A REAL RECORD BREAKER
Brett Martin shares his world-beating collection with us
This month’s gaming superfan is an unusual addition to Collector’s Corner, because while Brett does collect videogames, he’s also managed to amass the world’s biggest hoard of gaming memorabilia. Brett is one of the inspirational gamers that features in a new series of gaming videos called Totally Game (you can watch them all at bit.ly/totallygame) so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to feature him in the magazine.
Many gamers from the UK would hungrily pore over the latest Argos catalogue in the hope of circling a game or system for their birthday or Christmas present. While Brett didn’t have access to Argos in the United States, he too became enamoured with catalogues from an early age. “There was a World Of Nintendo catalogue that came with a Nintendo Power in 1989 that I used to drool over,” he tells us. “I now have most of the stuff in there today.” A quick look at the images on display here highlight that Brett clearly has a great love for Nintendo, and the likes of Mario, Link and Donkey Kong make up a significant part of his collection. “Nintendo has the best properties,” Brett tells us when we ask why there’s such a big focus on the Kyoto-based giant’s characters and franchises.
“The biggest collection of non-nintendo items I have is my Mega Man collection”, Brett reveals. He’s a big fan of the Blue Bomber’s games, telling us that, “I think I have every major game. I bought each one when it came out for the most part. I only had to backtrack for a couple and it was before things got crazy.” The figures are equally collectible and Brett went after them with laser-like precision. “Once I found out there were figures I had to have them,” he continues. “I bought several of the Bandai sets before I had a really sizeable collection.”
Brett’s love of memorabilia has led to him appearing in the Guinness Book Of World Records. Interestingly, he didn’t make the first move. “Uncharacteristically, they contacted me looking to promote their gamer’s edition with an eye-catching record,” he reveals to us. “They found my collection, visited me and did a visual count and then took photos and did an interview.” Guinness counted an astonishing 8,030 items, but Brett has since surpassed that and now believes to have around 20,000 items. Needless to say, space is a premium for Brett but he’s also had to change how he sources his items. “It’s less ebay now and more private collectors and Yahoo Japan Auctions,” he tells us.
Even with such an impressive collection, there are still items that
Brett hopes to acquire some day, and as you’d expect, they’re rather rare. “The quickest that comes to mind is the Mekabon figure from the Japan-only Super Mario Land finger puppet set. He was the ‘Chase’ or secret figure that shows up far less than the rest of the set.” Rare items typically demand high prices, so Brett keeps that in mind when seeking out new additions to his collection. “I have a number I’m comfortable with when hunting specific items,” he concludes. “These days I’m often astonished at how much people want for items, but the hobby has attracted more and more people, and more generations are getting disposable income that they spend on stuff they love. Can’t blame them!”