Meet Brian Smolik: Inside the collection
It's Pac-Mania with a collection featuring rare items with the '80s arcade icon!
Jun. 21, 2020
Brian Smolik has "Pac-Man Fever." As a fan of the game since the ’80s, Brian began collecting anything and everything with the Pac-Man design, and these days his basement is packed to the gills with Pac-Man paraphernalia.
He has rare items in impressive condition. We brought along Tim Lapetino, a video game historian who appraised Brian's collection.
1. Pac-Man Bicycle
Brian paid $40 for this rare Pac-Man bike, rushing to snatch it up when it popped up for sale. It's worth about $1,000.
2. Pac-Mac Bicycle Seat
Brian had the seat in his collection before he had the entire bike.
3. Pac-Man Bicycle Handlebars
Here you can see the totally rad handlebar plate that would have been the envy of the neighborhood in 1982.
4. Pac-Man Bicycle Wheels
The wheels featured spinning pellets and frightened blue ghosts.
5. Pac-Man Lamp
These vintage lamps are rarely found in such great working condition. A color wheel inside the lamp brings the arcade-true graphics to life, as you can see in the close-up at the top of this post. It is worth about $600.
6. Pac-Man Roller Skates
Again, Brian managed to find items in good condition, especially the rarer, white Ms. Pac-Man skates, which hardly have a nick on them. Together, they are worth about $800.
7. Pac-Man Sleds
The white-eyed sled was common. The red-eyed Pac-Man snow toy is far more rare — this one was perhaps an early production sample. They're worth about $375.
8. Pac-Man Pixel Bash Arcade Cabinet
This recent arcade machine from Namco bundles 32 of the video-game company's classic titles, including Pac-Man sequels like Super Pac-Man and Pac-Man Plus. It cost $3,000 new and is still valued the same — made for the nostalgic basement…
9. Pac-Man Pixel Bash Fridge
It even has a refrigerator in the base, where Brian keeps Pac-Man edition Red Bulls.
10. Pac-Mancave Sign
Brian has a true "Pac-Mancave" with hudreds of items.
11. Pac-Man Memorabilia
Here is just a selection of items in Brian's collection.
12. Midway Factory Sign
This sign once hung at the Midway factory in Chicago — where Pac-Man machines were manufactured. Brian was friends with an employee at the legendary arcade company, who let him come get this sign when the place was being demolished. It's woth about $2,000.
13. Pac-Man Lunchbox Production Sample
Our expert brought this tempting trade item for Brian — a metal production sheet for Pac-Man lunch boxes. The parts of the lunch box would be punched out of this sheet. You can even see some design notes scribbled on this sample.
14. Pac-Man Arcade Poster
This poster would have been used to promote the game in arcades back in the early 1980s. It's signed by the artist.
15. Pac-Man Board Game
Milton-Bradley released this tabletop version of Pac-Man in the early 1980s. What makes it collectible is the color of the ghosts — some versions, like the European release, featured yellow ghosts — the same color as Pac-Man!
16. Pac-Man Cartoon Animation Cels
Hanna-Barbera produced the Pac-Man Saturday morning cartoon for two seasons beginning in 1982. Brian not only has production cels from the cartoon, but he has subsequent cels, so you can see how Pac-Man moved from frame to frame. They're worth about $130.
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