DOUBLING DOWN
Carl Sammons on collecting for the N64 and N64DD
Our latest tenant of Collector’s Corner is a rather interesting case, as he’s the first collector we’ve featured who is the same age as the system he collects.
“I was born the year the N64 came out (1996) and my parents had bought me a N64 when I was young, and I very faintly remember playing it, until they traded it in for a Playstation,” he tells us. “I was pretty upset, because I loved Zelda and Castlevania.” The memories Carl had for the N64 never disappeared and he picked one up after exchanging it for a broken Xbox 360 that he owned. According to Carl that simple trade “started the fire for collecting” again.
And collect Carl did, diligently picking up all the games that he’d enjoyed as a kid, while discovering plenty of new ones as well. Although he only started collecting for the system a few years ago, he’s already amassed an incredible collection having just recently completed the entire US library of games (that’s 296, in case you were wondering). Interestingly, Carl is more focused on owning the games, rather than worrying if they are complete in boxes. “Right now, I can only collect loose carts, that’s because I am simply out of room,” he tells us. “I would like to one day possibly go for complete boxed games, but just due to space, loose carts it is. It does make it handy with [custom] end-labels [making it easy to] find the game you want to play quickly, and not have to worry about damaging a box getting a game out.”
It’s not just the N64 that Carl collects for, he also has a huge fascination for the system’s failed add-on as well, the Nintendo 64DD after discovering the expansion port on the N64 he had traded in and wondering what it was used for. “Now that I’m older I’m able to acquire these things I dreamed about back in high school,” he tells us. “I learned of the very niche collector group for the 64DD which
I wanted to be a part of, because there are so many other great collectors for the 64DD, and its such a great conversation piece. I love answering questions for people who may have never even seen one or never thought they existed.” Carl is one of the few DD collectors out there with a complete library of retail games, something he’s proud of, particularly when you consider how expensive
Doshin The Giant 2 and Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 are. Carl puts his collection down to “patience, saving, and keeping an eye open and posting in the Nintendo 64 Super Group on Facebook”.
So what advice does Carl have for those wanting to amass their own N64 collections? “The best advice I can give is be patient,” he concludes. “There were a few times I was impatient and could have got a better deal on something if I had just waited another week or so. Also keep a watch on the Facebook marketplace, there are often people unloading their attic finds for cheap, and you’re able to pick up good bundles for great prices.”