The Thrill of New Retro Arrivals A Collector’s Journey

There’s nothing quite like the buzz I feel when I get a message from my house clearance contact to say a new load has arrived. It’s like opening a mystery box no two hauls are ever the same, and there’s always the chance of discovering something special. One thing I can almost guarantee, though! Each batch usually includes at least one real gem or as I like to call it, a "dousie."

Crystal Xbox Box - A Beautiful Surprise

This time, one of the first things to catch my eye was a Crystal Original Xbox box and in surprisingly good condition.

                                                                                                    Crystal Xbox Original box  clean, solid condition with minimal wear.

Now, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up too quickly. More often than not, the box ends up empty (like some previous finds) or holds a completely different console usually the one the original owner upgraded from. And yep, that’s exactly what happened here: inside was a standard black Xbox, tucked neatly into the crystal box inserts.

                                                                                                     Inside the Crystal Xbox.

While it would have been a dream to discover a pristine Crystal Xbox inside, I wasn’t disappointed. The box itself is a collector’s item, complete with original inserts just waiting for the right console to pair with it.

PS1 Classics - A Spyro Double Win

As a huge PlayStation 1 fan, I always get excited when I spot PS1 titles in a load. This batch featured a few standouts, especially two classic Spyro games and they didn’t disappoint. Both were complete with manuals and in excellent condition. These finds always bring back memories and are highly sought-after by collectors. 

                                                                                                     Spyro the Dragon and Year of the Dragon both complete.

Fakes and Frustrations… Then Redemption!

Unfortunately, not everything was gold. I came across half a dozen great titles including Resident Evil 2 and Spot Goes to Hollywood only to realise they were poor-quality copies. That kind of thing is always a letdown.

But just as my hopes were dipping, I uncovered a games disc wallet and it was packed with genuine original discs from popular titles. Some of these are perfect for completing incomplete games I’ve had sitting on my shelves, like these: 

                                                                                                           Final Fantasy VII discs above the ‘missing disc’ shelf.

and complete sets like this one Grand Theft Auto one, just waiting for the disc.

                                                                                                              Grand Theft Auto PS1 disc and complete set finally reunited!