Zachariah Gieg, Just Press Play owner, speaks with a reporter in a new building he acquired that was previously the Volleyball Corner in Lancaster on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Gieg and his employee's will hold a large sale this weekend to help create more room that will enable them to organize the new space a bit better before opening next year.
Suzette Wenger / LNP | LancasterOnline
Suzette Wenger / LNP | LancasterOnline
Zachariah Gieg, Just Press Play owner, speaks with a reporter in a new building he acquired that was previously the Volleyball Corner in Lancaster on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Gieg and his employee's will hold a large sale this weekend to help create more room that will enable them to organize the new space a bit better before opening next year.
As the opening of Just Press Play’s “mega store” at 2007 Lincoln Highway East draws closer, owner and Lancaster County resident Zac Gieg is once again parting with some of his very rare video gaming collectibles to help fund the store.
Dallas, Texas-based Heritage Auctions is hosting its Video Game Signature Auctions through Saturday. Among the nearly 200 featured items are three from Gieg’s personal collection, the proceeds of which will go towards his $3.5 million, 20,000-square-foot store expected to open on a date to be determined this spring, according to Just Press Play content manager Brent Urmey.
Gieg’s items include:
-A prototype controller for Nintendo’s Utra 64, itself an early version of the Nintendo 64 console that was eventually released to the public in 1996. According to Gieg, the 1995 prototype is one of only two or three in existence. The current bid is $1,850.
-A set of prototype controllers for what would become the Nintendo Wii. This set of controllers serves as a bridge between the tech of the 2001 GameCube and 2006 Wii. These controllers were relatively unknown before being sold by an auction house in 2018. The current bid is $460.
-An early 1982 prototype Atari Video System X system, which served as the basis for what was later sold to the public as the Atari 5200 console later the same year. As with the prototype Ultra 64 controller, Gieg said that there couldn’t be “more than a handful of these VSX prototypes” available to collectors. The current bid is $210.
Heritage Auctions would not say if there are reserve prices on the items or how much they are expected to sell for, according to spokesperson Christina Rees.
This is not Gieg’s first foray into high profile sales at video game auctions. Gieg was featured in the second season of the Netflix series “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” where he auctioned off an original, factory-sealed copy of the iconic 1985 Super Mario Bros. for $235,000 and the 1986 game Stadium Events for $42,000. The proceeds from those auctions also went towards the “mega store” goal.
For those in the Lancaster County area looking for video game treasures that are significantly less pricey than a complete in-box Super Mario Bros., Just Press Play is once again hosting a warehouse sale at the planned “mega store” Feb. 28 through March 2. Just Press Play held its first warehouse sale back in November, and Urmey said that this coming sale will feature 90% different items than those offered in November.
The 20,000-square-foot Just Press Play store takes the place of the former Volleyball Corner across from the Walmart Supercenter. To open the “mega store,” the former Kendig Square Just Press Play was closed in 2024, and the Manheim Township location will be shuttered closer to the spring opening of the “mega store.” The larger location will allow for an events space as well as storage for Just Press Play’s online marketplace.
Gieg, 47, opened the first Just Press Play in Lancaster County in 2006, and since then, has ballooned to include two stores in the area and another in York County, with the “mega store” slated to open this spring. On “King of Collectibles,” Gieg’s collection was said to contain around 20,000 items.
Bidding is underway now at a Heritage Auctions that runs through Saturday on 197 video gaming items, including three very rare pieces owned by Just Press Play owner and Lancaster County resident Zac Gieg. A prominent video game collector, Gieg is selling some prime pieces to help fund his new Just Press Play “mega store” in Lancaster County that will open on a date to be determined this spring.
To bid or follow along with the auction, visit lanc.news/heritagevideogames.
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, The Morning Agenda will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
