In a fascinating discovery, a long-forgotten Nintendo 64 controller found tucked away in an attic is expected to be sold at auction for a substantial sum, potentially reaching £1,000 in the UK.
Liam Clousdale made this incredible find when he realized that a controller gifted to him on his birthday back in 1998 was, in fact, a rare Foxdata gamepad. The Foxdata controllers were produced in limited quantities in various designs, including Desert Storm, Red Rain, Purple Forest, and Chrome Leopard. These controllers have since become highly sought-after collector’s items.
Hansons Auctioneers, a renowned auction house, has assessed the value of Clousdale’s customized Chrome Leopard controller, estimating its worth to be between £700 and £1,000, which translates to approximately $850 to $1,200 for readers in the United States (via Eurogamer).
David Wilson-Turner, the head of Hansons’ Toys and Video Games Auction, provided insight into the controller’s significance on the auction house’s website, noting that the Foxdata series has gained increasing popularity in the video game market. While precise details are somewhat limited, it is believed that Foxdata produced approximately 800 of these custom controllers across the four distinctive designs, potentially making Liam’s controller one of fewer than 200 examples worldwide.
Although the Nintendo 64 may pale in comparison to contemporary gaming hardware, Clousdale fondly reminisced about his time using the controller: “I used it quite a bit and loved having the most uniquely designed gamepad. While the N64 has long been stored away, I still remain a dedicated gamer. One of my friends noticed that a Foxdata controller had sold for a significant sum of money and remembered that I possessed one. He inquired about it, prompting me to retrieve my old controller from a carefully preserved box in the loft. I subsequently reached out to Hansons upon discovering an article about a prior gaming auction they conducted. I was genuinely surprised by its potential value, and I’m delighted to pass it on to a dedicated retro collector.”
As the video game industry continues to mature, there’s a growing appreciation for retro memorabilia. While modern efforts have successfully recreated the feel of classic gamepads, such as the 8BitDo NeoGeo Wireless Controller, nothing quite compares to the authenticity of the original hardware.
The highly coveted Chrome Leopard controller is scheduled to be auctioned off on October 17, when collectors and enthusiasts will have the opportunity to bid for this rare Nintendo 64 artifact.
