Yesterday I had sent another forum member here, OptOut, a few pictures of an original Taiwan-made Gameboy game, published back in 1993. While the game is (somewhat) known in the right circles, the version that I'll likely receive in the mail this weekend is published by the original developer, as opposed to the later (known) republished version. This is stuff that is truly so rare and obscure, it makes little Samson or stadium events look common...I.e. even if I waved wads of cash around, the cart just won't surface, though if the cart sold at auction, it would probably sell for $100 or less, it's just that obscure.

That brings me up to the question, do you guys prefer "rare" games, i.e. stuff that's worth tons of money and somewhat rare, which is quite popular and known, or the truly obscure genuine rare stuff, which might not even be worth more than $20 ? Let's discuss.

The new term I've been using is Exotic.

I think of it as so rare, it can't be found anywhere except in the grips of one or two people that will never let it go.

I enjoy owning and obtaining both:

- "rare" where most are in agreement of its rarity are cool to show-and-tell to other forum fellas; makes me feel like I've gained some subconscious "achievement point" as a collector.

- "obscure" where genuinely rare but not many know or care, is cool from a "unique collection" perspective ie. the more obscure the items, the more unique the overall collection will be. Also these tend to be cheaper than the "rares" and you can often buy say 5-10 "obscures" instead of 1 "rare".

Go on...

​Both. Because I use them snonymously. lol I don't care for the reasoning of sub-defining the words, although I understand that "rare" has a "what's known" connotation, whereas "obscure" is a bit more esoteric (thus cost is affected due to demand and popularity.) 

I just like to keep it simple. There's rare games out there that aren't worth squat, and common games that aren't cheap. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yes, but you already know that  

Yep, good explanation

I don't chase rarities for rarity's sake. I like some things which happen to be rare, and that can be frustrating because they are hard or expensive to get. But I am with you; I like obscure things as well and they are just as nice to have. Maybe even more, because there is no concern about spending too much. While sometimes you have to cough up some dough because that's just the price of the thing you want, expensive things don't please me by virtue of their cost.

I like obscure oddball stuff that only a few people have.

I can't get Instagram likes for Papillon Gals. I need them raers Little Samsons for validation.

I like the discussion point. To me, understating what is truly 'obscure' requires some understanding and knowledge of what is out there... just because something is not often spoken about, does not necessarily make it a truly obscure item. So, IMO truly obscure items become increasingly more attractive the longer one is engaged in a collectibles hobby and the more knowledge one accumulates. Obscurity is essentially like chaos, and identifying an obscure item as common or rare is akin to creating order from chaos -- being at the frontier of documenting. I've always loved to collect to document, so that should highlight where my personal preference lies  

Are you asking if I prefer things worth more money or less money?

I don't necessarily collect because any of my games are rare or obscure, though that can be a cherry on top that makes my collection seem more interesting. I agree with the definitions GPX shared. More than anything, while the rare/obscure label makes it fun to discuss some of my games with others, more than anything the terms are a hint that I should pay extra attention to make sure the seller is offering an authentic cart and at a fair price.

I prefer "common". The word "rare" has been so overused, it's lost all meaning.

I don't have a preference, I collect what I perceive to have value. That can be literal financial value (bought under what I think it's worth), rarity value (rarer than advertised), nostalgic value (memories), display value (looks cool) or gameplay value (fun to play).

However, in the interests of the thread, I find myself preferring rare items. Obscure stuff tends to be so niche that I'd only buy it cheap.

I really don't care, whatever term you like better.

I'm more of an ass man myself.

Scrumtrulescent

Like the term oddball items...
((Should add I stopped giving a damn what others are collecting or what new BS is trending)) Been on my handheld kick for years and it's not looking to die down any time soon. Well maybe if I hit my goal to own every varaint and model of Nintendo handheld released worldwide...

^^Agreed 100%

That's perfectly cromulent word.

Obscure stuff. It often the most interesting...