Rev Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) These auctions got me thinking about the appeal of a buying a retro sealed system. Me personally would never pay this much for a sealed system. I would rather just have a nice clean working system(or 20 ) and spend the rest on games, even if i have the money. A sealed Intellivision System Changer for 287.00 eBay Auction -- Item Number: 250761149761 A sealed Intellivision System for 456.00 eBay Auction -- Item Number: 320646558181 Even a sealed Atari 2600 6 switch for 560.00! eBay Auction -- Item Number: 220724893689 Edited January 29, 2011 by revolutionika Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 IMO: no. Not only do you not really know indeed if it's originally sealed or not (we ARE talking about ePay, so chances are NOT), but there's a real possibility that the unit in question might not work. Could be it was defective from the get go or died sitting all these years. Happens with capacitors all the time. Switch contacts too. Who knows how or what kind of environment they've been stored in all these years. 'Course, I'm speaking practically. Collectors that blow their wad over stuff like this have their own reasons. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) I shall be ambiguous with a yes and no... a huge resounding "maybe"! It depends on the system... I would go insane on bidding for an sealed Commodore SX-64. But an Amiga 2600? Not so much... The only reason to own a sealed NIB system is for historical purposes. But any open system... you play the hell out of! Edited January 29, 2011 by the-topdog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 As the not so proud owner of one of those auctions, here are my thoughts.... For me, having collected for 11-12 years, I literally find I'm running out of things to add to my collection. I have play copies of everything I want for the INTV (except for Spiker as mine is sealed), and so I find I want to build up my collection by adding unusual or rare items more so for their collectability than anything else. That often means sealed stuff. While most days I find I have time to at least play something on one of my systems, there are certainly days where I just sit and admire my collection, or re-arrange it or sort through it or make want lists or whatever, and the visual appeal of the sealed items certainly factors in to this part of my enjoyment of my hobby. I'm sure for many of us we are getting to buy stuff we couldn't afford as a kid or didn't have and the idea that a 30 year old system hasn't even been opened I just find cool. There is also an element of "the chase" that appeals to me, finding that perfect boxed system and ticking it off my want list I find gratifying on some level. Besides that, I can be quite...ummm...competitive, so I get a kick out of winning some of the auctions as well, although admittedly that usually results in a classic overpay. My $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I shall be ambiguous with a yes and no... a huge resounding "maybe"! It depends on the system... I would go insane on bidding for an sealed Commodore SX-64. But an Amiga 2600? Not so much... The only reason to own a sealed NIB system is for historical purposes. But any open system... you play the hell out of! I would go insane bidding on that. Do you have any idea how rare an Amiga 2600 must be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-topdog Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I shall be ambiguous with a yes and no... a huge resounding "maybe"! It depends on the system... I would go insane on bidding for an sealed Commodore SX-64. But an Amiga 2600? Not so much... The only reason to own a sealed NIB system is for historical purposes. But any open system... you play the hell out of! I would go insane bidding on that. Do you have any idea how rare an Amiga 2600 must be. DOH! **palm-face** I meant Atari of course ... just have Commodore on the brain I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) These auctions got me thinking about the appeal of a buying a retro sealed system. Me personally would never pay this much for a sealed system. I would rather just have a nice clean working system(or 20 ) and spend the rest on games, even if i have the money. A sealed Intellivision System Changer for 287.00 eBay Auction -- Item Number: 250761149761 A sealed Intellivision System for 456.00 eBay Auction -- Item Number: 320646558181 Even a sealed Atari 2600 6 switch for 560.00! eBay Auction -- Item Number: 220724893689 I can understand wanting a near mint system in a nice box with little to no damage and even paying extra for that, but the sealed thing still leaves me shaking my head. Just like the folks that use the grading services where they slap a game in a case that will never be opened. I just don't get it and never will. To each their own I guess when it comes to collecting. I've been collecting now for 22 years and have never sought out something just because it's sealed. It'll always be a mystery to me. Edited January 30, 2011 by Atari_Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm a gamer way before I'm a collector. The stuff I own is there to play with. I can't conceive spending a huge amount of cash on something that will just sit on a shelf and never be used. Even as an investment, hoping that in the future it will be worth even more. Besides I REALLY get a kick out of doing teardown/cleanups of the consoles and games as I get them. I'm almost willing to say its more fun to work on them than it is to play with them. Can't do either with a SIB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm a gamer way before I'm a collector. The stuff I own is there to play with. I can't conceive spending a huge amount of cash on something that will just sit on a shelf and never be used. Even as an investment, hoping that in the future it will be worth even more. Besides I REALLY get a kick out of doing teardown/cleanups of the consoles and games as I get them. I'm almost willing to say its more fun to work on them than it is to play with them. Can't do either with a SIB. I totally agree. I'd rather pay a ton for a system I'm going to use, who wants to pay for something that they can only stare at and wipe the dust off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psquare75 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 x3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 You guys are making WAY too much sense in here. Its getting scary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jferio Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I'm of the same mind. Odds are good with some places that 'sealed' merely means they resealed it on their end. I'm also adding to my collection with the express purpose of putting systems and games to their intended use, which is to be played, so I'm not likely to spend any more money on a 'sealed' system or game than I would for the same item that was merely 'complete in box'. I bought a handful of Atari games CIB at a thrift store a year or so back. A number of them were actually still sealed. But at $3 a game, I couldn't ignore the value. And yes, I did break the glue seals and remove shrink wrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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