Konami Warranty Card Circa '91
Every game came with a manual in the box. This gave background on the game and instructions on how to play. Most of these were thrown away or lost by their owners, which makes them slightly collectable. During the early days of the NES, these manuals were known for their entertainingly bad "engrish" translations from Japanese. A classic example is "A winner is you" from the early Nintendo title Pro Wrestling. They are also interesting to look through for collectors due to the art many manuals had inside.
Game boxes for NES games were flimsy cardboard. Along with the manuals, many of these were trashed or lost over time. Due to their thin construction, many boxes from this era are fairly worn with creases and stratches. This is a shame for collectors, as many of these boxes were colorful works of art that look great while on display. Due to their more limited nature, games with the boxes are worth more than the cart alone. It's also more diificult to find a box in mint condition, or without price stickers all over it. Sega's Master System boxes fared much better: they are sturdy plastic cases designed for the long term storage of the game. They were the template for the later Genesis boxes that Sega would use. Most SMS games come with the original box. These also look great on display while showing off a collection.
Another way for game compaines to promote their items was to throw in promo flyers and posters in
the game boxes. These are a real treat for collectors to find. They are often lost like manuals,
and not every game has these materials thrown in to begin with. Posters are great to hang on walls
of any collector's room, occasionally with hand-drawn artwork or bright graphics.
Its also interesting to look over these materials and see how they marketed products back in the day,
or how they tried to make a stinker of a game look worthwhile.
Check a scan from a 1986 Sega catalog
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