27 March 1997

Re: Finds that made you feel like a moron.

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic. James R. Leek had asked "who's got a 'find' that made them feel like a total idiot after they bought it?"]

Well, I swore I'd never admit this, but I suppose I will since this thread came up. I paid [more than $1]* for my first (bare) Combat back around 1991. This was before I started going to thrift stores and you could still buy new carts at the toy stores (cheap). I answered an ad in the paper. It turned out some kid's parents was letting him sell his 2600 and games to earn money for something. He was nice enough to reduce the per cart price since I was buying several games. At least the money went to a good cause.

(As opposed to another time at a yard sale, I asked about the 2600 and games they had out and the kid who was getting the money started telling his mother, right in front of me, "$10! $10! No, wait. $12!" Mom went with $8.)

* Sorry, I just couldn't admit it.

[Possibly I later fessed up just how much I paid for that Combat on Usenet, but I'm not going to do it here. — 2 July 2010]