From Playing Cards to Pixels: Inside Steve Bagley’s Century-Deep Nintendo Collection
New Game Plus Conversation with Steve Bagley and John O’Shea the Joystique Roadshow
At the recent New Game Plus event, part of the London Games Festival, the stage was set for a unique spin on a British classic. Dubbed the "Joystique Roadshow," the session saw John O’Shea, Creative Director of the National Video Game Museum, sit down with Steve Bagley, one of the world’s most prolific collectors of Nintendo history.
While many associate Nintendo solely with the NES or Mario, Bagley’s collection proves that the "Big N" was a powerhouse of play long before the first transistor was ever soldered.
More Than Just a Game: The 100-Year-Old Nintendo
The interview kicked off with a reality check for the "modern" gamer. While we view the 1980s as the "retro" era, Bagley brought out items that qualify as bona fide antiques.
Hanafuda Cards: Before Mario, there were "Flower Cards." Bagley showcased a pre-war set of Hanafuda cards in a wooden box, estimated to be from the 1920s. Interestingly, Bagley noted that while these are "traditional" Japanese cards, their origins are Portuguese, highlighting a centuries-old transnational exchange of play.
"For the first time potentially ever, we’re talking about video game history with bona fide antiques... This isn’t 40 years old; it’s 100 years old." — Steve Bagley
The "Toy" Era and Gunpei Yokoi
Before the Game Boy, the legendary Gunpei Yokoi was busy innovating in the toy sector. Bagley displayed several pristine items from the 1960s and 70s that showcase Nintendo’s DNA of "lateral thinking with withered technology":
The Ultrascope: A periscope-like device from the late 60s, still in its original box with 1960s batteries.
N&B Blocks: Nintendo’s short-lived competitor to Lego.
The Love Tester (1969): A quirky device that measured skin resistance between two people to determine "compatibility." It was a massive success and proved Nintendo’s obsession with social, physical play.
Advice for the Aspiring Collector
With a personal collection of over 3,000 items, Bagley has transitioned from a hobbyist to a historian. For those looking to start their own archive, his advice was simple: Find your niche.
"Personal value, historical value, and literary value are key," Bagley says. Whether it’s high-end investment pieces like his signed copies of Super Mario Sunshine (signed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet) or simple Pokémon cards, the goal should be the story, not just the stuff.
About the National Video Game Museum
If this deep dive into history has piqued your interest, John O’Shea invited everyone to visit the National Video Game Museum in Sheffield. Housing over 5,000 objects, the museum focuses on "behind the screens" history—from hand-drawn maps of the 80s classic Dizzy to the "Life Rower," an 8-bit rowing machine that predates the Peloton by decades!
Out of Sync Gaming Take
I’m a huge fan of all things Nintendo and know a lot of the history, but there was some awesome insights and collectors items that I got to see for the first time today. To find out more about Steve Bagley and his awesome Mario Bros. collection check out his website: https://www.mariomuseum.com.