting at Retro Games Bros. I was told they would be more than happy to take a cartridge out of a complete game and sell me just the box and manual. This is a first for me!

I’m not sure how long I stood there blinking but when the shell shock wore off I pulled a few games off the shelf. And what Retro Game Bros. did was subtract the value of the cartridge from the price and I ended up with the following:

Super Mario Bros. 3 box and instructions cost me $30 CAD (~$26 USD). Because Nintendo decided to go with cardboard boxes and because of the age of these games I’ve set my expectation that my NES collection will not be as pristine as my Sega collection. Which I’m content with and as you can see my new CIB Super Mario Bros. which is not mint is still in really good shape.

Hey, did you notice that black circular sticker at the top edge of my Super Mario Bros.? According to Wata Games that little variant is going to be worth millions and retire me! I can’t hardly wait…

OK, yes, Super C is not quite as exciting as the original Contra but this box and manual was still a great score at $35 CAD (~$26 USD). The condition is not quite as good as the above Super Mario Bros. 3. But it is good and hopefully someday it will be joined by Contra!

Who knew Excitebike was getting harder to find complete? Just like the Mario games Excitebike holds a lot of nostalgia for me. It is such a fun game! Nintendo has always been great at finding really fun game mechanics. This Excitebike box and manual cast me $40 CAD (~$30 USD) and again you can see these games are far from mint but I don’t mind at all.

Legendary Wings wasn’t on my short list of NES games that I want but it is a good game and for $20 CAD (~$15 USD) for this box and manual I couldn’t pass it up.

Believe it or not Ice Hockey was on the short list of must have games. Like the Mario games and Excitebike it holds a lot of nostalgia for being one of the first games I played at a friend house when the NES was new. Also, with a price tag of FREE there’s no downside here! Thanks Retro Game Bros.!

Ice Hockey had a few Toys R Us stickers and I was OK with them being there as there from the games original retail days. But in the end I decided to try and remove them. Armed with my wife’s hair dryer I went to town. It took a really long time. These stickers were old and that glue did not want to let go.

But with lots of patience’s it worked out very well. Once the stickers were removed there was some residue left over. I applied a very tiny amount of WD-40 to a paper towel and gently rubbed away the residue. This worked because the cardboard boxes are glossy. This would not work on plain paper like a game manual.

Here’s the short list of my NES games I’d like to make CIB someday:

Baseball
Castlevania
Contra
Ghost ‘n Gobins
Kung Fu
Metroid
Punchout (Any version)
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link

What does CIB mean for you?

For me I’m happy with Cartridge, Instruction Booklet and box. I believe for some CIB means Complete in Box. And does your version of ‘complete’ mean absolutely everything that came with the game originally (dust cover, plastic bag, pamphlets, etc)?