Like many classic game enthusiasts I have a room dedicated to my collection. I'm constantly rearranging things to conserve space while trying to avoid clutter at the same time. Every now and then I'll stumble upon a new idea to save some room or make things look a little nicer. I discovered one this past summer that proved to be a real game-changer.

The idea first occurred to me when I won a Nintendo 64 game off eBay. It was a complete copy of Waialae Country Club. When I took it out of the Priority Mail box I found the game box encased in a clear plastic container. My first instinct was to discard this extraneous packaging, but I couldn't help but noticed the game looked a heck of a lot better in that plastic case! The problem was, it wouldn't look right on the shelf next to all the normal boxes. Then it occurred to me, what if I stored all my Nintendo 64 boxed games in these plastic slip covers?

I checked eBay and was surprised to discover these plastic protective covers were available for a wide variety of classic games including Atari 2600, Intellivision, NES, Sega CD, Genesis, SNES, Nintendo 64, Jaguar, Game Boy, Lynx, and 3DO. Just about every system that issued games in cardboard boxes had protective covers available.

Now, if you have a sizeable collection these protectors are not cheap. They tend to run about 80 cent each, although slightly less if you order in bulk. The good news is that you can upgrade your collection piecemeal. I've been gradually buying these protectors for various systems over the last few months, and I actually look forward to transforming a small section of my shelf at a time.

There are multiple benefits too. After completely outfitting my Super Nintendo collection in these protectors I asked my wife if she noticed anything different about those games. She responded "They all look brand new!" That's the reaction everybody has. The difference is dramatic.

The sleeves also provide protection from dust, as wiping off boxes causes wear over time. Best of all, you can now let your friends or kids examine the boxes without fear of rough handling or grimy fingerprints.

Boxes for classic games are worth a lot of money. In some cases the value of the box exceeds the game itself! If you own any quantity of these you'll want to preserve them. To that end I think these video game box protectors are a great long-term investment. Give them a try.

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