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lance_miller

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Everything posted by lance_miller

  1. View http://www.yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/thanks.asp?oId=481967 There will be pictures to attached to this by 1pm Tuesday 22nd. thanks for your wonderful supportive comments. sue
  2. Hey thank you so much everyone. I really appreciate your very thoughtful comments. I have been MIA with the collection at the apartment, so sorry about not commenting. There are about 1200 games there, and about 25 consoles of all different genres and all the controllers and unique attachments to go with them. Thanks especially to potatohead, and rmearz for their very thought provoking notes. Made a LOT of sense. I have taken some of the best of the units and my children will be able to play them. They are young now but when they get older they will have a ball. (4,4, and 6) I like the idea of a room or gaming area to keep Chris's memory alive. He was into techno lights and gadgets and I'm hauling a lot home. As far as the collection, from the research I've done in the last three weeks, its worth a lot. I'm hauling it out to BC and will try to sell it in lot batches. Or a few at a time, there won't be any pressure. I have a gigantic house and its just the kids and i so I have room to have them there. I feel good about this decision and my parents and brother are happy too. I've learned so much about my brother I never knew prior to this task of getting the collection together. I have a new found respect in many more ways than I already respected the guy. He was a brilliant collector, using middle of the road games for "currency' and focussing on very rare games. He has many MUSHA's, for instance. I only wish I had known all this about him at this intricate level before he died - it just didn't happen as I live on Vancouver Island. My parents have also gained a huge respect for the collection through this too, and have learned about a different side to Chris they didnt' know of before. I totally respect the classic gamers. I've learned a lot and will need to learn much more. I'll be picking your brains for sure! Hugs to you all, Sista Sue
  3. Wow, that really does provide a lot of comfort...knowing all the nice things he did. He was a good guy, he rarely if ever swore, always polite and he never hurt a soul in all his life. A gentle kind person. thanks for sharing. And thanks all for your condolences. its been supremely difficult. I'm still shocked. Sue
  4. It is with great regret to let you all know my brother, Chris Burger, who went by the Username "TECHNOSIS" passed away suddenly two weeks ago. Technosis joined the AtariAge forum back in 2003 and had many many discussions on this particular section of the forums. Chris lived in Milton Ontario from 1995 to 2008 and worked at Atomic Energies Canada as a very accomplished Electrical Technician. He then worked for the St Lawrence Seaway from 2008 until present. Chris was a very avid Classic Game collector and player. His hobby gave him two decades or more of everlasting enjoyment. He would be up at the crack of dawn going to garage sales, scouring good will thrift stores, and wheeling and dealing at gaming stores. He loved fleamarkets. He loved Super Nintendo, and PS2 and happily amassed a gigantic collection of games in these and most other genres. He had very unique tastes in techo music, techo lighting, gizmos and odd collectibles. He had a unique sense of humour unmatched by anyone I know. He never married and had no children - a woman would have gotten in the way of his Classic Game focus! We loved Chris deeply. Chris was 41 but looked 32. He developed type 2 diabetes in the last couple years. He fell into a diabetic coma due to low blood sugar. Living alone with no one there to be alerted to his condition, he silently passed away into the arms of awaiting angels. We are devastated and traumatized at this extremely significant loss in our small family, to put it mildly. Thank you to all who have passed on their condolences through this User name Lance_Miller (it was a secondary account of Chris's I stumbled upon) without even knowing it was Technosis who died. You guys on this forum have a heart of gold and its felt across the miles. Big hugs, Sue Phillips (Chris's sister who lives on the west coast of Canada) (Special thanks goes out to dear "5-11under" who helped me piece together things and learn that everyone knew Chris as "TECHNOSIS" . 5-11 actually knew my beloved brother from fleamarkets etc.)
  5. Thanks AWhite. I have the 1Up owner coming to the location here to examine the lot and give a quote tomorrow to buy in bulk. I've PM'd 5-11 too, as I really appreciate the offer for help. thanks for your input - it helps knowing who's questionable and who's not in the gaming world. sue
  6. Thanks for your replies everyone. The points about selling to other collectors really has my attention. My brother hated people that were out to scam others or screw them over in a deal. He would hate his collection to be de-valued to me and then high valued on a store floor. I like the idea of selling to other collectors. I'm just not sure how I would do that. Here's another couple questions for you, as I'm totally new to this - I've never played a video game system in my life, nor really seen one. - Do you think that the classic gaming market for things like Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Atari, Sega is at their peak now? Being that anyone who really loved these games would be in their 40's now, and would be at the stage of life where they're most likely to have money. And that in 20 years maybe the crowd will be in their 60's and no longer buying, or would be looking to sell their own collections. And maybe the generation to follow doesn't have an appreciation for the games. Thoughts? -Do you think the market for classic games is greater in Eastern and Central US/Canada than on the west coast? (trying to decide whether to haul all the games out to the west coast to my place and sell from there.) thank you to all of you, each and every suggestion is very valuable to me, and I'm writing down all the great tips Sue
  7. Hi everyone, This is my brother's account and I don't know if any of you knew him, but he passed away at 41 years old of a diabetic coma two weeks ago. My dear brother was an avid classic game collector. He lived in the Niagara Falls, Ontario area, in Canada. In going through his place (devastatingly sad task) we have found his LARGE collection of Classic games and hardware. THere are over 1000 games just in his apartment and many many consoles, controllers, and attachments. My parents say there is 3 times that amount stored in their barn. My brother was no dummy - he was very bright, mensa member, who had a very specific collection with many rare pieces. He never thought to make arrangements for this treasure in case he died early. Trouble is, neither my self nor my elderly parents have a clue about what is valuable and what is not, and even if we did we don't know how to deal with the collection effectively. I live on Canada's west coast and will be returning there shortly. Since all of you are collectors, I'm open to suggestions on how to deal with the collection. Option 1) Get in a dealer or dealers, have them give a quote on what they would buy it for in bulk, and maybe bid against each other and take the highest bid Option 2) I haul the vast quantity of stuff to my house in BC , learn to deal on Ebay and slowly (and I mean slowly) sell off the collection - but having no clue how to pair things, or what things are worth Option 3) Getting a knowledgeable auctioneer (is there even such a thing??) and have all the stuff in one location and then sell it off, after a healthy advertising campaign. Option 4) Store it at my brother's place for 10 years and deal with it later. Ughhhhh PLEASE HELP WITH YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE OPINIONS. What would you like to see done with your collection should you die? We're in a real quandry, and we want to honor his life work, and meticulous collection and energy put into such an interest, and deal with it right. Sue
  8. Anyone know Lance Miller? I'm his sister

  9. i just realized that canada is the home to some really obscure stuff like K-Tel, Spectravideo, double enders, and all the stuff that couldnt cut in the USA... j/k ...lol imagine the braggin rights and talk if someone say came across 10 sealed Bumper Bash or Mangia or even a couple assault carts ! if dis is a regular flea market i got a feeling there will be quite a few people looking shifty eyed at each other in line at the door for it to open - unless sumguy gets to the seller during the week
  10. check this out: anyone want to book a road trip to canada and check out niagara falls in the mean time. youll have to cut and paste the below address in your browser (or maybe someone can edit it to be clickable) http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-video-games-consoles-Atarri-games-big-box-137-W0QQAdIdZ128832376 its hilarius that the guy is removing the uber valuable pac-man and donkey kong. flea dealers at there finest - it sounds though like the games might be boxed complete from the description - all 137 of them why don't I get these chances locally
  11. while not technically an SI song.......The Pretenders ended a song on their (first?) album with Space Invaders sound effects
  12. We had a great time in across the river in Niagara falls Canada with the family at Marineland and the famous hill "Cilfton?". I Checked the directiries to find some non-EB shops. There were quite a few in the area I think name was Video Overload or something. Impressive selection...lots of stuff, But that is where it fell short. Nearly every game of popularity or rarity was priced out of reach. i think I saw a loose Earthbound for over $120. One of the workers there said off the record that the owner had stashed most of the games in the back and was repricing them to catch the retro craze, Too bad since there were so few NES and SNES games. but lots of dud Xbox crap. I can understand trying to get the most for your product, but why go so lean on product during the tourist season. I'm sure that the owner won'r read this, and even if he does he won't have the integrity to explain why, but shouldn't you stock up for your busy season? Lance
  13. Valid question Darthfur and one that I've been kicking myself since. It'a just that as Kijiji constantly reminds its users "do business in person only" Here's a direct quote from theri website: <Begin> Important Safety Warning: Avoid fraud by meeting all sellers in-person to pay for items. Kijiji does not offer any transaction or payment services. Read safety tips | Discussion Report illegal/infringing Ad Close Your Email Address: Reported Ad ID Number: Reason for Reporting Ad: Submit Report | Cancel <over and out> So I didn't have enough guts to chance sending money across a border when it was already STRONGLY discouraged. Maybe I can make enough money from my extra paper routes to buy one if I can find one cheap on Ebay, or maybe get one as a gift. I talked to a guy on line who has worked on these things and he said the fact that it powered up at all and worked for a while was an excellent sign. He said there's like a 90% chance that the problem is from thermal expansion, and resetting/soldering the electronics should fix it. Perhaps maybe an expert here can comment? I guess the bigger question here is even if you knew that it was semi-working in box, would you people still have bought it?
  14. This tag is kewl. I' m wondering if the number above the price is like a UPC code or if it refers to a serial number or inventory number(that would help determine how many JC Penny actually sold). I heard that the number USA wide was very low. How often does someone come across one of these out there? Would it be worth posting online ads in the various Craigslist cities to try to source one? I already heard on several chat rooms that this one from Canada is the real deal. but here' the kicker . It powers up for about 30 seconds and then freezes, no wonder the low price.
  15. Damn I wish I was in upstate NY or BUffalo to cross the border and snag this deal of the year................... http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-se...QQAdIdZ71490759
  16. This happened to me at a yard sale before and the guy (another collector) offered to pay twice what I paid. Which still wasn't a deal since I only paid $10 for a whole slew of rare boxed 2600 games. Have you ever just bought something moments before it was scooped up by someone else? Perhaps you have been "the other guy" and just missed out on something"??????
  17. im not fond of the full time ebay reseller. they are people who "buy and sell but produce nothing". Their value in society in minimal, they are really just parasitic middlemen. not only are they completely non-essential to the economy, they are actually a hinderance. Rather than learn a skill or trade/occupation (i.e. Physician, Millright, etc) that actually benefits people directly, they use up vital public services and resources and seldom carry their fair share because about 90% cheat on their taxes or declare no income at all. (which probably isn't hard to do if nothing is in your name and you are living in your parents basement, or sponging off a friend/relative). All of the full time Ebay resellers could dissappear tomorrow and no one would blink an eye. Yeah this is a bit of a rant, but thank Ebay whores for ruining the fun of finding games in the thrifts. BTW, is there an IRS hotline where you can rat out these resellers?
  18. theres been a lot of talk lately of people purposely hoarding ROM images and selfishly keeping them for themselves. what is the reason why they do this? isn't there an advantage to releasing the ROM as it archives the original, and also allows other people to enjoy something that they otherwise couldn't get---sort of like experiencing a piece of history. Also, would anyone on this board for instance admit to being a ROM hoarder? Perhaps they can shed some light on why they are keeping them away from the enjoyment of others. lets face it, an excellent prototype ROM could be so good that it inspires some home brew sequels. then everyone wins Anyone here willing to 'fess up to ROM hoarding (i doubt it)?
  19. i wonder if anyone here has actually worked at a thrift for the sole purpose of getting first crack at the games? How did it go? Did putting up with all the soiled clothes and junk justify the inside finds that you got? was management cool with your inside purchases or did you just not tell them and use some other way to get them out? semi-related----- On another message board (cant remember which one), one of the collector/employees actually justified his "taking" of the rarities this way. Since all the carts regardless were marked at $0.99, he'd pocket the super rare ones (not paying), and put out a common title from a bag of commons that he had brought in and stashed away in the back(which always got bought regardless). This way he felt he wasn't really short changing the store. Strange logic, but I guess it worked in his mind.
  20. Thanks SEgamer. there should be a special place in Hell reserved for these people----(hey there's a game idea lol) perhaps selling on ebay soon will become as socially unacceptable as say, drinking and driving.
  21. "They also sometimes stockpile certain kinds of things for a day or two in a back room and offer it to certain special customers first." - this was stated above and is a major problem everywhere. when a drought like this persists for some time, it can often be put down to one thing - the greedy scumbag ebay reseller. im not necessarily talking about the gamers here who ebay there extras, im talking about the eWhores who have no respect for the hobby whatsoever and treat the games as any other commodity. Some ebay whores are notoriusly bad because they use any type of underhanded tricks like bribing thrift employees, stealing from donation bins, etc. The damage that ebay does to the collector who likes to find games in the wild is subtle, but everywhere. Think of a world without eBay. It would be a collectors paradise. talk to some of the old hands who hunted games pre-ebay if you need confirmation. i'll bet that nearly every TRUE game collector here would get three times the amount of finds in the wild. ebay is like an insidious evil that is already reducing the classic gaming scene to nothing but price lists and rarity - and sucking all the fun out of things - TO PLAY GAMES FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF IT. So yes, I blame ebay for the droughts. [and excuse the rant]
  22. You also need your "minions", or people that get stuff for you and that you network with. Let's face it, all the stuff that you mention above makes it almost a full time job, and if that's the case you might as well run a gaming store / online biz or pawn shop (and just watch the stuff pour in.........) It's really about having your fingers in as many pots as possible, but some clever tricks and a little bit of tomfoolery will confuse the majority of your competitors. and some of these tricks are as funny as they are useful
  23. i knew one collector bragging how he was having his competition pulling there hair out at his "false" finds. there was a group of die-hards who would hit the same garage sales, so he'd be sure to throw some big boxes of games, mostly empty but rigged to appear full, along with some empty console boxes in his car (arranged to be clearly viewable) before going out for the sales. They eventually got so discouraged by his seemingly good luck, and getting repeatedly "owned" that they gave up and switched to searching the next city over. Thus giving this guy free reign over the real finds. kinda clever really
  24. a guy i know who is into the transformers/star wars toys scene has fun messing with the heads of his fellow collectors - mostly only the obsessive ones. he's caused all sorts of hoaxes surrounding products that were never released even posted tons of fake on-line craigslist ads that went unanswered and later claimed that he was buyer to his obsessive collector fans. wow he must of wasted alot of peoples time in his entertainment. im wondering if this sort of thing goes on in video game collecting? Have you ever purposely put out bogus info to confuse or torrment other collectors or competitors?
  25. lately i've noticed that nearly all the stores selling classic games price them at prices that are often much higher than ebay. At first it was just a few ripoff artists but now instead of competition driving prices down, the opposite seems to have happend. Its almost like they all decided to raise there prices especially on mass produced super nintendo games and PS1 stuff. Do you think that this will keep new people from turning to the classics and the prices will collapse like sports cards have in the past?
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