zeitshabba

Bwahahaha... it didn't take long for knock-offs. I just thought they'd be better than that! From what I can see regarding the "quality" of work, I'm not worried.

You can run, but you can't hide. http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=140344626054 Yeah, I figured it wouldn't take long to be found. Not a bad deal, eh? Did you notice any other lots I got for a single bid that didn't include pictures? That's where the smiles are found, my friend.

I got this proto for an unbelievably ridiculous low fixed price, so it'll skew your price tracker horribly to include this prototype. In regards to what protos I have that need dumped, I have two US Games protos, two Atari mid-programming carts - Maze Craze & Dodge Em ("Head On" says the cart), Frankenstein's Monster (w/ manual), M*A*S*H, and now Megamania. I don't have access to my Pac Man lab loaner at this time, but hopefully that is enough to convince someone to loan me a dumper.

That is correct Wonder... when examining the cart closely, you can see the outline of where the label was before being peeled off... Damn fools probably thought the label was home-made and pulled it. I didn't see any differences when playing the game, but when I get my hands on a method to dump my games, I will. Alas, all my protos sit undumped & unchecked. Thank you for the expert opinions!

I figured this wasn't anything too special, but was curious if you noticed the country of origin. The upside-down and backwards one was made in the USA, while the "normal" one was made in China. Can either of you check yours to see if there is a pattern?

Can anyone spot the problem here? Anyone seen this before? Silly monkey...

After I saw the Activision prototype auction slip beyond my reach, I was confident that this gem I pulled from a very cheap lot is in fact a Megamania prototype. Of course, I humbly request a ruling by the proto gods. Verdict?

Bumped for my latest batch of goodies, but I bet most of you have found 'em already.

Ah, good! I have one I need verified by the proto lords themselves.

Are you saying it came with a proto of chase the chuck wagon? No no no... that would be nice, but no. I won a lot two years ago with a few Atari protos, a Frankenstein's Monster proto w/ manual and a bunch of normal games and never really examined the "normal" stuff given the other goodies. The non-proto games were quickly passed along, but the manuals never went to the workshop as I received this lot right after moving my operation. While cleaning out my old storage space a couple weeks ago, I found the manuals and this document. Now I wish I had spent a little more time examining the other games. I also rediscovered my Asteroids theme song cassette. Good stuff.

Thank you for taking the time & your evaluation. It seems strange to me that it matches word-for-word yet ignore capitalization and the paper is cut-to-size matching the official one. To spend the attention on paper-size but not punctuation seems like backwards priorities given the time each would have taken. I'll tuck it away with the proto w/ manual it was originally lotted with and cling to the smidgeon of hope that burns within...

I don't know where you are drawing your assumptions from, but this one is completely wrong. I already have a CIB Crazy Climber, and I don't need another one, not even for trade bait or flipping purposes. If someone else can get a deal and acquire something nice for collecting, I think that person should benefit from getting the deal. I've been fortunate in the past, so why not someone else. Hence why I quit complaining about auctions disappearing into the ether... There was one that I haven't seen mentioned here that would have sent me into pure panic if I hadn't had a reflective moment after the Air Raid debacle - I'm glad that happened as it chased out the last bits of my eBay-hole tendencies. I have been fortunate enough to have won protos, loaners & ultrarare games and cannot expect such success to continue. I also had my first couple offline deals that have eased my nerves after years of online-only pickups. Now, to riff off a quote from one of my favorite movies... Keyser Soze.

PM sent. Thanks in advance, Rom Hunter. I appreciate your opinion.

Please take a moment to go back and read the entire thread, including what I've previously written. To sum it up: in the process of informing a seller about the value of a rare item, I let the seller know what the market seems to indicate, and that I intend on bidding on the auction, so please don't end it early to take a side deal. A few times, the seller offers me a BIN, which I did NOT solicit, and then I either take it or pass. To be completely clear: this topic is not about me offering people side deals. So your winking smiley is out of place in this regard. As I said, I think your approach is the best I've heard towards ensuring the auction runs its course. I'm not implying or suggesting any shadiness on your behalf, as I can't imagine this is a "problem" you run into often. If you were making absurdly priced side deals I doubt you'd be here talking about it openly.

In comparing the two manuals, the text is identical between the two except mine lacks any punctuation, capitalization or bold text. Unless this is a home-spun knockoff, which would be bizarre given it meticulously reproduced the content, was cut to exact size yet ignored basic capitalization, I'd have to believe this would be an earlier version. If I am correct, this would be the second most impressive piece from the lot, and I almost overlooked it!

...sigh... Some of us are collectors, too. And not every reseller is trying to squeeze every penny from every game. I can count at least a half-dozen "super-auctions" w/ incredibly rare items end days early in the past few months alone, every one of them lots I was prepared to go big. Once the auction disappears, I keep an eye for them to pop up from another reseller but nothing ever shows. Unless the resellers are sitting on them for months before selling, I bet the games from pulled auctions are going to collectors with shallow pockets. Now that is a brilliant idea Zwackery - I like it alot. But by taking the BIN, doesn't it feel like a "side-deal lite"? Its a delicate line, but unless the auction runs its course and other collectors get a shot at it, how can you be sure you didn't underprice it?

The list is longer....lol I think in all... I have about 180 carts I am looking for. That's with having nearly 600 already in my collection. lol This is my cut-off though for right now. I bought a stunning lot a month ago via a friend at poker that I've been slowly deciding what to sell & what to keep. Let's just say his uncle was a very special 80s geek that was well reflected in his collection. Most games were in great shape and included the manuals... especially the super rare ones. Included was just about every game Sears made that I put aside for a collector lot that would fill most of your Sears holes. I'll see how many other holes I can fill from the rabble I set aside for auction lots. I'm headed to the shop tonight & will PM a list of what I can do for you.

I'm actually not suggesting that you price by rarity. My point is that your material costs do not differ significantly since none of the carts chosen are all that rare (i.e. expensive). If you think the picture labels are more desirable and it takes the same amount of time, effort and expense to build those as the text label versions, it seems like you could optimize your revenues by only making the wallets you think are more appealing and charging slightly less. You sell them faster (because they're more desirable) and make the same or more money since the average price would be the same or higher. Although your pricing is a mystery to me, I'm still impressed by your product. I really like the idea and you did a great job with them. While I'd like to pocket a few shillings at some point for the work I've put in - hell, to cover my costs would be nice - this project isn't all about money and is more about repurposing and keeping the Atari memory alive in new, inventive ways using the old bits left behind. And while the text labels are substantially cheaper (right now, half the price) of picture labels, most sales have been picture labels. The text labels also allow people to buy one for half the price of a new video game, but price doesn't seem to be a concern to buyers either.

If I priced based on rarity it would be a pricing disaster. The two-tiered pricing reflects the visual "pop" that the picture labels provide - text label games do not catch the eye nearly as much and, lets face it, rather boring to look at. I do have a couple one-of-a-kind wallets coming down the pipe, such as Mario Bros, Pigs in Space, etc. that may warrant unique pricing. Either that or give them away in contests & charity events. I'll worry about that once I get them... which should be after the Pac Man/Space Invaders/Combat batch my machinist best be working on. And thanks for appreciating the work! Surprisingly, Atari wallets are roughly the same size and a fraction of the weight of a normal leather wallet. Once you hold one, you quickly realize that these are much more sturdy & functional than originally imagined. A few facts from the Atari wallet FAQ.

That's a large list you have, and thankfully not terribly rare ones... I won't be back at my shop for a couple days, but when I do I'll see what I can pull for ya. I should be able to help you knock off a dozen or so from that list easily enough.

To close out these last few days of August, I've decided to do a super sale on my Atari wallets. Through the remainder of August, all current Atari wallets are discounted to $20 for text labels & $40 for picture labels. If you do not see the game you want listed, it is not available at this time. For those of you who are not familiar with my wallet project, I use every piece (except the screw) in repurposing the game into a wallet, only adding magnets, hinges and the necessary glue to complete the wallet. The actual game chip is included when you receive it as well, neatly snapping into the blank spot at the bottom beside the credit cards. For an example, here is my wallet. Why now? A few reasons... First, the next two weeks are some of the worst for sales out of the entire year, so I don't think I'll lose out much. Second, I'd like to clear some space for a few new wallets in production. And finally, I'd like to see a few people in the running for the Pac'd Lunch giveaway also running through the end of August. In a nutshell, buy an Atari wallet in August & be entered to win an original metal Pac Man lunchbox w/ thermos. Thank you for your time & enjoy your day! niles.

I'm with Zwackery - the view from the top resembles a Tandy game - I now have a few after making a similar mistake. Sometimes that odd game in the auction isn't what you hope it is... With that in mind, anyone want to buy a few Tandy games?

Once I get my grubby hands on a scanner, I'll do just that & send it along. It resembles the original too much for me to discount it as a knock-off. Plus, in all my Atari years, I've actually never received any typewritten instructions for a game except for this one. PS. Don't expect a speedy scan - I don't own one, so I'll have to check with my friends for one...

I've been trying to clean up all the random Atari bits I've accumulated and found a few things I didn't realize I had. Most of the goodies I found were not great surprises but more of forgotten treats. During my semi-annual oogling/reorganizing of my prototypes & super-rare games I spent a few minutes going through my manuals as well to find this: I probably didn't take notice of it as it was slipped in with a bunch of manuals, inserts, etc. and the stains were from the catalog it was stuck to. This looks nothing like the manual for Chase the Chuck Wagon, and given the lot this was originally included in I wasn't as quick to dismiss this as an abbreviated typewriter copy by some home hack. Of course, I look to the experts here for their opinion and the rabble for some heckling. Is this manual anything unique? Thanks in advance... PS. My Atari wallets are on sale for $20/$40 through the remainder of August. http://bit.ly/rLtz3

Bumped to reflect new auctions. Other single collectable games that'll be up for auction soon: Atari Video Cube Chuck Norris Superkicks / Ghost Manor Sears game lot including picture Night Driver, Missile Command and more. Sorry I can't remember the rest right now...