collectables

Retro Hunting At The Halsey Road Vintage Emporium

February 26, 2024 By ausretrogamer

The Thrill of the Chase is Back!

It’s been a while since we went hunting at vintage establishments, so when we stumbled upon the Halsey Rd Vintage Emporium, we had to go in and take a look!

There is something about these kinds of places that invoke warmth and a sense of intoxicating nostalgia. Walking into the Halsey Road Vintage Emporium you are immediately transported to a different time, when we used film cameras, selected our fave LPs on jukeboxes and wrote on Olivetti typewriters! One thing is for certain, you need a fair few hours to take it all in, as rushing around would mean you miss out on a past nugget that could be priceless.

We could have bought up so many cool items (just take a gander at the photos below), but in the end, it was Ms Ausretrogamer who found a pair of matching mid-century Grant Featherston ‘Bendix’ chairs, which will look great in Casa Ausretrogamer!

If you enjoy checking out retro/antiques/industrial/collectibles emporiums, then add the Halsey Rd Vintage Emporium to your bucket list.

The deets:

What: Halsey Road Vintage Emporium
Where: 11-13 Halsey Rd, Airport West VIC 3042
Hours: Friday & Saturday – 10am-4pm (or by appointment)

Shop Till You Drop At PixelCrib

July 20, 2023 By ausretrogamer

If you are after some cool gaming related products, including memorabilia and collectibles, then you must check out PixelCrib!

Our good friends at PixelCrib have been wonderful supporters of Ausretrogamer for a long while now, which we are always very thankful for.

For those of you in Oz (and beyond!), PixelCrib is really your one stop shop for video game related products, including rare, high-quality video game memorabilia and collectibles – they are after all, the gaming culture specialists! The best bit is, you can shop from the comfort of your own home.

With a plethora of amazing items in their store, here are some of our fave picks (Ed: this list was really really hard to whittle down):

Nintendo Switch – Physical Games

You know those Nintendo Switch games that you thought you could only download from the Nintendo eShop? Well, those awesome games, like Celeste and Cuphead (amongst many others) are available in their physical form!

Books, books, books as far as the eye can see

If you have bookshelves that need filling (or a coffee table!), then you have come to the right place! PixelCrib has tons of books, here are some of our picks:

A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games

Artcade

Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups PC Engine: The Box Art Collection

Do you like playing tunes on vinyl?

We sure do. If you like gaming related soundtracks / music, then the vinyl section is where you need to be at:

Gamer Boy Disappearing Lines: Chiptune Music of Tetris EP

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: Music From The Arcade Games LP

Mother 2 Original Video Game Soundtrack 2xLP

Artworks are aplenty at PixelCrib!

Oh how we wish we could have them all……

Shovel Knight Shadowbox Art

Hyrule Field (Legend of Zelda) A3 Art Print

Dead Cells Shadowbox Art

But wait, there is more! Did someone say, where are the retro gaming systems at?

PixelCrib has an array of amazing retro consoles for you to choose from, from the Evercade (VS/EXP), Retron and Sega Astro City Mini systems, to the Quarter Size and RepliCade mini arcade machines:

Oh yeah, in case you missed the news, you can now pre-order Hyper Mega Tech’s Super Pocket (Capcom / Taito) handheld systems on PixelCrib! The best part is, these are compatible with your Evercade cartridges!

These are just the tip of the iceberg of products available on PixelCrib. We implore you to get on the PixelCrib site and take a good look, as there is bound to be gaming related products that will tickle your fancy.

Happy shopping everyone!

PAX Aus Panel: Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value

November 7, 2016 By ausretrogamer

For this year’s PAX Aus we had the privilege of participating in the Geek Trash or Treasure: Finding Collectibles With Real Value panel, facilitated by CNET Editor, Seamus Byrne. The panel consisted of yours truly, Weird and Retro’s Stacey Borg and Bethesda Community Manager and mad collector, Noel Wheatley.

Keeping it retro: the panel in action!

We discussed why some games, consoles, computers, accessories, trinkets and ‘collectors editions’ become genuinely collectible. We provided helpful tips on where to find treasures and how to work out how much to spend. We also touched on preservation – basically everything you need to know about collecting retro goodies!

If you missed seeing it live, don’t worry – you can watch the recording via GameSpot’s YouTube channel.

(Image from PAX Aus website)

Easter Retro Gaming Hunt At The Amazing Mill Markets

April 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

While kids everywhere were busying themselves on their Easter egg hunt, Ms. ausretrogamer and I were busy going on a different kind of Easter egg hunt. On our way to Queenscliff, we decided to pop in at the amazing Mill Markets in Geelong to see what was on offer. Upon entering the market, we knew we had hit the jackpot – there were all kinds of antiques, memorabilia and collectables to discover, from books and vinyl records, to toys and classic video games. We’ll let the photos below show the breadth of cool stuff that was on offer at the market.

What started as a quick visit turned into a three-and-a-half hour hunt – the Mill Markets is the kind of place you need to take your time to look in each stall and search for that little gem that others may have passed in their haste. Our nostalgic senses were in overdrive as we found items of interest in almost every stall!

There were retro games and systems aplenty, with most items being at reasonable prices. We were pleasantly surprised to discover retro gaming gear in a number of stalls on the ground floor and the mezzanine – obviously, our go slow and meticulous hunting plan paid off. The temptation to walk out with a boot full of stuff was hard to resist! I did manage to buy a few items, with the Milton Bradley Berzerk board game being my favourite of the lot.

If you happen to like going to vintage markets, even for a look, then Ms. ausretrogamer and I highly recommend The Mill Markets. There are three Mill Markets in Victoria – in Daylesford, Ballarat and Geelong (Newcomb). Best part is, they are all open 7 days a week from 10am till 6pm. What are you waiting for, go hunting!

Drooling at Lobos Collectables

June 13, 2014 By ausretrogamer

There are times when words don’t need to be said. This is that exact time! Before you do start scrolling through the below photos, we would urge you to visit Lobos Collectables (503 High Street, Northcote) to browse their awesome wares and buy up as many goodies as your wallet will allow. Now, put your bib on and start drooling.

You have been warned!

Plenty to look at here. I’ll be back.

Comic book action superheroes!

Oh yes, Star Wars!

Oh wow, more Star Wars stuff!

I was made for loving you baby!

I’ma Wario, I’ma gonna win!

Drool factor 1000, I spot Tron!

Sleep well Han

The lovely Tron!

Oh how I’ve missed this control panel

Brilliant Tron side-art

Original MOTU is best!

I wonder if Skeletor is home?

Man-At-Arms vs Jitsu

Classic MOTU action

I wonder who is flying the Millennium Falcon

We found the Turtles!

Some rare MOTU beauties!

If you have made it this far and want to drool some more, you can read about our garage sale loot at Lobos Collectables – you won’t be disappointed.

Retro Nostalgia and Collectables Fair

May 9, 2014 By ausretrogamer

On this past rainy and cold Sunday there was some nostalgic warmness emanating from the Flemington Racecourse. This hallowed turf, usually reserved for the sport of kings, was transformed into a nostalgists haven – the Retro Nostalgia and Collectables Fair.

The Fair had everything from football cards to video games and lots of Star Wars memorabilia – perfect timing with the ‘May The 4^th Be With You’ Star Wars celebration day. With a $5 entry fee (for adults), you were greeted with tables full of the happy stuff – items from a bygone era, an era that gave us lots of happy memories. The stall holders were open to discussion about their items and collecting in general. Their enthusiasm was genuine and infectious. There was the usual haggling on price, but that is your god given right to do at such gatherings.

The Fair atmosphere was pleasant and the crowd numbers were just about right – there was no pushing or shoving. Luckily the Fair was held indoors, as Melbourne turned on its charm with some typical crap weather! Bring on the next Retro Nostalgia and Collectables Fair!

images source: ausretrogamer

Hot Wheels: Atari Nostalgics

June 4, 2013 By ausretrogamer

What do you get when you cross an iconic toy car brand with a video gaming icon? You get the awesomely cool and soon to become collectable, Atari Nostalgics Hot Wheels series.

This Hot Wheels series consists of six Atari games inspired vehicles:

’55 Chevy Panel – Tempest
Custom ’52 Chevy – Pong
’49 Ford C.O.E. – Breakout
GMC Motorhome – Atari 2600
Cool One – Centipede
Fast Gassin – Missile Command

Mattel and Atari have capitalised on the retro gaming movement by creating this range of collectable vehicles. If you were lucky enough to find them all, hold onto them, they will become highly sought after in no time. If you are anything like me, rip them out of their packaging and have some fun!