The biggest thing about high value items is provenance, since the investment is substantial. The problem with the neo geo scene is high quality printing is now available, and as everyone has seen, bootlegging expensive cartridge is too tempting for the scammers. The KOF 2000 was not immune to this phenomenon, and instead of just letting our customers suffer, as usual NGF came up with a solution. This release is really a legacy and piece of neo geo history and we wanted to make sure it did not get ruined like Metal Slug, Blazing Star, Chibi Quiz, etc. The fact is fakes are out there in serious numbers, and if you own any neo geo game worth more than $500, you should be prepared for scrutiny. I would bet there is probably a 25% fake rate in most of the "serious" collectors collections that have been acquired in the last 3 years. Unless you bought the game from a retail store, you might have a fake.
We came up with the authentication system last year and it has worked out really really well. We have authenticated over 40% of the original 100, and continue to get requests weekly. If you own this game, this is a FREE service, and will provide yourself, as well as a future owner the peace of mind of knowing the have an original. If you do not have your cartridge authenticated, or you are looking to buy one, DO NOT RISK buying one that has not been certified. Unlike phantom sales of games that are obviously not real, these cartridges have have been bought and sold many many times on the open market and have established value.
As you can see, each piece of the set is numbered with a tamper proof seal. This eliminates the "frankencart" syndrome where people use the best pieces from multiple carts, or they attempt to bootleg a single piece.
Each original authenticated carts gets a unique number and edition name. The original person that sends the cartridge in for authentication gets the privilege of naming that cartridge, and it will forever be known by the name and number given at that time.
The certification documentation is delivered to the owner, and includes a signed and numbered certificate of ownership. This certificate can be redeemed by a new owner for a new certification without having to send in the cartridge again, thereby allowing new owners to have a certificate of ownership with their name.
This system eliminates the bootlegs, as there is a registry of owners, and each copy has a history of ownership, and cannot be duplicated without someone knowing something is up. It is a great system, one that we offer as a courtesy to the owners of this game.