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Dragon's Lair Arcade Promotional Poster Artwork
Dragon's Lair Arcade Promotional Poster Artwork

Description: Dragon's Lair promotional poster artwork, also used as video game box cover art for Dragon's Lair DS version, Dragon's Lair Trilogy Wii and Switch versions, as well as other versions Year: 1983 Medium: Acrylic on board Image Area: 26.5" x 34"/67cm x 86cm Image Source: Original Condition: Very Good
- Dragon's Lair Arcade Promotional Poster Artwork
- Artist:
  
  Ron Dias (1937–2013)
In the Collection of Imran A
Amiga Byte Issue #07 Magazine Cover Art
Amiga Byte Issue #07 Magazine Cover Art

Description: Amiga Byte cover art by Franco Tempesta. Issue #07 Year: 1988 Medium: Mixed Media Image Area: 23CM x 32CM Image Source: Original Condition: Excellent
- Amiga Byte Issue #07 Magazine Cover Art
- Artist:
  
  Franco Tempesta (b. 1966)
In the Collection of Ibrahim_UK
Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art
Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art

Description: Michael Winterbauer's second box art for New World Computing for the Might and Magic series. He also illustrated the art for the pack-in map included with the game Year: 1993 Medium: Acrylic on extra heavy weight board Image Area: 30" x 40" Image Source: from the artist Condition:
- Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Mike Winterbauer (b. 1959)
In the Collection of OVGA Database
Drac’s Night Out Unreleased NES Box Art
Drac’s Night Out Unreleased NES Box Art

Description: Drac’s Night Out was a game by Parker Brothers that even though advertised narrowly missed released in 1991. The game features the Reebok Pump shoe, which is a power up that helps Drac run faster and jump higher. A prototype game with a pre production label showing the artwork was found years ago. The game rom image is online and is fully playable. The objective of the game is for Dracula to escape the castle in hopes of finding his bride Mina. Once Dracula escapes the castle, he
- Drac’s Night Out Unreleased NES Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Roger Huyssen (b. 1946)
In the Collection of RetroNut
- 3 Comments
Spaceward Ho! Amiga DOS Computer Box Art
Spaceward Ho! Amiga DOS Computer Box Art

Description: Spaceward Ho! was published by New World Computing and was released for the Amiga, DOS, Macintosh, and Windows. Year: 1992 Medium: Acrylic on extra heavyweight board Image Area: 30" x 40" Image Source: from the artist Condition:
- Spaceward Ho! Amiga DOS Computer Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Mike Winterbauer (b. 1959)
In the Collection of OVGA Database
Contra: Hard Corps Sega Genesis Color Preliminary Box Art
Contra: Hard Corps Sega Genesis Color Preliminary Box Art

Description: Color comprehensive ("comp") for Konami's Contra: Hard Corps. Original watercolor paints were applied over photocopied lines for an approved final design, a very common approach for producing color compositions, as it would allow the artist to use a single image and repeat with different color options, if needed Year: 1994 Medium: Watercolor on photocopied lines Image Area: 6" x 10.25" on 8.5" x 11" paper Image Source: Original Condition: Good; some wrinkles in paper fr
- Contra: Hard Corps Sega Genesis Color Preliminary Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Mark A. Nelson (b. 1953)
In the Collection of Sanford_US
Ishar Trilogy PC cover artwork
Ishar Trilogy PC cover artwork

Description: It is the last Tim White artwork to be used on a game cover (1995) Year: Medium: Acrylic on board Image Area: Image Source: Original Condition: Excellent
- Ishar Trilogy PC cover artwork
- Artist:
  
  Tim White (1952–2020)
In the Collection of Pixel
- 1 Comment
Space Crusade Amstrad Atari ST C64 PC ZX-Spectrum Your Sinclair issue 75
Space Crusade Amstrad Atari ST C64 PC ZX-Spectrum Your Sinclair issue 75

Description: Year: 1992 Medium: Acrylic on board Image Area: 42x60 CM Image Source: Original Condition: Excellent
- Space Crusade Amstrad Atari ST C64 PC ZX-Spectrum Your Sinclair issue 75
- Artist:
  
  Paul Kidby (b. 1964)
In the Collection of Pixel
- 1 Comment
Caves of Doom Amstrad / Spectrum box art
Caves of Doom Amstrad / Spectrum box art

Description: Caves of Doom box art by John Smyth. Year: 1986 Medium: Acrylic on board Image Area: Width x Height IN/CM Image Source: Original Condition: unmounted from board for better preservation.
- Caves of Doom Amstrad / Spectrum box art
- Artist:
  
  John Smyth (b. 1946)
In the Collection of Nic
- 1 Comment
Lords of the Realm Amiga box art
Lords of the Realm Amiga box art

Description: Lords of the Realm box art by Steinar Lund, made for Impression Software in 1994. Year: 1994 Medium: Acrylic on board Image Area: Width x Height IN/CM Image Source: Original Condition: perfect
- amiga
- Lords of the Realm Amiga box art
- Artist:
  
  Steinar Lund (b. 1954)
In the Collection of Nic
Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art
Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art

Description: Michael Winterbauer's first box art for New World Computing for the Might and Magic series. He also illustrated the art for the pack-in map included with the game Year: 1992 Medium: Acrylic on extra heavy weight board Image Area: 30" x 40" Image Source: from the artist Condition:
- Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen Personal Computer PC DOS Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Mike Winterbauer (b. 1959)
In the Collection of OVGA Database
Winzer - Starbyte - Box Cover art
Winzer - Starbyte - Box Cover art

Description: Year: Medium: airbrush Image Area: Image Source: Condition: very good
- Winzer - Starbyte - Box Cover art
- Artist:
  
  Steinar Lund (b. 1954)
In the Collection of Eric Metalic
Vindicators - Domark/Tengen - Home Computers conversion Box Cover Artwork
Vindicators - Domark/Tengen - Home Computers conversion Box Cover Artwork

Description: Year: Medium: airbrush Image Area: Image Source: Condition: excellent
- Vindicators - Domark/Tengen - Home Computers conversion Box Cover Artwork
- Artist:
  
  Steinar Lund (b. 1954)
In the Collection of Eric Metalic
ST Action Issue 2 Cover artwork
ST Action Issue 2 Cover artwork

Description: Year: 1988 Medium: airbrush Image Area: Image Source: Condition: Excellent
- ST Action Issue 2 Cover artwork
- Artist:
  
  Steinar Lund (b. 1954)
In the Collection of Eric Metalic
ST Action Issue 3 Cover Artwork
ST Action Issue 3 Cover Artwork

Description: Year: 1988 Medium: airbrush Image Area: Image Source: Condition: Excellent
- ST Action Issue 3 Cover Artwork
- Artist:
  
  Steinar Lund (b. 1954)
In the Collection of Eric Metalic
Lemmings Home Computer, Game Boy, NES (Europe), Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear Box Art
Lemmings Home Computer, Game Boy, NES (Europe), Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear Box Art

Description: Adrian Powell’s original illustration for Lemmings has been used extensively, for nearly every system that got a release of the game, especially internationally. In addition to Home Computer releases (Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum), Adrian’s art was used for the Atari Lynx and universally for the DOS release and Game Boy releases. His art was used for the PAL A European NES release, Sega Master System in Europe, European and Japanese Game Gear releases, Japanese Mega Dr
- Lemmings Home Computer, Game Boy, NES (Europe), Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Adrian Powell (b. 1941)
In the Collection of RetroNut
Robo Aleste Sega CD Box Art
Robo Aleste Sega CD Box Art

Description: Used for Robo Aleste box art on Sega CD (US territory), published by Tengen. Year: 1992 Medium: Acrylics, pencil and airbrush Image Area: 20" x 26" Image Source: Original Condition: Very Good
- Robo Aleste Sega CD Box Art
- Artist:
  
  Robert J. Clarke (b. 1947)
In the Collection of Anonymous
Mega Man 3 NES Alternate Box Art Cel
Mega Man 3 NES Alternate Box Art Cel

Description: Mega Man 3 alternate cover art cel. The owner of the original painting has confirmed that it was painted over to create the final version of the artwork. I have attached some photos where the edits can be seen on the final painting. One of the best Capcom games ever! Year: 1990 Medium: Cel Image Area: 4'' x 5'' Image Source: Transparency Condition: Excellent
- Mega Man 3 NES Alternate Box Art Cel
- Artist:
  
  Greg Winters (b. 1956)
In the Collection of Coleman
Zelda Ocarina Of Time IGN64 Magazine Cover Art Prelim
Zelda Ocarina Of Time IGN64 Magazine Cover Art Prelim

Description: IGN64 magazine cover art prelim depicting Zelda: Ocarina Of Time by Terry Wolfinger. The final was digitally painted. Year: 1998 Medium: Pencil on paper Image Area: 8.5'' x 11'' Image Source: Original Condition: Excellent
- zelda
- n64
- Zelda Ocarina Of Time IGN64 Magazine Cover Art Prelim
- Artist:
  
  Terry Wolfinger (b. 1967)
In the Collection of Coleman
- 1 Comment
GameFan Magazine Issue 5 Interior page art
GameFan Magazine Issue 5 Interior page art

Description: GameFan Magazine Issue 5 Interior art. GameFan's Import RPG Special. You might recognize a few of these characters! Year: 1993 Medium: Hand Painted Cel Image Area: 9'' x 11'' Image Source: Original Condition: Excellent
- GameFan Magazine Issue 5 Interior page art
- Artist:
  
  Terry Wolfinger (b. 1967)
In the Collection of Coleman

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OVGA Blog

A group blog by OVGA Curators in Latest
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OVGA Curators blog entries
New to buying game art? An OVGA Buyer’s Guide, by Dan Maresca

Latest entry by Sanford_US, March 1, 20251 yr
[First written alongside the launch of the site in November 2022, this buyer's guide has been revised as of February 2025, with minor updates and editing by Sanford Hesler]

So you want to buy art for the first time. Welcome! It’s a wonderful hobby and you’ll enjoy it tremendously. There’s truly nothing as special that I’ve found in this hobby and you’ll learn so much, and meet lots of great people. There’s nothing better, at least for my money, in the world to collect. I started collecting art in late 2007 and it was absolutely hook, line and sinker for me—practically an all consuming passion that completely overtook any interest I had in other hobbies. You will have your own experience—it may or may not be exactly like mine, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it either way.

BUILDING A FOUNDATION

One thing that I’ve noticed many times is that people already collecting painted illustrations of another type (Magic the Gathering artwork, for example) have an easier time adjusting to collecting video game art. That's not to say that everybody doesn't get there in the end, but it's just an observation that those with a previous grounding tend to understand which pieces are better than others and what they might expect to pay for certain things better than most newcomers. Why is that? The reasons may be varied but likely because they have a bit of grounding in art collecting and a bit of a sense of hierarchy in terms of the factors that can make pieces better or worse than others. They understand that there is ONE illustration, in the WORLD, for any given game piece, and the more things the piece has going for it, the more they are going to expect to pay.

Hierarchy? Explain.

Substitute desirability, pros and cons, whatever other word or phrase you want to use. The point is, every piece has things going for it, and against it. A common remark from the brand new collector is that they say piece A available for $x and piece B available for $3x and they don’t understand why one is more than the other. Sometimes I think it's because some new collectors want all the pieces they see to be in a range they are comfortable in. However, there’s also a bit of education or understanding that happens over time with respect to what factors can increase/decrease price. A very non-exhaustive list of potential price factors:
- The game itself. Was it well remembered? Was it good? Is it collectible? Does the game itself go for good money? Is it a cult classic? etc.
- The console on which the game was published. NES pieces are probably going to go for more than virtually anything else. Pieces for an obscure console are going to sell for less, generally.
- The game publisher. An Enix or Capcom anything is going to be an easier sell than anything by Bullet Proof Software.
- The artist. Some artists are known for their game work, and that may get a premium. Some artists have well-developed markets outside of games which may serve to establish a range for that artist’s work regardless of any other factors.
- Size. This may come as a surprise at first,but a 6 x 4 inch illustration is going to feel awfully small and have little presence in hand. Conversely, a nice 30 x 20 inch painting smacks you in the face in person—lots of power and presence. Remember or understand that while the length of the painting is often shorthand for the size, a 30 inch (by 20 inch) painting isn’t 5 times the size of a 6 inch (by 4 inch) painting, it's 25(!) times the size. 5 times as large for each dimension. The one is smaller than a NES box, the other is a good-sized window. Again, 25x the size. Believe me, that makes a huge difference in how the painting looks in hand.
- Image quality. Art doesn’t have to be displayed, but many people do display at least a piece or two. As such, if the painting is well rendered and pleasing to look at, it's always going to be a nice positive versus something a little harder to look at.
- Usage of artwork. For a console game, the prime piece is generally going to be the main box image. Other official art may exist such as for promotional usage or for a game map or insert. There is also artwork for magazines. You can rank that as a whole other hierarchy too in that covers are going to be better than interiors, better publications are going to go for more and…
- Characters. Better characters are going to go for more as well generally speaking. Maybe you have artwork for a Mario game, but Mario isn’t even on it (and Princess Peach is). That’s going to be less appealing to most people than the piece would be if it featured Mario.
- Final artwork vs preliminary. Both are wonderful pre-production artifacts and in many ways the preliminaries show the creative process better, but the final, published works typically sell for more. I don’t see that as a negative, just a fact. The finals are going to cost more, and the preliminaries are going to be more accessible.
PRICE COMPS

Often, the new collector wants to know what things have sold for in the past to get a sense of what a piece they are looking at should be priced at. While that’s understandable it's also something you will have to get past. These pieces are all one of a kind. There is no perfect price comp for the piece you are looking at until it sells! That being said, once you have an understanding of some past sales, where the market is at, and what the desirability factors above are, it becomes pretty easy to slot things in where they should belong on a ‘A sold for X, B sold for Y, C should be in between’ type basis.

So, where do you get those data points?

Well, for starters, join the Original Video Game Art Collectors Facebook group. Look at any pieces currently offered for sale and scroll back through the group’s history for some past sales. Talk to people, ask questions, and find out what (and WHEN!) they paid for things. Private sales between collectors are where most game art sales have happened historically. Look also at Heritage Auctions price history as well; some sales have happened there and others are sure to follow! While Heritage has increasingly become a source for some comparables, aside from a pair of sales in January 2023 for Prince of Persia and Bionic Commando (for $63,000 and for $45,600, respectively) it has generally lacked high-end comparables. There have been a series of sales above the $20,000 mark, but in general, pieces above a certain level of desirability have not really hit Heritage or other auction houses yet.

Pieces of that upper tier, such as for the Street Fighter franchise, have traded hands only privately and well above the $100,000 mark. Unfortunately, sellers tend to want to avoid the attention and the buyers tend to want to avoid pushing prices up on themselves, so getting people to be open about the significant private sales can be difficult although these details are known ‘in the grapevine’ if you ask around.

Basically, keep your eyes and ears open, ask questions, and understand that if you’re looking for a perfect and public comp on a one-of-a-kind item, it's simply not going to exist and will take a little more thought and work than you may be used to until such time as you get the hang of it. It does get easier, but it takes a little while to build up that mental profile of what the market on things is like.

OVGA is working on curating a spreadsheet of public video game art sales and will incorporate a link to that sheet as part of a subsequent update.

YOUR TASTES ARE PROBABLY NOT SO DIFFERENT!

This is one that I think everyone should remind themselves of from time to time. Sometimes as collectors we justify lower perceived value ranges on a given piece by telling ourselves that ‘that cover is nothing special, but I just really like it, it should go for X.’

Well, guess what? As collectors, for the most part, we aren’t so different. If you like something (you just really liked that game, or you really liked that box art image, or whatever draws you to the piece) chances are others like it too and are drawn to it for the exact same reasons! If the game you are really excited about is some 2 star unlicensed foreign game with a 1 star cover image by an anonymous artist on a console no one has ever heard of, then yes, you’re right—it should be inexpensive.

If on the other hand, your idea of a game cover that is super ‘under the radar’ is something like Brain Lord for SNES, adjust your expectations. That’s a reasonably well known game, for a very well known maker on a super well known console. Many collectors would be excited to have that in their collection.

POPULATION

There are less than 100 NES box art originals known so far and less than 100 SNES as well, with even less Genesis, Game Boy, and so on. Similar numbers of ads and promo pieces are known. Video game magazine art (Nintendo Power, Sega Visions, EGM, GamePro, etc) is more available as there was just more of it created, but obviously a magazine cover featuring a great game is going to be more desirable than a small interior illustration for a game no one has heard of. Many pieces of box art were destroyed or owned by the corporations or have images that are photos or logos. When you filter it down all the way, the published final box art paintings are beyond rare and so even relatively minor pieces can cause a stir with collectors.

Artwork for early games (pre-1990, Atari etc) is almost completely non-existent and the later stuff (post-1995) is almost completely digital.

LOVE WHAT YOU FIND

Because there are so many games in a library (say 800 for NES) and a much smaller number of originals that exist, and a much smaller than that number of originals that exist for memorable games, and a lot of image duplication between consoles (the same image might be used for the same game across NES, SNES, and Game Boy releases, for example) don’t expect anyone to sell you the box art to Mega Man X anytime soon, unless its for a fortune. Why would the owner sell something that good just to have some money to buy something not nearly as good with?

You will likely learn to appreciate all vintage pieces. Each one is a survivor and a jewel. But many collectors set their sights too high when crossing over from game collecting because they take the checklist approach that is possible in games themselves (I’m going to buy 9.8 copies of every sealed Mario game) to game art, and are surprised when they can’t find any AAA franchise pieces that aren’t priced to the moon. Asking for the Street Fighter 2 box art is like a new game collector coming onto a Facebook group and asking about a sticker sealed Super Mario Bros! You’re asking for a mega grail that EVERYONE would want in their collection. Expect the new house-in-the-nice-neighborhood kind of price.

PRIVACY

“What do you have?” he asks. “I dunno, what are you looking for?” he replies.

There are all sorts of reasons why someone may not want to hand you a list of their entire collection. They may be private, in general. They may have purchases or sales relating to those items happening. They may not have an easy-to-access list. They may not be interested in digging things out or have a long conversation with someone they haven’t dealt with before.

Anything a person shares is great. But respect that we all have our reasons for sharing and for keeping things private too and we have no right to place our expectations onto what others may or may not want to do. All of the art shared on OVGA is artwork that the owner chose to share, and that’s wonderful. Not everyone will make that choice for every piece.

PRIVATE NEGOTIATIONS

“What do you want for that?” buyer asks. “I don’t know, what are you offering?” seller replies.

So many private deal conversations start that way. There are also many reasons why a seller may or may not want to attach a price to something. The buyer certainly appreciates hearing an actual number and having a starting point. The seller on the other hand, may not be so keen on that. Perhaps they simply haven’t considered what they’d be comfortable with on the piece, and don’t want to put a number out there (once you put it out there, you can’t take it back—the buyer will cling to that number like an emaciated junkyard dog on a medium rare T-bone). Perhaps they don’t want to put a number out there in a rising market because the buyer will expect the number to be the same in three months if they change their mind (see: T-bone). Perhaps they have a use for the money right now, or perhaps they don’t. Perhaps they want the buyer to offer first to see if the two are even in the same ballpark (and without offending the buyer, if the number is too high for them).

Again, all sorts of reasons, and one of a kind property. You’re going to have to get comfortable with either making offers, or passing on pieces where you can’t get a price, or asking indirect questions (‘more than 50 less than 100?’) to narrow things down, if you are looking to purchase pieces privately.

COLLECTION PIECES

Maybe the owner wants to sell, and maybe they don’t. I know which situation will result in a lower price and which will result in a higher price. The common thread here is that every situation is different and while that may take some getting used to coming from the ‘this exact game sold on Tuesday for $X’ experience, it’s a reflection of the fact that each piece is irreplaceable. There is no Tuesday sale.

There is perhaps a more desirable piece of art that sold six months ago and a less desirable one that sold nine months ago, and you’ll have to put a little effort in and ask some questions, but it's incredibly rewarding once you have the art in hand.

ENJOY

Most of all enjoy! Join OVGA, join the Original Video Game Art Collectors Facebook group, meet other people, and ask questions. In my opinion, this is the best hobby in the world and there is a whole world of art and information out there that you may never have even considered before. I wish you the best.
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