After coming back from our trip to the Netherlands to film an episode of The Retroad Show with one of Europe’s biggest Nintendo collectors, it was clear to me that there are some lunatics in this world that are obsessed with rare Game Boy Advance handhelds.
I too am one of them, owning a Pokemon Center Charizard GBA SP, but there are many collectors who are wanting far rarer devices and are willing to pay the price for it.
If you are one of these avid collectors then you will be glad to know that Ewbank Auctions are selling a factory sealed box of 6 Rip Curl Game Boy Advance SPs, starting at £2,400/$3,400, which was brought to our attention by Time Extension.
“This item is a sealed case of 6 GBA SP Rip Curl Edition consoles, with official Nintendo branding to the outer retailer's shipper box and thought to be possibly the last remaining sealed case in the UK.
The Rip Curl GBA SP system features a unique white and red colour scheme, with Rip Curl logo and graphics emblazoned on the top of the unit, it was only available in Australia at launch in 2004 and on display in Rip Curl and Surf Dive 'N' Ski stores nationwide around that time” states Ewbank's Auctions listing.
They estimate that this will reach a final price of £5,000/$6,700 - £10,000/$13,400, that’s without shipping and insurance costs.
It’s certainly a unique handheld, one that our friend Elliot Coll owns, and it’s going to be one of the only times you can get your hands on a factory sealed box of it.
I doubt there’s many of these floating about, especially outside of Australia, where this limited edition variant launched.
Ewbank’s Auctions have other, not so rarer retro gaming products up for bid, so it’s worth looking at if you’re after some rare games and vintage gaming guides. Some have already sold such as a sealed GAME BOY DMG, a Digimon Wonderswan Collection and Pokemon Yellow for GAME BOY sealed.
