eBay brag?

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Like many of you....  Well, there's really not that many left here, are there?  Hmmmm.

Like many collectors, I have a selection of saved eBay searches.  One item managed to somehow capture my attention enough to actually go see the listing.  Then I noticed it was a local seller.  Then I noticed I knew him!  (We've met, but are just acquaintances.)  Given free local delivery, I bid on several items and won these:

• Mind at Play: The Psychology of Video Games
• Open, Sesame (Bit Corp) for Atari 2600 (CIB, PAL)
• Cross Force (Spectravision) for Atari 2600
• Dactar 4 in 1 for Atari 2600
• Buzz Bomber for Intellivision
• World Championship Baseball for Intellivision

I didn't pay more than $5 for any one item.  Mind at Play and WC Baseball are the big scores for me.  I would have bought a lot more (or at least bid higher) if I could have afforded it.

[Thanks, Walton G.!]

Wow, a genuine 2600 game thirft store find

I was let off work a little early on Friday because of the holiday weekend. I thought I'd hit the comic book shop before going home as Fantastic Four #589 was out and it might have more Dire Wraiths in it. (I ultimately discovered it doesn't, but Rom is mentioned by a letter writer in the letter column.) To avoid an intersection that gets nasty at rush hour, I decided to take the old way to the store. Unfortunately, I was having a senior moment and started to take the way to a store that's been out of business for years now.

After getting back on track, I realized I was passing a thrift store I'd seen a few times, but hadn't yet stopped at, so I did. I'd been in the store maybe a minute when I spotted a Master Merlin. I'd never actually held one of these sequels to the classic Parker Brothers electronic game, so I quickly grabbed it. When I finally got the battery compartment open, it looked okay. Some minor battery acid on one contact, but nothing that looked like it would prevent it from working. Worth a $2 gamble, I thought. I also found a Michael Bolton CD with several of his hits on it. He probably hit his peak back when I was in college and my iPod is currently Bolton-less, so this is a great buy at $1.

I finally stumbled upon a box of 2600 games. And VIC-20 games? Huh. Anyway, looking through them, I see one title that I don't think I have. Unfortunately, my PDA with my lists of games owned died a while back, so I'm shopping blind. After being quoted a $3.50 price with only $5 on me (cash only store) and $3 already committed, I decide to take the gamble that it won't go anywhere before tomorrow after I check to see if I have it.

I get home. The Master Merlin works fine, I'm happy to report. And it turns out I indeed do not have Solar Storm by Imagic in my 2600 collection. Let the worry begin that it'll disappear before I can return.

Finally, late Saturday afternoon I get back to the store. The box is still there, but someone's moved some of the games around. Looking, looking, whew, it's still here. When I get to the register, it's only $2.50 plus tax. Either I heard him wrong yesterday or their prices are inconsistent. Finally tested it late Saturday night, just before posting this, and it works just fine.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I found an Atari 2600 game I didn't have at a thrift store. Yes, I found one at a video game store last year, but that's not quite the same. Most of my finds of games I didn't already have of late have been Intellivision games, which is not my primary system of interest. The 2600 is. I'll be savoring this for a few days.

Postscript: My timing couldn't have been better, apparently. On Monday, this thrift store posted an ad to Craigslist specifically mentioning "Atari Video Game systems" [sic]. So if this thrift store wasn't on my competition's radar before, it is now.

Found needed 2600 cart for -$1

It hasn't happened in a long time, but today I got a 2600 cartridge I didn't have before: Pete Rose Baseball. Unfortunately, this wasn't a quarter find at a garage sale or flea market, but when you've got as many 2600 games as I do (about 300), you'll take about anything new. And in reality, I actually made money on the deal. Well, sort of.

You see, a few weeks ago I found out via Craigslist that there was a new used game shop in town. It deals exclusively in consoles older than current. That is, everything that's not Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360. They've got PONG consoles on their shelves, for Winslow's sake! While I never completely lost interest, collecting video games has been on the back burner with me for a long time. Finding this store, however, has got me interested again.

My interest was mildly renewed upon finding another used game store a few months ago. But this newest store is an improvement over that one in two ways. First, while the other does have some 2600- and NES-era games, the selection is very limited. Second, it's closer. :-) And in general, it's just nice to have a couple non-GameStop video game stores in town.

So, getting back to the point. My trade bait is an absolute mess. I came to realize I've go to pare things down a bit a while back, but haven't done much towards that yet. One of the things I acquired that's got to go are some used Genesis games I'm not really interested in from the local Freecycle group. Those were handy, so today I took them down. There was a couple versions of Street Fighter II, Primal Rage, and some sports games. Unsuprisingly, they only offer $0.50 for sports games, so I wound up with a grand total of $5 for them.

Checking the 2600 games, however, I discovered the Pete Rose Baseball. A game I actually needed! Although worth more, it was $3.99, so she gave me the game and $1. All for a bunch of carts I got for free. So I guess that's:

1) Troll for games on Freecycle.
2) Trade them in.
3) Profit!

Brag: Spacemaster X-7 and CV games

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]


First, the brag I forgot to post last week. Two weeks ago I saw a Coleco Head-To-Head Football handheld in good shape, but lacked the $4-5 (it had two price tags) to get it, so I hid it. The next week (last week), I went in and discovered a new pile of 2600 and Colecovision games. It turns out I had all the 2600 titles, but picked up these CV games I needed for $0.50 each:

• Chuck Norris Superkicks (R!)
• Front Line
• Gorf
• Miner 2049er
• Rocky Super Action Boxing
• (Root Beer) Tapper (R!)
• Slither
• Super Action Football

Chuck Norris has gone temporarily AWOL

Unfortunately, there was no sign of a system, any Super Action Controllers, or a Roller Controller. (Which is a shame, because I don't have any Super Action or Roller Controllers.) As a result of finding these, I had to leave the football handheld until the next day. It was still there then, and I got it for the lower ($4) price.

Saturday night, a friend called and said she'd seen some 2600 games at a local thrift. There were only two "weird-looking ones," she said. The rest were ones I probably already have. She didn't remember the exact names, but from what she remembered and a little help from me we came up with Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes and Starmaster X-7. I have the former, but have been wanting the latter since playing it on my TV Boy.

I just went and picked them both up for $0.50 each. I also picked up a copy of Space Attack as a label upgrade. While I was there, I also found a boxed Super Simon for $1. It included the instructions and styrafoam on the ends of the unit. (My other Super Simon is missing these two items.) The box is in good shape, but has one split corner. The weirdest thing I picked up (possibly ever at a thrift) was a wallpaper sample book. It includes samples of Hulk, Spider-Man, and Battlestar Galactica(!) wallpaper. (No video game related wallpaper, unfortunately.) It'll go on eBay eventually. I assume some BG collector would be interested in it.

[I have no idea which stores I found these in. I suspect the 2600 games may have been at the Asbury Thrift Store (back when it was in Miller Plaza on Old Madison Pike) and the tip may have come from Bonnie H. If so, thanks, Bonnie!

The "R" in parentheses indicates the game is rare according to whichever rarity list I was using at the time. The exclamation point is just to emphasize that.

I finally sold the wallpaper book on ebay in 2004. The photos are from that listing. It sold for $15.51 plus shipping.]

Brag: 2600, 7800 games and more

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Woohoo! Today was a great day, especially for a Monday. I hadn't even planned to go thrifting today, but changed my mind for sundry reasons. I'm glad I did!

First stop: The local used game shop has marked all their $4.95-6.95 NES games down to 3 for $10. I'm tempted by some, but the only things I'd really like haven't been marked down (e.g. Donkey Kong 3, $19.95). They've also marked down SNES games to 3 for $25 and Genesis to 3 for $15. I didn't look over those too closely.

Second stop: Someone donated a few Atari 8-bit computers with stuff. I went up front with an old-style trakball, a Tac-2 joystick, two unnamed joysticks with not much of a base (I've seen these before, but I don't believe I have any), and a pair of remote control joysticks and the receiver. (In a fit of irony, I'd recently made a deal to buy a boxed set of remote control joysticks from a local collector, but hadn't actually bought them yet. I hope he won't mind if I back out.) The cashier priced everything at $2, except the trakball ($10!). I put the trakball and one practically-baseless joystick back.

I also did NOT pick up the following loose Atari 8-bit carts for $3 each: Atlantis, Beamrider, Gyruss, Miner 2049er, and Monster Maze. Should I go back for them (at that price)?

Second stop: I usually don't head straight to the video and sound media area (for lack of a better name), but this time I thought I saw a new batch of 2600 games, so I did. Jackpot! For 25 cents each, I got (all loose):

• 2600 - Demon Attack (blue label), River Raid, River Raid II, Sea Hawk
• 7800 - Double Dragon, F-18 Hornet, Titlematch Pro Wrestling, Xenophobe

For another $1, I got a complete, boxed copy of Archon for NES. All of these were in excellent shape! (Demon Attack and F-18 Hornet has some actiplaque. Titlematch has some odd, smudged black spots.) I bought Demon Attack to replace one I traded away for a hardcover copy of The Complete Guide to Conquering Video Games: How to Win at Every Game in the Galaxy a few years ago. I thought River Raid would be a label upgrade for me, but it turns out I apparently already have one in good shape. All the rest were ones I didn't have.

BTW, I was initially given a price of $0.50 each on the loose carts. After going back for River Raid and coming back, she only charged $0.25. I told her her initial price, but she said she was "in a good mood today," so I told her I wouldn't argue.

Finds: Tandyvision & ... Yars' Revenge?

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

[Geez, these always end up longer than I intend. I guess I'm naturally long-winded. Does anyone actually read them?]

Went to the thrifts yesterday and saw a Radio Shack Tandyvision One (semi-rare Intellivision rebadge, if you didn't know) in the box for $10. I didn't have that on me and I had to get back to work, so I left it in hopes it would be there tomorrow. (OT: In the store before this, I bought MS Office Pro & Bookshelf for Win95 for $4! Now I've got to make room on my hard drive for it.)

Went back today and it was still there. The console was the only thing in the box (no docs and no switchbox (like I need another one)). It was in good shape and so was the box except for one side that had had some clear packing tape torn off of it. Ten dollars is higher than I would have liked, but this is only the second one I've ever seen and I let the first get away. (I wasn't collecting Intellivision then and eBay didn't exist.) I asked if any games had come in with it, and the cashier called in back. There was some confusion, but the answer seemed to be no. Turns out the confusion was because they'd also had an Atari come in early in the week. I did not need to hear that, because there had been no trace of it.

I also picked up a Midway promotional, bulk mail video (Midway Rocks the House), which includes games like Rush and Rampage World Tour. I've never seen one of these from Midway before, just Nintendo. Since video tapes are usually cheap at thrifts, I've started collecting video game related one, no matter the age. Anyone else collecting these? Got a Mixed Game Bag 2 cassette for the Timex-Sinclair 1000 lot I'm gonna put up on eBay one day, too.

For some reason I wasn't satisfied with my find, so I went back to two thrifts I'd already visited this week. At the first, I still can't quite convince myself to pay $3 for a Colecovision Ladybug cart, and I needed what was left of the money I had for lunch anyway. At the second, I found a bag of about 10 common games for $5. (Pass.) In another spot, I found a boxed Yars' Revenge. Picking it up, I found the $1 price tag and, for reasons I'm not sure of, felt the box. It became obvious there was more than one cart in it. It was taped shut, so I didn't know what it was and just assumed one of the was Yars' Revenge. For $1, I bought it. (I don't think I actually have an original, orange Yars' Revenge box, but I'm probably wrong.)

Upon getting to the car, I cut the tape and found . . . Video Chess (text) was the extra cart. The other was indeed Yars' Revenge. But it was in near mint condition! It obviously wasn't used much. Also included were near mint copies of the docs, comic, and rev. E (red, 49 games) Atari catalog. Ths box is in fair shape. The tape was easily removed without harm. (If I'd known that, I would have tried it in the store.) I also removed the thrift price tag to see the original Hills tag under neath it. It seems the previous owner got it for a whopping $0.97 + tax.

[10 Nov 2011 comment: You might note that this is at least the third copy of Video Chess I found in just over a year, after never finding any "in the wild" prior to that. I found the first just after buying one online and the second complete in the box just a few days later.]

CVG 101: When Is a Combat Not a Combat? (originally for Classic Gamer Magazine)

[Classic Gamer Magazine introduction. This article originally appeared in CGM #3 (spring 2000) and is a revision of one I wrote for Suite 101 using the same title.]


Once your classic cartridge collection reaches a certain size, you’ll discover you’re finding few new cartridges at thrift stores. In order to "get their fix," so to speak, many collectors start collecting label variations to keep their number of "finds" up. Label variations simply means different types of labels on the same game. For Colecovision cartridges, this might mean the difference between the labels saying the cart is "for Colecovision" and saying it’s "for Colecovision & ADAM." For Intellivision, it’s probably the difference between the colorful Mattel labels and the black and white Intellivision Inc. labels, which also featured slight name changes to avoid licensing fees (e.g. "Football" instead of "NFL Football"). For the Atari 2600 it’s more complicated.

Because the 2600 (or VCS) was sold for over a decade, Atari went through four major label styles. The original style was all text on a black background. Then they started replacing much of the text with a colorful picture like the one on the box. Next Atari went with a silver background. Finally, at the end of the console’s life, they used a rust background. (Most collectors call it red; some call it brown. I think "rust" is more accurate than either of those.) But in all but a handful of cases (see sidebar), the game names never changed. So when is a Combat cartridge not a Combat cartridge? When it’s a Sears Tele-Games Tank Plus cartridge.

When the Atari 2600 debuted, Sears was one of the strongest retail chains in the United States. If you wanted to sell your product at Sears, it had to have a Sears brand on it. Thus, when Atari signed an agreement with Sears to have them sell the 2600, it became the Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade. (Tele-Games was the "brand name" for video games at Sears. It has no relation, as far as I know, to the current Telegames company (www.telegames.com), which happens to sell video games.)

Several of the games received new names as well. It’s uncertain exactly why Sears did this. Perhaps it was to confuse shoppers and have them buy what they thought was new game when it was actually one they already have. To make things more confusing, they named some cartridges after dedicated consoles they had previously released and just added a Roman numeral to the end to differentiate them. The most obvious example is Breakaway IV (a.k.a. Breakout).

Not all games were renamed, of course. Home versions of arcade games Atari had to secure licenses for were not (e.g. Space Invaders, Pac-Man), nor were those based on other licensed properties (e.g. Superman). There were also three games that Atari created, but only sold through Sears (see sidebar).

It is interesting to note that while Sears similarly renamed Mattel’s Intellivision as the Super Video Arcade, they didn’t rename any of Mattel’s games. The boxes and instructions were different, but the cartridges and overlays are generally indistinguishable from Mattel’s normal releases when found loose.

As a collector, you might ask whether the Sears version of games and consoles are rarer and therefore more desirable. In general, all Sears releases are slightly rarer than their Atari or Mattel counterparts. Whether they’re more desirable, however, depends on the collector you’re dealing with. Some collectors who don’t care about most cartridge label variations do collect Sears labels. Others don’t care at all, except for the "Sears exclusive" games.

If you do decide to start collecting label variations and start examining your duplicate games very closely, you might be amazed at just how many differences you’ll find. There are some definite sub-types within the main Atari label variations described earlier. And even within those sub-types, you can find some very minute changes on labels that appear identical at first glance. And that goes for third party companies, too.

John Earney began compiling a list of 2600 label variations, which can be found on his home page at http://www2.best.com/~jearney/. It hasn’t been updated in a few years, however. I guess even John got overwhelmed by all the small changes one can find. So, if you decide to collect label variations, set a limit on what you’ll keep. Otherwise you’ll probably quickly find your collection (rather than your extras) overflowing with Missile Commands, Space Invaders, and maybe even Combat, regardless of the name on the label.

Sidebar

Sears Name		Atari Name
Arcade Golf		Miniature Golf
Arcade Pinball		Video Pinball
Baseball		Home Run
Breakaway IV		Breakout
Cannon Man		Human Cannonball
Capture		Flag Capture
Chase		Surround
Checkers		Video Checkers
Circus		Circus Atari
Code Breaker		Codebreaker
Dare Diver		Sky Diver
Dodger Cars		Dodge 'Em
Gunslinger		Outlaw
Math		Fun With Numbers
Maze		Slot Racers
Maze Mania		Maze Craze
Memory Match		Hunt & Score
Outer Space		Star Ship
Poker Plus		Casino
Pong Sports		Video Olympics
Race		Indy 500
Slots		Slot Machine
Soccer		Championshp Soccer or Pele's Soccer
Space Combat		Space War
Speedway II		Street Racer
Spelling		Hangman
Steeplechase		[Sears exclusive]
Stellar Track		[Sears exclusive]
Submarine Commander		[Sears exclusive]
Tank Plus		Combat
Target Fun		Air-Sea Battle
Name		a.k.a.
Atari Video Cube		Rubik's Cube
Basic Math		Fun with Numbers
Championship Soccer		Pele's Soccer
(A Game of) Concentration		Hunt & Score
Fun with Numbers		Basic Math
Hunt & Score		(A Game of) Concentration
Pele's Soccer		Championship Soccer
Rubik's Cube		Atari Video Cube

Postscript (June 2013)

As it says at the top, a big chunk of this article is identical to one I wrote for Suite 101 a few years prior. The reason for this is quite simple; I blew my deadline. On February 23, I thought to check old e-mails and discovered the deadline had been February 10. Luckily for me, Cav was way behind, so I got about 10 days to write something. The old article was stuck in my head for some reason and my contract specifically left me free to use articles in print media.

I found several copies of John Earney's label variations list around, but the most recent (from 2001) is available at Atari Age.

This article is also available at Good Deal Games and has been for many years. Cav worked out some deal with site owner Michael Thomasson, and Michael specifically requested this article. The request came several months after I wrote it, so the potential conflict with Suite 101 didn't occur to me until now. But by then the article had been gone from Suite 101 for a long time, so I'd say no harm done.

Odd cart holder & one that got away [NES Action 52 box]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Time for me to drone on again. I've been busy, but here's how things went last week.

I found the box with all inserts for the NES Action 52 cart. These carts go for a quite a bit on eBay, so I tore up the bins where I found the box. No cart. 8( Farther over, I find some pristine label 2600 carts and a labelless Parker Bros. cart. I'm not sure that I need the label upgrades on these, but pick up four plus the PB cart. I figure I can afford $0.50 a piece. I get to the check out and the lady, who's been charging me $0.50 (instead of $3 like another lady there) says $3 each! I end up just getting Worm War I so I can get the Action 52 box & docs for free. BTW, this thrift also charges $3 for Sega & NES carts. It's my least favorite in town, but seems to have stuff the most often.

One day I went with very little money. I saw a Sears 2600 in the box at Value Village marked $25. More than I care to spend (even if I had it on me), but the box looks like the first release. (The picture on the front has the little Sears labels on top of the joysticks.) There's also a brandless 2600 holder and interesting cart holder for $3.99 each. Then at Salvation Army I see a Video Pinball console (white version) for $5. I already have one so I figure I'll come back tomorrow after I've gone to the bank.

The next day I go to Value Village and get them to let me open the 2600 box. I told them I wanted to know if it had any extra games in it (which I did want to know). The box said "complete as pictured," but you never know. It turns out the 2600 was a Sears version, but they substituted Combat for Target Fun (same game, different label) and 7800 sticks for 2600 ones. There was also an extra boxed 2600 stick in it. (It wasn't plain white, but had pictures on it. A football player is all I remember.) No extra games and definitely not worth $25. I also leave the 2600 console holder as it's generic. (No Atari label on it.)

I do, however, pick up the funky cart holder. It reminds me of a 5-1/4" disk holder. It has a transluscent cover that swings to the back when you open it. It holds 18 carts in two columns of 9. There's a small slot for instructions at the top. Anyone seen one of these before?

Then I get to Salvation Army and the Video Pinball is gone. No great loss, but it might explain why I never find much. Too much competition.

[I don't know why I called Target Fun the same game as Combat with a different label. Target Fun is the Sears equivalent to Air-Sea Battle. I posted a follow-up the same day berating myself.

Jeff Salzman responded a month later, saying, "The funky cartridge holder sounds like a TI-99 cartridge holder I have several of them myself and the cartridges are stored at an angle."]

Last week's finds [joysticks]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I've been meaning to post this for a while. This is stuff I found last Friday (May 28th). A couple weeks ago, Alex added a picture of the Accuball controller to the 2600 Nexus. Well guess what I found in a box full of Commodore 64 stuff? Yep. Plus three Super Champ joysticks. These are the ones that let you wind the cord into the base. Very handy. Two of them work fine. The third was completely disassembled, but in the box. I told the lady I really just wanted the box and showed her the parts inside. She sold that to me for $0.50. My total was $5.50. I could have sworn I got something else, too, but I can't remember what.

I slapped most of the parts together. The previous owner apparently disassembled it because the plastic ring that presses the direction contact broke. It looks like this wasn't the first time someone tried to fix this problem. All the parts are there, except a couple screws, but they went a little overboard on their disassembly. They not only desoldered the fire button wires (which is necessary to get it apart for the fix), they also cut the ones going from the top button to the trigger button. Oh, and it's missing a suction cup, too. If anybody wants the broken one, just let me know. It's yours for the cost of shipping. I'm happy to have two working ones now, plus a box!

Today's finds [2600 Racquetball, Colecovision Spy Hunter & Spectron, Comp IV]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I hit a store today and was surprised to see they had some new Atari 2600 games in. ("New" as in used games that were new to the store.) I pick out what I thought was two 2600 carts and one Colecovision cart for about $1 each. Later, in the car, I glanced in the bag and noticed that there were actually two Colecovision carts. I had previously not noticed the distinctive Colecovision shape at the end of one of them. It turns out both CV carts are rare! Here's what I
got:

• Racquetball (2600; tradebait)
• Spy Hunter (CV; now I *really* need a Super Action controller)
• Spectron (CV)

The labels aren't in the best shape. In fact, the two CV carts look like they've been stored in an open box in someone's basement for several years. I also noticed after I bought them that the labels around the screw holes have been punched through, so I hope they really are what they say they are. (I once bought a Destructor that turned out to be a non-working Super Action Baseball.)

I also picked up a Comp IV at another store. For those that don't know, Leonard Herman says in Phoenix that this was the first electronic game produced commercially. This is my second one, and I still need the instructions. Anyone got them? (Photocopy, ASCII, anything!)

[I still don't have Super Action Controllers for my Colecovision. And I can't check at the moment, but I believe the two Colecovision games worked and were what they said. I believe I also found some form of instructions for the Comp IV as well. Interestingly, the silkscreen on the "screen" of the second Comp IV is different from that on the first. —15 August 2010]

Good find or not? [2600 & 7800 stuff]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

So how do you define a "good find"? I'll tell you what I found and you can tell me if I did good.

First stop was an annual church rummage sale. I bought a C-64 Fast Load cart for $0.25 just because it was so cheap. I don't have a C-64 or any real interest in owning one, but I figure I might end up with one someday anyway and carts typically don't get any cheaper.

A few stops with nothing from there. Then I hit a neighborhood yard sale. The first house has a box with some SMS games & a loose Colecovision Venture. The sign on it said "Sega system & games $20," but there was no sign of the system. I wasn't interested and didn't need the Venture, so I moved on. (I probably should have asked about more Coleco games, though.)

The rest of the neighborhood revealed nothing until the last pair of houses. I saw a TI-99/4a box and decided to stop. Very little TI stuff and nothing else classic. Then I walked to the house down the street.

One of the first boxes I see is filled with about a dozen boxed 2600 games and loose console. I ask about the Atari and the owner points to *another* box saying, "this here?" It contains two 7800s, two 2600s, and some loose games. I ask how much for all. He says $30. I only have $25. He takes it.

I haven't tested most of it yet, but here's some of what I got. This is from memory as I don't have the stuff in front of me.

• 1 complete 7800 (power supply & two joysticks)
• 1 7800 minus power supply w/two questionable joysticks
• 3 2600s w/power supplies (I think it's 1 black 4-switch and 2 wood 6-switches.)
• 2(?) standard 2600 sticks
• 3 *gray* Atari power supplies (What the--?!)
• Shrinkwrapped 7800 carts (all available from O'Shea):
  • Centipede (x2)
  • Choplifter
  • Donkey Kong Junior
• Boxed 2600 carts:
  • Codebreaker
  • Combat
  • Jr. Pac-Man (shrinkwrapped)
  • Pac-Man
  • Space Invaders
  • Space War
  • Video Chess
  • more commons that I forget
• Loose 2600 carts:
  • Astroblast
  • Fathom (the only one I needed; the label could be much better)
  • Gorf
  • E.T. (x2)
  • more commons that I forget

I figure I'll sell the complete 7800 with some games on eBay to make back my money. The other one will probably become a spare. (I rarely see 7800 consoles in my area.) I don't know what I'm going to do with the 2600s. I may turn them into complete systems with some games and sell them, too. I didn't have some of the game boxes and instructions, so I'll keep those. I guess the rest goes on my trade list.

If you've read my brag posts lately, you'll know that I recently found a copy of Video Chess while waiting for one in the mail. Now I find one CIB! Why is it I go years without finding this fairly common cart, and then find two of them?

The disturbing thing is the seller said, "these things must be getting popular again. I sold five this morning." I'm not sure if he meant five games or five systems (w/about 10 games each, from what he offered me at first). I fear the latter, in which case who knows what good stuff I missed out on?! Well, to whoever got it, you missed the Fathom! 8)

["CIB" stands for "complete in box," meaning it has the box, instructions, and cartridge. —5 June 2009]

First good 2600 brag in a while [Picnic, Stellar Track, Video Chess]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Today's thrifting started out bad. Went to a store not usually worth going to and found some computer & SMS stuff. (I don't usually pick up either, but it's been so dry!) I grabbed three mostly common, third party, 2600-compatible joysticks, Pengo & Star Raiders II for the Atari 8-bit, and a Master Gear Convertor for SMS. The guys there weren't the regular guy and didn't know how much anything was if it wasn't priced. (They said the store wasn't even supposed to be open.) None of my stuff was priced, of course. I offered $5. He claimed a joystick alone was worth that. I left it all there. They said the guy who runs it is only there two days a week, and of course he didn't know which two. I think it's time to just stop going to that thrift.

At the next store, I found a Sears 2600 set up that had apparently just come in. (It hadn't been there Monday.) Lots of Sears game, but I don't collect those and at $3 a piece, it's usually not worth it for trade bait. I picked out Picnic (Woo-hoo!!! Didn't have it!) and Stellar Track. Take them to the register and the lady says $1. I tell her I'm going to grab a couple more! (I gotta make sure I only buy when this lady's at the register!) Go back and pick up Sears Demons to Diamonds and Video Chess. I've never found Video Chess before. I have the Sears version that a friend gave me, but prefer an Atari label. Of course, I just sent out payment for a copy of Video Chess two days ago, but bought this one anyway out of principal. Why does it always work like that?!?

This makes the third new 2600 cart I've found in the past two months. Before that, I don't remember how long it's been since I found one. This year just might be shaping up. Maybe I'll finally break 300. Oh yeah, the Sears Demons to Diamonds and Stellar Track are up for trade. My incomplete trade and want lists are at http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/trade/.

[18 June 2010 comment: That URL isn't linked because it no longer exists. My trade pages never seemed to lead to any actual trades and it was a pain to maintain them, so I eventually ditched them.

For anyone that is local to Huntsville, the first store was in the 900 block of Oakwood Avenue NW, between Buford and Grace Streets. I don't remember the name. It was two different thrift stores, one right after the other. One was much better run and organized than the other, which you can guess means it wasn't the one above. I don't even remember which store came first any more, it's been so long.

I honestly don't remember the incident at the second store, but from the $3 price mentioned I'd guess it was the Breaking Free Thrift Store on N. Memorial Parkway just north of Oakwood Avenue.]

[10 Nov 2011 comment: And regarding Video Chess? In a few days, it gets worse.]

Minor finds & unrelated grouse [Stop Thief, blue label Pitfall!]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I don't remember the details, but I dreamt of finding boxed carts last night. Unfortunately, this wasn't an omen. All I found was a Stop Thief board game (complete minus battery cover) and a blue label 2600 Pitfall. I passed on an Atari 8-bit Gyruss and a Comp IV. This is my third Stop Thief in two months, but the first with instructions. (Naturally, someone mailed me a photocopy of them just a couple weeks ago.) The blue label Pitfall is up for trade. See my trading post (http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/trade/) for my want list & a link to my have lists. (It's under construction, but the video game part is pretty much done.)

The grouse has to do with what I missed out on. Near the concentration of local thrifts is a Blockbutser Video. I've been visiting it weekly, waiting for them to get rid of their last set of SNES games, which included Atari's Greatest Hits:The Atari Collection. I went today and didn't notice any new SNES games for sale, but when I went to see if it was on the shelf, I found PlayStation games. I asked the clerk and AGH had already been sold. Bummer! (Not that I really needed it with MAME and a full-sized Missile Command in my garage.)

[I'm not sure why I passed on the Comp IV, although it's probably because there doesn't seem to be much of a market for them, despite their historical significance. Later in the month, however, I picked up my second Comp IV. The trading post link is no longer valid. I gave up on it because it wasn't generating any leads. —14 August 2010]

Small brag & Wico info

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I went to a thrift today and picked up a box for a Wico bat handle joystick marked $2. I wouldn't have been interested if not for the box. I opened it up and saw a Gemini Gemstick inside. (Bleah!) I decided it was still worth it because the box was in good shape. Looking around more, I found the joystick and swapped it for the Gemstick. I also picked up an NES Advantage and an Apple II copy of Ultima III (to go on eBay to support my classic video game habit).

Here are some part numbers from the box that might help people identify any Wico adpators they have:

• TI 44/9a: WICO Adaptor 72-4530
• Apple II: WICO Adaptor 72-4525
• Odyssey^2: WICO Adaptor 72-4540

Also in the box were the original twist-tie for the cord and a manual that covers the installation and use of most of Wico's joysticks. That's probably about as close as I'll ever get to owning their 5200 stick and numeric keypad.

Brag, anti-brag, and book

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I went to Value Village today. A couple months back, I bought about a dozen Intellivision carts with overlays & manuals (no boxes) in a bundle for $0.50 each (about $6 total). This seemed like a good deal, even though I only needed about half of them. Today I got in and they've got bundles of four Atari carts for $6.99! (About $1.75 each.)

I started to buy a package just for an Enduro manual, until I made out the price on it. Then I went up to the front and they had more bags behind the counter. Unfortunately, these had two rare carts I didn't have (in two separate packages, of course). I hated to encourage them by buying them, but for $1.75 I couldn't pass up (both for 2600):

• Frankenstein's monster (w/manual)
• Time Pilot (w/manual)

Hey, the Time Pilot seems to be a bit heavy. It's obviously not a prototype, though. Is this common for Time Pilots?

That's the brag. The anti-brag are the other six carts I had to buy:

• Combat
• Ice Hockey (w/manual)
• Missile Command (w/manual)
• Phoenix (w/manual)
• Vanguard (w/manual)
• Wizard of Wor (w/manual)

At least the Wizard of Wor is in better shape than my current copy. And I didn't have the manual for it.

Lastly, I picked up a book called The Home Computer Wars: An Insider's Account of Commodore and Jack Tramiel by Michael S. Tomczyk for $0.50. It should be interesting reading about the man who destroyed Atari. (There's a book title for you!) In fact, the book ends right after Tramiel's takeover. First I gotta read Hackers that I got back at Christmas, though.

I've already learned something from the back cover. Mr. Tramiel is a Holocaust survivor. Interesting.

[I later found out that the book was probably a better brag than the cartridges. It's apparently much sought, yet hard to find. — 18 June 2010]

Atypical brag

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Why is this brag "atypical"? Because I'm bragging that I sold something rather than found something. My neighborhood had it's semi-annual yard sale this weekend and I decided to try to get rid of some OCs. I put out a labelless Frogger, three Combats, two SwordQuest Earthworlds, and a SwordQuest Fireworld (all for the 2600). I also put out an NES Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge. When my wife finally let me go look while she tended to things, some old woman came by and bought them all! I thought I'd be lucky if I'd sell one or two of them.

BTW, while looking, I found a "Darth Vader" 2600 with Lost Luggage (needed that!) and Congo Bongo (traid bait), plus a few others. Unforutnately, the LL board is loose and CB apparently needs cleaning because neither worked. All the other cartridges that I didn't care about work fine. 8( What is it with Apollo cartridges and loose boards? This is the second time I've found one.

I've also got to learn to look things over more carefully. They claimed the system and games worked, and I trusted them. When I got home, I discovered the RCA plug was missing on the RF cable (easy fix) and the power supply was for a Black & Decker drill. It's 1.5V and 100mA less than an Atari power supply.

I also found a Timex/Sinclair 1000 with some software, the manual, and an additional paperback book. (No power supply. It's 9V DC, but does anyone know the amperage/polarity?) I haven't tested it yet but look forward to playing the T/S 1000 Frogger tape I've had for a few years now.

$50 Brag

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Last night, I purchased a 5200, some 5200 stuff, and 2600 games from a former co-worker. I had made the offer over a year ago (when he was still my co-worker), but it took me a while to save up the $50 I offered. I know that sounds like a lot, but he had over 60 games ... *and* keep in mind as you read this, that EVERY GAME WAS COMPLETE WITH MANUAL AND BOX!!!

Personal Highlights

• Complete, 2-port 5200 system in box (no packing materials)
• 2600 adaptor for 5200 (Okay, he didn't have the box for this.)
• 5200 games:
  • H.E.R.O.
  • James Bond 007 (!!!)
  • Star Wars: The Arcade Game
• 2600 Tron joystick (!!!) in box with Adventures of Tron & Tron Deadly Discs (No packing materials, but the $57.95 price tag was still on it.)
• 2600 games:
  • Sears' Chase, Outer Space, Tank Plus, & Target Fun all in the ORIGINAL (Intellivision-style) type boxes (!!!)
  • Beamrider
  • Crackpots
  • Megaforce
  • Stellar Track (Sears)
• Two 2600 keyboard controllers

I never thought I'd see in person, much less own the Tron joystick. The same goes for Intellivision-style Atari 2600 cart boxes. (Too bad they're Sears instead of Atari. I'd still like to see one of those.)

BTW, before he left my company, he had given me some mint condition folders with arcade game logos on them (Centipede, Tempest, Space Invaders, etc.) and a Robot Tank poster.

The Rest

• 2600 games: Adventure (Sears), Air Raiders, Amidar, Asteroids, Atlantis, Barnstormer, Berzerk, Breakaway IV (Sears), Capture (Sears), Codebreaker (Sears), Cosmic Ark, Defender, Demon Attack, Dragonfire, E.T., Flash Gordon, Frogger, G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike, Gunslinger (Sears), Haunted House, Keystone Kapers, Laser Blast, Memory Match (Sears), Missle Command, Ms. Pac-Man, Pitfall, Raiders of the Lost Ark, River Raid, Robot Tank, Seaquest, Sky Jinx, Space Invaders, Spider Fighter, Star Master, Star Raiders, Star Wars: Jedi Arena, Star Wars: RotJ -- Death Star Battle, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Superman, SwordQuest (EarthWorld of FireWorld, I forget which), Video Pinball, Warlords (Sears), Yars' Revenge
• 2600 controllers: Two stock joysticks, one pair of paddles.
• 5200 games: Countermeasure, Joust, Pac-Man, Pole Position, Popeye, Qix, Vanguard

[While I still have almost all these items today, I've decided to sell the 5200 console and games. I'm just not that interested in it and something's got to go. — 17 June 2010]

When is a Combat not a Combat? (originally for Suite 101)

[Suite 101 articles introduction]

Question: When is a Combat cartridge not a Combat cartridge?
Answer: When it's a Sears Tele-Games Tank Plus cartridge.

When the Atari Video Computer System (a.k.a. VCS or 2600) debuted, Sears was one of the strongest retail chains in the United States. If you wanted to sell your product at Sears, it had to have a Sears label on it. Thus, when Atari signed an agreement with Sears to have them sell the VCS, it became the Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade. (Tele-Games was the product line name for all video games at Sears. As far as I know, it is of no relation to the current Telegames company, which happens to sell classic video games.)

This was not the first time Atari had dealt with Sears. In 1975 Sears approached them with an offer to sell their new Pong console in return for one year of exclusive rights to do so. Pong became a top seller that Christmas and fueled Atari's development of the VCS. Without Sears, the VCS might never have made it to consumers!

The console was not the only thing renamed. Several of the games received new names as well. It's uncertain exactly why Sears did this. Perhaps it was to confuse shoppers and have them buy what they thought was new game, but was actually one they might already have. To make things more confusing, they named some cartridges after dedicated consoles they had previously released and just added a Roman numeral to the end to differentiate them. The most obvious example is Breakaway IV (a.k.a. Breakout).

Not all games were renamed. Home versions of arcade games Atari had to secure licenses for were not (e.g. Space Invaders, Pac-Man), nor were those based on other licensed properties (e.g. Superman). There were also three games that Atari created, but only sold through Sears. Here is a complete list of Atari cartridges that Sears renamed:

Sears Name		Atari Name
Arcade Golf		Miniature Golf
Arcade Pinball		Video Pinball
Baseball		Home Run
Breakaway IV		Breakout
Cannon Man		Human Cannonball
Capture		Flag Capture
Chase		Surround
Checkers		Video Checkers
Circus		Circus Atari
Code Breaker		Codebreaker
Dare Diver		Sky Diver
Dodger Cars		Dodge 'Em
Gunslinger		Outlaw
Math		Fun With Numbers
Maze		Slot Racers
Maze Mania		Maze Craze
Memory Match		Hunt & Score
Outer Space		Star Ship
Poker Plus		Casino
Pong Sports		Video Olympics
Race		Indy 500
Slots		Slot Machine
Soccer		Pele's Soccer
Space Combat		Space War
Speedway II		Street Racer
Spelling		Hangman
Steeplechase		[Sears exclusive]
Stellar Track		[Sears exclusive]
Submarine Commander		[Sears exclusive]
Tank Plus		Combat
Target Fun		Air-Sea Battle

It is interesting to note that while Sears similarly renamed Mattel's Intellivision as the Super Video Arcade, they didn't rename any of Mattel's games. The boxes and instructions were different, but the cartridges and overlays are generally indistinguishable from Mattel's normal releases when found loose.

As a collector, you might ask whether the Sears version of games and consoles are rarer and more desirable. The answer is, "it depends." Some collectors who don't care about most cartridge label variations do collect Sears labels. Others don't care, except for the "Sears exclusive" games. In general, all Sears releases are slightly rarer than their Atari counterpart. (Check a rarity list, such as the one compiled by Craig Pell for details.) The same goes for consoles, although according to JerryG, the four-switch Sears console is possibly the rarest of the regularly released 2600's.

Copyright 1997 i5ive communications inc. Used with permission.

[2013-04-29: Craig Pell's list is still online, but hasn't been updated in a long time.  You might prefer searching the database at Atari Age.]

[2013-06-09: This article was modified and re-used in Classic Gamer Magazine a few years later.]

Supercharger Tapes Brag

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I was doing a quick thrift run Monday. Second stop was a pawn shop where I'd spotted a copy of Destructor Friday, but didn't have the two bucks for it. After I got home, I discovered it's actually a Super-Action Baseball in a Destructor case. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The title screen comes up, and then when it should go away, it just blinks and comes back. (Do I have to have Super Action controllers in order just to get the game up?) It really doesn't matter what it is since I don't have a driving controller (exp. mod. #2) or Super Action controllers.

Anyway, I was at my last stop, not expecting to find anything. Wandered by the cassette tapes to give them a glance. That's where I used to be able to find cartridges. None have appeared there for a long time now. Giving them the once over, I quickly decided there weren't any carts. Then I noticed, "hey, there's a big six on the side of that cassette case. Could it be?" It was! Dragonstomper for the Supercharger!

An immediate and thorough search of the tapes ensued. I came up with these for the Supercharger:

• Fireball (R)
• Suicide Mission (R)
• Dragonstomper (ER)
• Killer Satellites (R)

All were just the cassettes in their cases (with cassette overlay...or whatever you call it). No instructions or game boxes. Unfortunately for me, I already have all of them but Dragonstomper. (And of course I have Stella Gets a New Brain, so I actually have all the games, but it's more fun to have the original format.) Oddly enough, I found just the manual for Dragonstomper last year, so it will go well with that.

While looking through the tapes, I also found these Adam Data Packs:

• Buck Rogers (x2; one was even shrinkwrapped)
• Donkey Kong
• blank (x2)

So I finally get to try out the Adam DK. It's better than the normal Colecovision version, but still not as good as the arcade.

I scoured the store looking for the Supercharger that went with the tapes to no avail. I also saw no hint of an Adam or Colecovision. I figure A) they haven't put them out yet, B) they've already been bought (But who would buy a Supercharger without looking for the tapes?), B') the Supercharger went in one of those stupid grab bags and someone bought it, or C) they shipped it off to a Birmingham store. Eventually I'm going to ask why they don't seem to get many video games in any more.

BTW, I forgot to mention the price. Twenty-five cents each! Apparently I went the right day, because today I went back in case the Supercharger appeared. I found another blank Adam Data Pack, but there was a different lady behind the register who charged me $0.50 for it.

[The letters after the games indicate their rarity based on VGR's Atari 2600 rarity list. R is rare and ER is extremely rare.]

Finally, a brag! [2600 Sesame Street games, Commando Raid, Raft Rider, Pooyan, Intellivision & Intellivioice]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Finally, I found something worth bragging about. It's been months since I've seen anything at the local thrifts, but yesterday I picked up these 2600 cartridges for $0.50 each:

Cookie Monster Munch	(R, light Actiplaque)
Big Bird's Egg Catch	(R, very light Actiplaque)
Commando Raid	(R, my third)
Raft Rider	(ER)
Pooyan	(ER, !!!)

Plus a Kid's Controller with Cookie Monster Munch overlay for $0.25. Pooyan is the first Konami cart I've ever seen (which is no surprise since all three are ER, according to VGR). Can anyone tell me how to play Raft Rider? The manual isn't on Greg Chance's page. It claimed four game variations on the label, but I can't get the game select switch to do anything and I didn't notice the game difficulty switches making a difference.

Today I went back there and picked up the Intellivision with Intellivoice for $5 I had to leave. (I didn't have enough money for it and the carts before.) I've only tested it briefly with a Bomb Squad cart I happened to have, but it seems to work fine with a little coaxing. ("Mattel preezentz...Boom Squad." 8) The Intellivoice didn't seem to be making contact with the cart slot at first, but hopefully it just needs cleaning. I've resisted buying Intellivision stuff up to now, but since it's so hard to find anything any more, I think I may start.

[This, indeed, was the start of my buying Intellivision games. — 17 Jun 2010]