[To Tape or Not to Tape]

36 minutes ago, jhd said:

The biggest issue is that in the long-term, the adhesive will dry-out and leave a nasty stain/residue on the surface. 

 

I would suggest reinforcing the torn parts with some additional cardboard (on the inside of the box, of course), and perhaps consider using an adhesive other than tape -- such as a thin layer of glue.  

@jhd Do you have a suggestion on what type of glue might be best?

[To Tape or Not to Tape]

1 hour ago, Rogerpoco said:

Actually surprised at the general responses, I would have thought repair attempts would be frowned upon, but kinda like Atarigirlwonder said initially-I DO collect, a lot, but it's "mine", any real-World value is gone anyway once it hits my domain, and I personally have no qualms about attempting "repair jobs" on anything and everything, if possible, cart labels, Boxes, etc.

I've seen much worse boxes than that tho, you definitely have something to work with!

It's nice to know there are boxes out there worse than mine XD The back and longer sides are actually really well-kept compared to the pics I shared. At first, I wasn't even that excited about the box because to me it seemed super destroyed. There were some REALLY nice ones on ebay and other sites I've looked at. However, once I really thought about it, the thing is almost like 45 years old lol. The fact that it even looks that good should be a feat in and of itself. 

 

I'm also surprised I haven't gotten any, don't fix! responses. My initial gut reaction was to repair now before more damage is done. Boxes aren't supposed to last forever, so anything I can do to help preserve it is probably best done now. I like jhd's suggestion to reinforce with cardboard and glue to prevent the eventual wear of tape. 

[To Tape or Not to Tape]

2 hours ago, lwizardl said:

I know a few that when they try to repair board game or toy boxes they often use water activated gum tape to tape the inside of the box for added strength.

Ohhhh that's good to know! I'll look to see if I have any of that laying around. 

[To Tape or Not to Tape]

8 hours ago, bluejay said:

But try to tape it from the inside so the tape isn't as visible.

That's what I'm going to try this weekend! Thanks

[To Tape or Not to Tape]

10 hours ago, Shawn said:

Ya it's beat enough that you are better off fixing it up the best you can. You are not going to loose any value on something that hurt. 

That's what I figured. To me, it's cool to have and show to my friends and fam, and that's worth more than ever trying to make a quick buck off of it.

[Updated collection pics]

I love the Pac man lights! Where did you get those? We are looking for something similar for our game room set up. We're okay not going the vintage or authentic route to the lights. There's a lot of creators out there that can make something beautiful and illuminous for sure. 

[To Tape or Not to Tape]

Hi all! I am so excited to finally rejoin the Atari family after my uncle rightfully reclaimed his system I used several years ago. I just purchased a heavy sixer off of eBay and was lucky enough to get one that came with the original chess piece box. However, the box has definitely seen better days. My question, should I take clear packing tape to the tearing ends to hold them together? I was thinking putting it in the inside rather than the outside. I'm not a collector and do not intend to sell the system anytime soon (maybe pass it down and let my kids or whoever do with it as they please at a much later time), but would like to preserve the integrity of the box. Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?