It’s no secret that old games, consoles, and controllers can sometimes sell for massive sums at auction, especially if they’re highly sought-after, rare items. Recently, a plumber in the UK named Liam Clousdale realized that the Nintendo 64 controller he was gifted in 1998 was one such item. The N64 controller is a Foxdata Silver Leopard custom controller, of which there were around 200 ever made. Considering how long it has been since those controllers were manufactured, there’s likely not that many of them left, making this an incredible collector’s item that could bring in more than $1,000 for its owner at auction.
The controller go up for sale at Hansons Auctions on October 17. “Liam’s controller was released in the late 1990s by Foxdata as part of a range of four different designs – Desert Storm, Chrome Leopard, Red Rain, and Purple Forest,” said David Wilson-Turner, head of Hansons’ Toys and Video Game Auctions. “That range that has become increasingly sought after in the video game market. Though information is limited, it’s believed Foxdata produced around 800 of these customized controllers across the four designs, meaning there could be less than 200 examples of Liam’s controller in the world.”
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For his part, Clousdale explained, “The Foxdata N64 was the only console to come with four ports for pads. All my friends used to go to each other’s houses to play and, to avoid confusion, everyone liked to have their own unique pad. The Foxdata ones were amazing to me at the time as they were official pads but with custom paint jobs.” One of his friends remembered the pad and, when he saw one sell for quite a bit, he gave Clousdale a heads-up about what he might be able to get for it.
Nintendo 64 Foxdata Auction
Of course, it’s worth noting that Clousdale used the controller quite a bit, which may bring the price down slightly. Avid collectors generally want mint items, but given how rare the controller is and the fact that it looks to be in good shape, collectors will pay a premium. Clousdale told Hansons that, as a gamer himself he’s “happy to pass it on to a proper retro collector.” Of course, we’re sure the money doesn’t hurt either.
As noted by Wilson-Turner, “This controller offers a chance for a Nintendo memorabilia collector to source a rare, hard-to-find item. Though the controller has been used and is in need of slight attention, it only adds to its charm.”
Finally, if you’re interested in the Foxdata range of controllers, one Reddit user named GamerAhmer was able to put together the full collection a few years ago. The four controllers are undoubtedly some of the wildest designs you’ve seen on an N64 pad, especially for something that’s official.
The Foxdata Silver Leopard controller will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ October 17 Specialist Toys and Video Games Auction, if you’re interested in bidding.
