Famicom enthusiast stuns Japanese netizens by trying to sell almost complete collection before they pass away
An almost complete Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) collection on Japan’s marketplace site Mercari is attracting attention on Japanese social media for its surprising price and the collector’s dedication.
Between 1983 and 1995, 1053 games were released in Japan for the Famicom (better known overseas as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES). The lot of 1054 games on Mercari apparently contains a few dupes- but offers 1052 different Famicom titles, just one short of the grand total. The missing game is Battle Rush: Build Up Robot Tournament, a Japan exclusive which is considered rather rare, with cart-only copies fetching around 450,000 yen (around $2,880 USD).
Since creating the listing on Mercari in late December 2024, the seller has gradually added more items, including a New-Style Famicom console, more games, manuals and perhaps most interestingly, an in-box Family Trainer, a kind of early dance mat used for sports games. In a comment, they explain that they are clearing out their collection before they die, in the hopes that it will be appreciated and enjoyed by someone else. The nature of the edits to the listing, which keep adding more items, suggest that the collector is sorting through their things and suddenly happening across more Famicom stuff.
The listing seems to have touched the hearts of some commenters. A user describing themselves as a fellow Famicom collector posted the following message to the seller on Mercari: “It must have taken a tremendous amount of time and energy to get (your collection) to this point. (…) Thirty years of collecting and passion. The time has come for you to part with them. Thank you for all your hard work.”
The lot is currently going for 3,403,000 yen (approx. $21,834 USD). Although the majority of the cartridges are unboxed, and some have fading and other blemishes, commenters think the price is reasonable considering the size of the collection and the cost of certain rare NES cartridges (which can fetch around 100,000 yen).
