Jeopardy for Sega Genesis ($1.00)

In May there was an outdoor rummage sale my wife wanted to check out (she collects a few odd things too). For whatever reason we couldn't get out of the house on time and ended-up getting there when some sellers were starting to pack-up. So it was a short outing but I managed to find a copy of Jeopardy for the Sega Genesis mixed-in with a box of VHS tapes.

Virtua Racing for Sega Genesis ($2.00)

A couple weeks later there was a neighborhood garage sale I decided to check out. At the very least I figured it would be a good excuse to take a long walk on a summer morning. At the first house I stopped at they had Virtua Racing for a whooping $2. I say "whopping" because it originally retailed for $90!? Actually playing this would be a royal pain though because I'd have to unhook the 32X to do so. There's an extra chip in the cartridge that doesn't work when played through the 32X or something. I guess Sega assumed that anyone who owned a 32X would have the 32X version which was $30 cheaper.

Rival Turf and Super Mario World for Super Nintendo (25¢ Each)

Went out for a quick garage sale run one morning when the forecasted temperature was something over 90. Only stopped at 2-3 sales that day but found a couple Super Nintendo games for a quarter each. Rival Turf has the dorkiest artwork of any cartridge I own. Vanilla Ice has more street creds than the pair of tools on that label.

The Last Starfighter and Game Genie for NES (25¢ Each)

Same neighborhood as the last two games.. this was an "unadvertised" garage sale. No signs with arrows pointing to the house, just a couple tables under a gazebo and a crude sign in the lawn. It was mostly junk, toys that looked like they survived a fire. However there were a couple NES games, controllers, and a Game Genie. The only NES game I didn't have was The Last Starfighter so I grabbed that and the Game Genie.

Mario 64 and Tony Hawk Pro Skater for Nintendo 64 ($1.00 Each)

These two were in my own neighborhood. I was just driving through and saw a garage sale so, as usual, I made a quick stop. They had a few Nintendo 64 games out for $1 each so I bought Mario 64 and Tony Hawk Pro Skater. I passed on some Pokemon game and Majora's Mask (which I already owned) - in hindsight I should have bought them if only to sell later.

Sega Pico with 2 Games ($1.00)

This wins the "Best Find of 2006" award. I wasn't' even out hunting at the time, just happened to drive by a rummage sale at a high school gym that was closing in an hour. Usually in the last hour it's "all you can haul away for $5" so I stopped by. They mostly had large items and, sure enough, everything was $1 for the last hour. Under one of the tables was a Sega Pico in box which I snatched up immediately. I cleaned it off, hooked it up, and had my three year-old give it a spin. It was an immediate hit. She figured out what to do as if it was a natural instinct. It turns out this is a fun little system. It looks like an interactive storybook reader but in reality it's a Sega Genesis with a pen interface. Each storybook is loaded with slightly-educational mini-games that are easy for kids to pick-up. My kid thought it was great and logged many hours on it (hey, it's better than TV).

Madden 99 and NBA Courtside 2 for Nintendo 64 (75¢ Each)

It was another extremely hot summer day but we weren't out hitting garage sales, just regular ol' boring errands. I had to stop at the nearest Starbucks which was conveniently located next to a GameStop. Ducked in there for a second to see a bin of Nintendo 64 games labeled "2 for $1.50". Despite seeing hundreds of cartridges, there were only two distinct titles. Better than nothing I suppose.

NHL Hockey for Sega Genesis ($2.00)

Getting into late summer now so I went out to hit a few final garage sales for the year. It wasn't a particularly productive outing as all I found was the original NHL Hockey for the Genesis. Yeah, $2 was about $1 too much for this game but whatever. Finding games with boxes is semi-rare and I couldn't draw up the energy to haggle.

Mortal Kombat Fighter's Companion and Street Fighter II Look and Find (50¢ Each)

In the fall garage sales pretty much dry up around here. In the summer there are 10-15 within a five mile radius vs. 2-3 in the fall. I went out on a Saturday afternoon not expecting to see any. I spotted one and paid a quick visit to find a pair of books. The "Street Fighter II Look and Find" is the interesting one - it's basically a "Where's Waldo" book but with Street Fighter characters. It's an odd but welcome addition.