36 replies to this topic

[the.golden.ax]

Why not. Everyone should collect boxes. Now throw your carts away and start over, dag nab it!

[Zwackery]

Atari_Bill, on Mon Mar 5, 2012 10:52 AM, said:

Zwackery, on Mon Mar 5, 2012 10:07 AM, said:

Atari_Bill, on Sun Mar 4, 2012 4:57 PM, said:

I totally agree with the content of this article, but at the same time would say that some folks just aren't able to do so. Either because of storage space issues or lack of money (CIB prices seem to have gone through the roof as of late!),

Honestly, CIB prices - what actually sells, not what sellers are attempting to get - have gone considerably down over the last several years, especially for R1-R4 titles, and even into some of the 5s-7s, especially when buying in bulk.

That hasn't been my experience as of late.  In the last 3-4 months I've had bids on at least 10 box game lots on ebay.  Most of them are probably R4 or less.  I've lost on all but one.  By a wide margin on most.  I suppose that might say something about what I'm willing to spend, but in my perception, CIB prices are getting out of reach.

I don't watch all the boxed lots, but I have a search set up that delivers me daily updates to the listings on eBay, and then I'll watch them to completion (out of a mixture of curiosity and insurance purposes).  Sometimes I'll mention them in various posts; for example, check out item #19 - 47 CIB titles for $97 (item #18 is worth a gander, too), and item #7 in this topic where I spend a short paragraph on the downward trend.  As a final point of clarification, when I speak of a downward trend, this is based on overall monitoring of the market (auction-wise) over the last 9 years or so.

[Brad2600]

atarinut76, on Sun Mar 4, 2012 10:39 AM, said:

I agree with ya!!

I think alot of the problem is that the boxes just take up so much more room then just cart only.. My collection takes up 6 times the room since I collect the boxes. My room is almost blown out and maybe looking into a 2nd room to start putting the collection into

that's my 2 cents!!

It's true that boxes do take up more room. I don't have many boxed 2600 games. However, I managed to hold on to some of my boxed 5200 games.

If I had a proper bookcase, I would look for boxed games.

[atari181]

Gotta get them all!

[earthdefence]

i agree, great article

[DeusVult]

When I first started collecting Atari I received about 20 near mint CIB from a neighbor for FREE!  This put me in a pickle because I had been collecting Carts only for sometime.  Suddenly my eyes lite up and I pondered:  Should I try to collect CIB for all the titles or to continue on with the carts.  I spent months dilberating over this.  Ultimatly I went with carts.  The cost of a complete 2600 system in CIB was just to much for me to bear and I always thought the boxes lined up books in a shelf looked tacky.  (Rightfully so do carts stack on top as well, but I'm going to be displaying the main label and not the end label.)

Another reason I prefer carts is that you can see all the different styles of plastic molding and (to me) gives off a more unique feel than just a box.

Still you can't deny the shock and awe of a bookcase full of CIB's.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

How much would you pay extra just for the box?

[UberArcade]

I prefer the complete game as well, but I buy whatever I can afford at the time. I don't like keeping games sealed though. That seems like a waste to me.

One problem with a lot of the homebrew box options is the quality of the boxes. Most of the time they are really thin and don't stay glued. It is a lot of trouble for somebody to have a small batch of quality boxes printed up. I think most homebrew developers are just happy to wrap up the game and finally get it out there.

[HatNJ]

http://www.atariage....rc-oberhaeuser/

Makes great boxes from what I have heard and seen Don't know if he repros the older originals but if my money was better
(going through a very bad stretch) Id order for all the homebrews i have gotten maybe later in year hopefully


I'd love to get all CIB space is a factor but would make room but the $$$ is it the lifetime goal is complete US of Atari color boxes (just need 5 more for CIB gatefold) and Activision

[BadHornet]

I take whatever I can get my hands on, but today I just passed 100 mark for complete in the box 2600 games

[DJ Badger]

For me, the box has always been a BIG deal.  Even back when I was a kid, collecting in the early 1980s, I made a special point of keeping my Atari game boxes in good condition.  For the most part, I don't feel like I really "own" the game until I have ALL the pieces that I would have gotten if I'd bought the game in a store as a child.

These days, I'm extremely fortunate to have over 300 games CIB - including "Quadrun," "Q*Bert's Qubes," and "Rescue Terra I."

Thomas Jentzsch, on Fri May 4, 2012 7:42 AM, said:

How much would you pay extra just for the box?

Way back in 1985-1986, I made one of the few purchases I've ever made of a "non-complete" game, ordering "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," with the manual, from Villa Video for $12 or so (along with a CIB copy of "Halloween" for about $16-$17).  It always irritated me that I didn't have a "complete" copy of "TCM."

In the early-to-mid-2000s (when I had zero children and thus a lot more spare money), I saw a boxed copy on eBay, and I told myself I WOULD have it.  If I remember correctly, I paid $205 plus shipping for it - just to get the box.

My boxed copy of "Chase the Chuck Wagon" was also an eBay win - $265 plus shipping in 2001.  I would not have bid nearly as much (or most likely at all) if it hadn't been a boxed copy.

(For contrast, my CIB "Quadrun" cost $35 plus shipping from an online dealer in the mid-1990s... neither the dealer nor I realized exactly what a steal I was getting at the time.)



I've had one particularly painful instance in the past in which my "box vanity" bit me in the butt.  Back in the 1980s, one of the Tulsa Kay-Bee Toys locations brought in a batch of "Swordquest: Waterworld" carts for a whopping $12.95.  I thought the "Swordquest" series sucked, so I spent my money on other games, knowing they'd still have "Waterworld" around for a while.

The next week, I went in and they were down to one last copy of "Waterworld."  I told myself that I'd hold off, because the box had a dent in it, and I would just wait until they got another shipment.

They never received another shipment, and through a series of bad circumstances and comic misadventures, "Waterworld" has continued to be my "white whale."  Eventually, if I win the lottery, perhaps I will be able to purchase a complete copy.  I have no interest in an incomplete copy.



On a related note... if anyone ever has a box for "Track + Field" that they'd like to sell, please send me a PM.  I can't offer CRAZY money for it, but over time I've acquired all the parts except the box, and I'd love to make it "complete."

Edited by DJ Badger, Wed May 16, 2012 6:52 AM.

[jhammond]

I have some atari game cart boxes...dont want em.  I'd be happy to mail them to you for free.  You can have em.  I just need the manuel and the cart, then it's time to play and have fun!