By Dexerto | Created at 2026-08-25 11:40:00 | Updated at 2026-09-18 14:19:23
3 weeks ago
A Nintendo fan has been left devastated after thieves stole more than 860 NES games he had spent almost 40 years collecting – just three games short of completing the entire library.
Roger Holler, from Puyallup, Washington, began collecting Nintendo games as a child after his mother bought him his first NES when he was 11 years old.
Over the years, he added to the collection by picking up more games at stores and by attending gaming conventions, with the collection valued between $50,000 and $100,000 at the time it was stolen.
Holler and his family were out of town in August when someone broke into their home. When they returned on Sunday evening, they discovered the shelves where his collection had been stored had been completely emptied.
The aftermath of the theft
Speaking to KING 5, Holler said the sight of the empty shelves following the break-in has been difficult to deal with.
“I shake, I get headaches,” he said, adding that he now wants to remove the shelf entirely because he knows what used to be there.
The loss goes considerably beyond the collection’s monetary value. Holler’s mother gave him the NES that started his hobby when he was a child, and he later shared the hunt for games with his own children.
His son, Chris Sterling, recalled growing up searching for games alongside his father, describing seeing the lifelong collection suddenly disappear as “heartbreaking.”
Holler had also planned to eventually pass the games down to his grandchildren, with the hope that their value could help pay for their college education.
“To me, this week it feels like losing my mom again,” Holler said, explaining that while the two losses were different, the collection had become another major part of his life.
KING 5 / Holler FamilyThe family has reported the burglary to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and is working with its home insurance company.
Despite the collection potentially being worth as much as $100,000, Holler’s son said his father would likely forgive whoever took it if they simply brought the games back.
“I guarantee if you were to show up tomorrow and say here’s your things, I apologize, he’d probably just hug you, cry and say thank you,” Sterling said.
“This definitely hurts and I don’t think I will ever collect another thing again in my life,” he said.
While this theft dealt exclusively with retro memorabilia, even modern Nintendo products have frequently been targeted by thieves. Back in June, a truck carrying $1.4 million in Switch 2 consoles was stolen.
