Meet Mark Flitman: Inside the Collection
You don't have to be a kid to play around with Mark's collection!
Jun. 9, 2024
Mark Flitman is not your average collector. He calls himself a "career collector" because his collection is based on his many years in the video game and toy industries.
With everything from a 3D prototype for Nintendo's Game Boy, to the original style guides for The Simpsons and an unreleased Elmo toy; Mark's collection is a great representation of who he is and his career.
Mark loves video games and toys because he considers himself a big kid who never grew up. Now, with a house full of rare and valuable items, Mark is ready to share his passion with Collector's Call!
It's all the things that kids love, so transport yourself back in time and come play around with this collection!
1. Eclipse 3D Game Boy Demo
What a throwback! Please press the start button to continue.
It's not the Game Boy itself that's special, it's the cartridge inside that holds the value. This is an Eclipse 3D demo for the Game Boy that Mark obtained when he was a producer in the video game industry.
As a producer, game developers would send him cartridges that contained demos of their games.
This cartridge is extra special because it is the first time that a 3D game was introduced to a Nintendo console. It led to Nintendo producing 3D games and graphics that many of us know and love today in modern gaming.
It's a piece of Nintendo history and Mark is happy to give it a home. Even the Video Game History Foundation had no record of this rare item.
Our expert valued this iconic item at $100,000 because of its rarity and the history behind the cartridge. It's important to keep this Game Boy alive so that history can live on.
What was your favorite Game Boy game? Let us know in the comments.
2. The Simpsons Style Guides
In 1990, Mark worked on a few Simpsons products in his career.
This is a Simpsons style guide, complete with a few personal drawings from creator, Matt Groening. These style guides contain very early sketches of all your favorite characters from The Simpsons.
The Simpsons only debuted one year earlier in 1989. These are some of the earliest drawings of Simpsons characters in private hands.
This is a piece a collector would only have if they worked in the industry, adding to the overall value.
Our expert valued these style guides at $20,000 because of the original artwork they contain. Who is your favorite character from The Simpsons?
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans may recognize this vintage video game!
This NES cartridge, originally from Nintendo, was the game that started it all for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
At the time, nobody knew how popular the pizza-loving turtles would become.
Although the game itself holds value, most of its worth comes from the coupon on the cover. Instead of saving him money, it gained him some money.
Pizza Hut jumped on board for marketing by offering a free personal pan pizza for anyone who bought the game. Mark never cashed in the coupon, adding to its rarity.
Our expert valued this item at $70,000, but we're just wondering if the offer for a free pizza is still good!
4. Watchmen Signed Graphic Novel
According to Mark, The Watchmen comic book series is considered to be one of the greatest graphic novels in the comic book industry.
It's no surprise he owns a copy.
This was from a 12-part comic book series where a new comic book would be released each month. Once the story finished running its course, it was released in one big book that told the whole story.
Mark loves The Watchmen comic books because the storyline featured superheroes with faults. Over the course of his career Mark was able to get this book signed by creator Alan Moore and one of the illustrators.
He bought this hardcover copy in the '80s and only paid around $50 for it. Today it would be worth around $15,000!
5. My Little Pony Promotional Statue
When Mark started working at Hasbro he had the opportunity to work with the My Little Pony team.
Around 2005, the team held an exhibit in New York that featured about 50 female artists who designed these blank My Little Pony statues in any way they wanted.
After the exhibit came to an end, all of the My Little Pony statues were auctioned off, and the proceeds were sent to charity. Although Mark's version of the statue remained blank, it's still incredibly recognizable to any My Little Pony fan.
There are only around 50 of these statues that were made, adding to the overall value of the item.
Our expert valued this item at $5,000. Now, this blank canvas tells quite the story.
6. Very Merry Elmo
When Mark was at Hasbro he worked on many toys that were part of the Sesame Street franchise.
One of those toys was this Very Merry Elmo talking plush. You may recognize Elmo, but you won't recognize this vintage toy because it was never released to the public.
The reason it wasn't released is unknown, however, it makes for an adorable holiday-themed toy. Our expert had never seen this item which added to its overall value. It even still works and says a few words!
It's one of the only Very Merry Elmo toys ever produced, and any Sesame Street collector would dream of owning this Elmo!
Our expert valued this rare toy at $4,000.
7. The total value of Mark's collection:
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