Why your retro video games and trading cards could be worth a fortune

Got some old video games or Pokémon cards in the attic? You could be sitting on a gold mine.

The market for retro video games and collectibles is booming, with the rarest items selling for millions and Kiwis are cashing in.

Newshub caught up with one of New Zealand's biggest collectors.

For millions of millennials, the start-up sound of a PlayStation 1 is the sound of childhood.

"I loved games when I was growing up," collector Jarrod Hayes told Newshub.

"It was a great way to kind of keep the brain occupied as a kid, and as an adult, I'd really get a hit from the nostalgia.

"And some of the games, it's just better to play the original copies, you know?"

Hayes, known as Polished Gamer on Instagram and YouTube, is one of New Zealand's biggest retro gaming collectors.

"At the moment? I'm running just over 4100 games and I believe around about over 100 consoles," he said.

"It's quite a bit, to be honest. I do keep a calculation. It sits around about, I believe, just over $100,000."

Jarrod Hayes' collection.
Jarrod Hayes' collection. Photo credit: Newshub

And retro gaming is big business. This year an original Legend of Zelda game sold almost $500,000, while its rarest edition is worth approximately $1.5 million.

But it's not just video games. Some vintage Pokémon trading cards like those sold at Christchurch-based Nostalgia Box, now trade for six figures.

"You know, for this card at a higher rarity, such as a PSA 10 out of 10, we're looking at over $200,000, for that in the market," said Nostalgia Box manager Ben Mayo.

"So, you know, if things are in mint condition, then just looking into it and seeing what you might have, might be worth something."

Nostalgia Box manager Ben Mayo.
Nostalgia Box manager Ben Mayo. Photo credit: Newshub

When influencer Logan Paul walks out at WWE's WrestleMania it's not a diamond around his neck, it's the world's most valuable Pokémon card - worth nearly $10 million.

Pok-é pandemonium is so strong that when the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam offered limited edition Pokémon cards in January, it caused chaos.

So, what's the advice for Kiwis thinking about getting into the market?

"Don't just whip it up on Marketplace and put it out for $50 bucks or something like that. Have a little research," Hayes said.

"Try to have a look out because you never know. There's some games out there that I've even seen people whip up for $50 and not know what they've got."

Time to dust off your collections - because those old games could be a goldmine.