The First Big Score

[ElvisDJ]

Hey all,

 

Since I'm waxing nostalgic (and have nothing to do at work), I figured I'd ask a question that I'm sure has been asked before - what was your first big "score" in the wild?

 

Here's mine:

 

My very, very first find happened quite by accident. I was on my way to school one morning and I happened to pass a Salvation Army thrift store. Since I had some time before school, I decided to stop in. This was actually my very first video game related thrift store visit and the first time I had been to this particular store as well.

 

My find? As follows:

 

2 O2 systems, complete in box

An O2 system box filled with boxed carts - 38 in total (no Power Lords, but mostly everything else)

2 Master Strategy Series games (Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt and Conquest of the World) complete in mint boxes.

 

The total for the haul? $8, but it was half price day, so $4!

 

Practically the entire O2 library in one day for $4! Unfortunately it was the last time I found anything at this particular thrift store, and today it's no longer there.

 

I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's stories...

 

Bryan

[+cvga]

When I first started collecting Atari games I found a Color Bar Generator at a flea market. I almost put it down because I found some other games I wanted more than it (like Pitfall, Enduro, etc) but the seller dropped to price to $2 so I went ahead and bought it. I didn't even know it was extremely rare for a long time afterwards

[Arcadenut]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ElvisDJ:

Hey all,

 

Since I'm waxing nostalgic (and have nothing to do at work), I figured I'd ask a question that I'm sure has been asked before - what was your first big "score" in the wild?

 

Here's mine:

 

My very, very first find happened quite by accident. I was on my way to school one morning and I happened to pass a Salvation Army thrift store. Since I had some time before school, I decided to stop in. This was actually my very first video game related thrift store visit and the first time I had been to this particular store as well.

 

My find? As follows:

 

2 O2 systems, complete in box

An O2 system box filled with boxed carts - 38 in total (no Power Lords, but mostly everything else)

2 Master Strategy Series games (Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt and Conquest of the World) complete in mint boxes.

 

The total for the haul? $8, but it was half price day, so $4!

 

Practically the entire O2 library in one day for $4! Unfortunately it was the last time I found anything at this particular thrift store, and today it's no longer there.

 

I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's stories...

 

Bryan

---

 

Found a place here in Phoenix (5 mins from my house) called Pop Culture Classics. They had 5 boxes of Atari Carts (loose). Carts were about $.75 each. I spent about $400 on carts there :-) I got several 3 rarity carts and a couple 4's and I think even a 5 rarity (Frogger II).

 

Now they have a new owner and carts like Asteroids and Pac-Man are $2 each.

 

I also hit several thrift stores on my way home about once a week and one of them had a bunch of carts for $.65 each. I picked up a Snoopy's Red Baron for $.65 :-)

 

Most of the times, I don't find anything though. I need to expand my thrift store search area.

[Ze_ro]

I haven't been into classic video games for as long as most of you have, so I haven't had that many brags unfortunately. I did manage in one week to find about 14 ColecoVision games, some of which were fairly rare (though nothing extremely so). Among the cartridges were:

 

Brain Strainers (Rare) and Dr Seuss Fix-Up the Mix-Up! (Also rare)

 

Sadly, the Dr Seuss cartridge is likely my rarest cartridge (My rarest Atari game is an Artillery Deul/Spike's Peak double ender... rated a 6. I have zero 5's ). I'm still waiting for the day when I walk into Value Village and come face to face with a Vectrex or an Odyssey (the original, not an O2). These are two that I severely want in my collection.

 

--Zero

[Nateo]

Don't worry 'bout it Ze_ro, it'll happen one of these days...

(I don't have an Atari game that goes over the 4 rarity)

[King Asmo]

My biggest find ever happened when I first started collecting 2600 stuff about 4 years ago. I was coming home from taking an exam that I didn't do nearly as well on as I should have, and decided to go looking for games at Goodwill. I endeded up finding Music Machine. Cost me all of 33 cents (Canadian).. It was only about the 20th or 30th cart I owned for the 2600, and I was surprised when I looked on the net and found out how rare it is.

 

And no, I won't trade or sell it.. it's the centerpiece of my collection.

[ATARIPITBULL]

I have not had such luck at finding ultra rare items at a flea market as some of you, but I did find a mr do's castle, frogger II, and rubiks cube at a local comic book store for about $5.00 each, and the owner threw in a copy of Atari age magazine for free.

[ubersaurus]

I can't find alot around here. However, i did pick up an intellivision 1, with intellivoice, and about 13 games for 5 bucks. go me!

[davidbrit2]

I'm still just amazed by my realy good find, although it's not strictly Atari related.

Perfect condition Vectrex

Joystick (in the same condition)

Hyperchase

Blitz

Clean Sweep

Bedlam

Scramble

 

This was at a local flea market, and the guy was asking only FIFTEEN DOLLARS! I scooped it up faster than he knew what hit him, and I was just in a jackpot induced haze for the rest of the day. Ah, summer.

[PatrickDBowlingo]

My big Atari find was when I was cleaning my back room out and came across a sack full of Atari 2600 games. I must have bought these years ago at a yard sale and then put them away and never looked at them again. After going through them I found Quest For Quintana Roo which is a 4 on the rarity game list and the funny thing is I dont know where the heck is came from!

 

On a non-related video game note I did pick up a Dusty Rhodes (wrestler) Hasbro figure at a flea market for $2. The figure lists for $90 out of the package and $250 in the package. It was a great day!

[+Zeptari]

I'd have to say the first time I got into collecting 2600 games was the day I scored the best. This was about 1994.

It was a 6switch with woodgrain and about 20+

games for I think about $15. I don't remember

if there was any rare games in the bunch..

 

I did trade this for a Vextrex some years later. The sad thing is, I traded the thing for a Jaguar game about a year later!!!

What a stupid thing to do!! This was before I had internet access. And to make matter's worse. I found game's for it sometime later...ahhhhhh!!!