Aero Fighters 3 for AES sold for $30,000

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Crazy shit, man.

http://kotaku.com/5889143/this-video-game-just-sold-at-an-airport-for-over-30000

There's a Neo Geo game called Aero Fighters 3. Until this month, it was assumed that it had never been released in the US. It never was, officially. But at least three copies are now known to exist anyway, and one of them just went for over $30,000.

Reader Michael DiCioccio, a hardcore Neo Geo collector, says that he found out about the copies of the American edition of the game - of which there were only three ever made, presumably as testers/demos and never publicly released - from an ex-SNK USA employee, and that they've been sitting in storage for 16 years. He got hold of two (that's it pictured above), had them verified as authentic and sold one for at least $30,000. At an airport. Hopefully in an aluminium briefcase, wearing a trench coat.

Neo Geo games were expensive enough when they were new at retail. They're no slouch now, and for a game as rare as this, $30,000 (or the ballpark, Michael understandably is reluctant to reveal the exact tally) seems almost a steal.

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Of course, I always sell games at the airport.

What do you think the security check was like for the dude traveling with the 30K?

"I'm going to buy a video game"
"Yeah, right, step over here please sir"
 
Well I doubt they did the exchange after going through security. Anyone can just walk into the airport and hang around the waiting area.
 
I was going under the assumption that the dude buying the game flew out to get it. I'm probably wrong.
 
The article says it sold for at least $30,000. That is insane.

And yeah... in transactions this large, what's a few more bucks to pick up in person and assure it is going to reach the buyer.
 
For that price at least there's certainly not any seller's remorse.
 
Holy cow I thought I would never finish reading that thread. I love internet drama, it brings back memories.
 
Holy cow I thought I would never finish reading that thread. I love internet drama, it brings back memories.

lol yeah. I just caught up on the whole thing too...most of it is pointless banter, but still a fun read.
 
So was this confirmed as real then? Reading 30 pages of N-G people 'pwning' each other isn't exactly a favorite past time of mine. I've dealt with Tonk in the past and I know him to be a very trustworthy person. But I'm confused as to whether or not this ended up being a really nice boot, or real.

To see Shawn actually came out of his hermit house to post about it is pretty interesting though. I'm surprised he and that Dion guy didn't buy them right away.
 
man that's a lot just for one little scrolling shooter...also I think Aero Fighters 3 MVS now sells for a couple hundred dollars
 
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