The recent passing of an important historical figure in the field of technology allowed for a large collection of video games, board games, and toys to be consigned off. From Seattle, the late Darryl Rubin, known for his role in developing part of the internet and a 30-year Microsoft employee, left behind what might be the world's largest game collection - a collection many would dream of. Now, it sits behind a small tabletop gaming shop called Cape Fear Games in North Carolina, waiting to be sold to ravenous tabletop and gaming fans.
Wilmington, North Carolina news station WECT dubs it as the "world's largest known collection" of board games, video games, and toys. For a $20 fee, individuals from the public can tour the facility and buy some of the thousands upon thousands of pieces up for sale. As a local resident and native of Wilmington myself, I had the chance to tour the facility and even buy a few products from this incredible collection.
I was told by a tour guide that this collection was amassed by Rubin over the years and stored in a warehouse five times the size of Cape Fear Games' storage space. Rubin had hired someone to oversee his collection and learn the intricacies of each game. This was so that Rubin could use any game he wanted and someone would be there to tell him how to play it. Below, you will find a few highlights and a photo gallery of Rubin's old collection.
Top to bottom, the shelves at the back of Cape Fear Games is full of nothing but board games, toys, and video games. This is just one hallway of the several stuffed with what seemed to be any board game you could imagine.
This Mario Paint box may as well have been brand new. It was in pristine condition, featuring the game, Super NES Mouse and Mouse Pad, and the game itself. It costs a pretty penny for those who are interested, though you will be hard-pressed to find another copy in such a condition.
Several of the most expensive pieces of this collection included never-before-opened copies of some of the most famous PC games. You could have yourself a brand new copy of Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VIII, and Tomb Raider.
Speaking of expensive, have you ever seen mammoth ivory chess? This nondescript red box held extremely rare and pricey mammoth ivory chess pieces. Black pieces in the set were made of ebony.
This is a brand new collection of sealed Combat Commander games. Tabletop Editor Travis Williams was particularly jealous of the Combat Commander: Pacific copy. The rest of the world's largest game collection housed what was likely thousands of other war board games.
Even I didn't leave empty-handed. Both of these copies of F-Zero and Star Fox were contained in some extremely clean boxes, as well as their original contents. Both old and new games are available for sale, although some people have been dropping top dollar on some rare gems. If you find yourself in Wilmington's neck of the woods, be sure to schedule an appointment at Cape Fear Games first. Email estate@capefeargames.com to schedule a $20 tour. The $20 in cash goes towards whatever purchase you might make at this sale. Here's a look at some more shots from what may be the world's largest game collection.
What are your thoughts on this collection? Does anything catch your eye? Do you think that it is indeed the world's largest game collection? Let us know in the comments below!
