Michael Thomasson is the proud owner of over 11,000 video game titles, and now he has put his entire collection up for auction via GameGavel. The current bid is $50,000, although Thomasson believes the collection is worth well into the $700,000 mark – however, the auction does end June 15 at 10:30PM EDT, so it’s anyone’s guess what the final winning bid will be. Thomasson was recognized by Guinness World Records, in which his achievement was published in the 2014 edition. With some of the industry’s rarest items up for grabs, this should be a fierce battle of bid wars, although a lot of space and cash would be needed to seriously consider purchasing the entire collection. The winning bidder will also have a lifetime subscription to Retro Gamer magazine, including all previous issues. Around 2,700 games are still factory sealed, whilst approximately 8,300 are fully complete with the game and manual in tact.
Thomasson literally bathing in his video game collection.
Thomasson gives his primary reasons as to why he’s letting go of his collection, as follows:
“I simply have an immediate family and extended family that have needs that need to be addressed. While I do not wish to part with these games, I have responsibilities that I have made to others and this action is how I will help meet them. No worries, I’ve sold my collection many times in the past and still managed to capture Guinness’ attention, and it is entirely possible that I may again.” A list of games can be viewed on Good Deal Games, including images of some sought after titles in the collector’s community.