What does c10 stand for? You'll find the answer in this article.

What is c10?
"c" stands for condtion, and then a rating number, from 1-10. You will find most items conditions generally range from 5-10, I have very rarly seen a game below 5. It is generally considered non collectable below a 4-5, or in such bad condition that nobody wants it. I must point out that if the 1-10 scale was used correctly then only an item rated 1-2 would be uncollectable.

The standard deviation of 1-10 tends to put about 95% of games in the 7+ region. Why? Sellers normally overstate there item and use tricky marketing tactics to make there item appear better than it is.

What is a c10 game?
"Generally" speaking the following can be said about a c10 game.

• They never come unboxed, I have never seen any game without a mark in a loose condition, however small the mark is, it is no longer a c10 item.
• The condition of the box can tell you a lot about the condition of the game. well used boxes generally indicate that a game is also well used. However this is a hard thing to judge as collectors tend to swap items and boxes around. But is can be generally said that less than c10 boxes more than likly have a less than c10 game.
• Incomplete games are generally not c10, if you notice there is a lot of paperwork or batterys missing from the box, then yes, it's probably not c10.

What do I look for when searching for an item? (I will not state the obvious)

• You need to contact the seller and have high resolution pictures sent to you. Most people will be happy to do this.
• Check the condition of the box and paperwork, whats the overall condition of the box like.
• Is the box old store stock? or just a good example? If it has no batterys then give the old store stock "label" the flick.
• Check the back of the game, do the screws have rust? Are there any light marks, particually where the battery cover is.
• Check the screen, are there any blemishes like leaking LCD's, fine brush marks etc.
• How is the casing? does it have aluminum corrosion? Light marks?
• Is the plastic faded? Is the polar filter weak?

What about c10 boxes?
c10 boxes are very very rare, and in almost all cases they are old store stock. Do not be fooled even old store stock is not c10. I have seen many a blackjack direct from a shipping crate that had crumple marks, dents, corner wear etc.

What to look for in a c10 box?

• No stickers, residue or marks of any kind.
• Box is very rigid, conplete with all flaps and had no corner wear (this is where 99% fail). Most good boxes could probably get into the c9.5+ range easy, but a very small percentage will make c10, even the slightest white corner indicates wear and less than c10 status.
• Check the inside of the flaps along the fold lines, and how stiff they are, a good c10 will feel hard to open, and in most cases care must be taken, as the flaps do not open easily. (ever seen a game with a small 1cm ish tear in the side of the box? Yep, thats were most people stick there thumbs... also a good place to look, the box will generally "bulge" or have a slight kink or have wear marks in that spot if the owner had been careless.

The c10 is ment to mean perfect, straight from the factory, 100% new. The bottom line is if someone is selling a c10 item you must check it out. There is a lot of money between the c9.5 item to the c10, and you really should look into the item thourghly. Ask other collectors to value the item. there is generally one rule I follow when buying games, I take 1/2 a "C" mark off. and in the case of claimed c10 throughly check it out.