"Orange Mark Mystery" on Light Sixer?

[mikey.shake]

Hey, all...

 

I recently bought a Light Sixer that posted about in another thread, trying to figure out where it was made (no serial number sticker). In researching that, I found one other person whose L6 has the same "Property Of Atari Inc" hot stamp on the interior of the casing, and theirs also has a weird orange (and blue?) marking on the bottom of the casing, where the serial sticker would be. Here's their thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/198685-light-sixer-question/.

 

When I bought mine, I figured it was just wear-and-tear from the 30 years since it was made, and mine wiped off easily before I realized it wasn't. But finding someone else whose L6 has 1) No sticker, 2) "Property Of Atari" hot stamp, and 3) THE SAME orange marking mine had tells me that the marking means something, and came from Atari that way. Someone here has to have the knowledge of what those markings were for, and where they were used.

 

There's also a blue slash across the paper ticket taped to the shielding, like the one in this thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/165050-does-every-atari-have-this/?do=findComment&comment=2038801

 

What does that orange/blue scribble mean? Is it related to the "Property Of Atari" hotstamp and the fact that neither of these have a serial sticker? Where were these made?

 

Were these the ones issued for promo kiosks? Seems close to Curt Vendel's recollection, but not spot-on what he was saying: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/19000-how-rare-is-the-atari-vcs-cx2600-sunnyvale-edition/page-2

 

I've attached the relevant "orange mark" photo from that first linked thread (not taking credit for it!)

 

-----

 

Here's the data on my console:

 

Date stamp on casing - “470"

Taped Paper on shielding: - Nov 14 1980

Green Side of Board:

C012173

Rev. B

Stamped on interior top of casing:

(Left side) L&W G C010307-A

(Right Side) Property Of Atari Inc. Sunnyvale, CA 94086

 

[0078265317]

Interesting. To bad you wiped it off.

[gilsaluki]

Oh no, as the antiquing crowd say, "Never wash away the patina".

[mikey.shake]

I know!

 

I felt so dumb when I realized.

 

It came off so easily. And it was already faint enough I figured someone had just sat slipped with a crayon or something. I couldn't make out whether it was lettering or just a marking, but it seemed like the same shape/form as the pic.

 

It was almost worth it to get what I realized later was piss off of part of the casing. (I bought it in a disgusting junkshop, but it cleaned up to pristine condition.)

 

But once it was cleaned, it's the nicest VCS I have.

 

Anybody know what that orange mark means? Or the blue slash on the interior ticker-tape?

[mikey.shake]

Darn, forgot to attach that other member's pic of their "orange mark" console earlier... (their pic, not mine, but the best pic I can find of the kind of marking mine had)

 

Edited March 22, 2015 by mikey.shake