When we started The Retroad Show, we never knew that it would take us to different countries in an attempt to interview and explore some of the rarest gaming collections known to man.
This marks our 5th Episode, and by far the biggest, both in terms of the collection and money spent on getting there, as we travelled from the UK to Netherlands to meet with this incredible collector.
The collector is known as Don, the founder of ConsoleVariations.com, a database filled with consoles, accessories and games, crafted out of sheer passion. It’s a resource we use continuously here at Retro Dodo and I highly recommend checking it out if you’re interested in video game collecting.
Don started this website to share his knowledge on video game collecting, and to share his personal collection at that time. Due to Don’s knowledge and investment into his business it has grown considerably over the years, with over 11,000 collectibles in his database to discover to this day.
With that growth he has had the chance to add incredible collectibles to his portfolio, many of which he shares with us in this article. Some of the rarest products he has owned includes the Queen’s Golden Nintendo Wii, a one of one SpaceWorld Gamecube, which he is currently selling for $100,000 on eBay and a one of four Limited Edition Pokemon Nintendo 3DS LL.
He is one of the biggest collectors in Europe, and we had a chance to spend a day with him, exploring his collection.
Speak friend and enter.
We’ve been trying to set up a date with Don for well over a year now, but after hearing that he was looking to sell some of his collection, we had to get over as fast as we could before some of the rarest consoles on the planet were dispersed to unknown buyers. So, I messaged Seb our editor in chief: “We have to fly over next week, otherwise a collection like this may never exist again”.
Seb replied: "Let's do it".
I am sure Don will have his hands on many upcoming collectibles, but this could be the last time he has so many under one roof. So, we took the risk, dropped everything, persisted through plane delays, and finally made it to the Netherlands, where Don met us and kindly drove us to his home. Don said: “So, you want to see the room?”.
Darn right we do, Don.
Don, stood outside of a door, and slowly opened it, and before I could see anything I could firstly hear the nostalgic noises of video games, and CRT TV’s slide through the cracks of the door. With each extra inch, consoles upon consoles were stored throughout the room, with no inch unturned. I have never in my life seen a collection like this under one roof.
Me and Seb were in collectors heaven. The room wasn’t large, it was the size of any normal bedroom, but stacked from floor to ceiling with an array of Nintendo consoles.
Don informed us that he reduced his collection a couple of years ago to just Nintendo products, so SEGA, ATARI and Microsoft don’t have much love here at the moment.
As the three of us stepped into the room, it was as if we were transported back to a time in our lives where we experienced a tremendous amount of joy and nostalgia, which was a gift in itself.
Our heads were spinning, we could see boxed consoles, unique accessories such as an official Mario Kart stopwatch, there were display booths that you could play on, official Nintendo storage units, official posters, rare magazines, prototype controllers, Japanese boxes, Game Boy stationary, GameCube door mats, Mario Kart playing cards, Nintendo Japan Museum merchandise, 90’s clothing and more. The list goes on.
Don’s Gamecube Addiction
Don’s favourite console of all time is the Nintendo Gamecube, and that’s very evident once the door opened. The rarest Gamecube's that he owns is the entire set of limited edition MTV Gamecubes, limited to just a handful of each design. Each was designed by an artist in collaboration with MTV in 2003 with only 4 being made for each design, the camouflage edition had 9 made due to its popularity.
He's probably the only man in the world to own the complete set.
But by far the rarest item in the entire room is the SpaceWorld Gamecube, the only one in the world to be made and Don shared it with us, giving us a deep dive, looking at the parts that are different and sharing the value of the device... a whopping $100,000.
I won't go into any more details about the SpaceWorld Gamecube as you have to see it for yourself in our YouTube video at 35 minutes in, or just click here to start from there.
Alongside that Don has a wide range of boxed Limited Edition GameCubes such as Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Metal Gear Solid, Pokemon XD, Donkey Kong and Hanshin Tigers which comes with exclusive jerseys. Plus a Panasonic GameCube which plays DVD’s too.
As we were leaving Don forgot to show us a GameBoy Player for the Panasonic GameCube which is also incredibly rare.
It’s as if Don owns more collectibles than he can remember, randomly pulling out things to his own surprise, which made me and Seb laugh at times, not in disrespect, but in disbelief that such a high value, rare collectible can be forgotten amongst this room of ridiculousness.
Don also had a complete timeline of unique GameCube controllers from early prototype units, to controllers that removed certain buttons, until finally landing on the final units in crazy limited edition variants.
The N64 I Have Never Seen
I like to think that I have seen my fair share of consoles during my gaming career, and i’ve been to a wide range of stores and events too, which typically sell rare collectibles, but one of the Nintendo 64 consoles that i’ve never seen, or even knew about was one given to customers flying with All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 1999.
You could win one by flying with ANA in certain months of the year, and each flight that the disembarked, one seat would be picked at random and given an incredibly rare Nintendo 64 bundle.
This bundle came in a box that features Nintendo, Pokemon and ANA illustrations on the front. According to Don, this box is actually rarer than the console, because, as we all know, we as humans typically throw away the cardboard box that things come in, so having this with the box and all of the products inside is incredibly rare, with only 10 or so known to still exist.
The bundle came with Hey You Pikachu! on Nintendo 64, Pokemon Stadium, and the console itself which comes with a slight underwhelming customisation.
The only difference between this limited edition console and a normal Nintendo 64 is the fact that this console comes with a customised Rumble Pack expansion slot cover featuring the ANA logo.
I know, I was expecting unique colours, perhaps some Pokemon illustrations or even some added wings to make it really stand out, but no, a simple printed expansion slot makes this one of the rarest Nintendo 64 consoles ever made.
A 1 of 10 Nintendo Switch
We were not even 1/3rd away around Don's collection before being greeted with a wide range of Nintendo Switch consoles, from limited edition Switch Lite's to prototype controller shells, it wasn't Don's priority to collect but any Switch collector would still be in shock.
The most prominent Nintendo Switch product that he had was the Labo Edition Nintendo Switch which is incredibly rare, with only 10 being made and they were given out 10 lucky winners who created awesome Labo devices. You can see more information about the contest here.
The console actually feels like cardboard too, thanks to the material and paint used on the shell, alongside unique Labo branding and a cardboard box which is also incredibly rare.
The world's most expensive Nintendo 64 Setup?
Don created his own Nintendo 64 setup using an array of incredibly rare products and accessories. He sourced a vintage N64 Display stand, and paired it with a Nintendo 64DD Developer Kit.
The last time a 64DD dev kit sold, it sold for over $8,000... They are ridiculously rare and highly sought after too. The console featured a CRT TV and two controllers, all in great condition, even the artwork on the board above the TV was immaculate too.
Hidden Game Boy Advance SP's
Moving past the custom Gamecube Display stand, the Gamecube Door matt and across to the other side of the room, there was an officially Nintendo 3DS display stand filled with many unique goodies, including handhelds... my favourite!
I couldn't help but notice quickly that Don had a couple of Game Boy Advance SP's lieing around, and one that was hidden in a pretty beaten up case was a very rare SP.
Don opened up the box and showed me a limited edition "Year of the dog" GBA SP, made by iQue. Nintendo teamed up with a gaming company called iQue to distribute their products throughout China and this was one of the rarer editions, with only 1,000 - 5,000 being made.
Next up, was a Pokemon Groudon Edition Game Boy Advance SP, sold exclusively in Japan and only 1,000 were made. I was wrong when I thought they came in a big boxed bundle. Don informed me the European versions did, but not the Japanese versions!
I'm a big fan of Pokemon edition Game Boys, I personally have a Charizard version of this GBA SP, but i'll admit its not as rare, or as cool as this one!
The holy grail of Pokemon handhelds
The craziest handheld that Don had (in my opinion) was one that I wasn't expecting. I had heard of this product before, but never seen it in the flesh, thanks to its incredibly rarity of being one of four in the entire world, yes you read that correctly.
This a a limited edition Pokemon Battle Trozei Nintendo 3DS LL and this was one of the very few consoles that Don wouldn't let me touch as its worth upwards of $15,000.
This console was given out to two winners of a Pokemon Daisuki Club contest in Japan which could be entered using a simple lottery, and then another two was distributed to Pokemon Get TV to as they please with.
Because Don is an avid collector he even got hold of the paperwork that comes with it, showcasing what the winner has won and congratulating them.
It is one of the rarest Pokemon handhelds in the world and is wanted by many Pokemon enthusiasts, but Don doesn't want to let it go just yet and i don't blame him. The illustrations are incredibly adorable and the shell itself features a wide range of different Pokemon from multiple generations.
A rare Xbox One... literally
This Xbox One stood out like a sore thumb, glittering with gold in the corner of the room and plastered with an array of signatures. Not knowing what I was looking at Don informed me that this was already a super rare limited edition Xbox One by Rare (The Developer) given to just 3 people at Gamescom 2015, one on Facebook, and one at Comicon 2015.
Don purchased one from a collector many years ago and eventually managed to get most of the Rare team to sign it upon his visit to the Rare headquaters a few years back, so if you had to put a price on this, it's pricesless, as it's the only one in the world signed.
Seb's great white Buffalo
If you're not sure what I mean by great white buffalo here, it's "the one that got away", typically described about that girlfriend or boyfreind that thought you were a creep and never spoke to you again, but in Seb's mind, the Nintendo 64DD is the one that got away.
Seb has always wanted one since a child, but never got the chance, as he was too busy playing with guitars and dying his hair black at moshpits to take the plunge and invest in a Nintendo 64DD... what a fool.
But finally many years on, and no black hair... or any hair for that matter Seb managed to get a chance to touch his great white buffalo, thanks to Don.
Don had a Nintendo 64DD boxed and in mint condition for Seb to look at, alongside a complete collection of its games. It was a beautiful moment watching Seb finally become one with this product, and made the visit worth it initself.
It's not often you find one of these boxed, and it's not often a legend lets you unbox one. So, again, a big thank you to Don for inviting us over, you've made very fond memories for the Retro Dodo team, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
