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But... you can't play the box!


shadow460

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OK, I feel it, the box bug is trying to bite me. Nooo! Quick, grab the bug spray! Shoo!

 

What's you opinion on collecting boxes? Do you go out of your way for 'em, go out of your way to stay away from 'em, or just buy 'em when they're cheap?

 

I had to think hard about keeping a load of boxed games I got for $2 a pop yesterday. I think I've decided to keep 'em, and after a look at Al's database, my wife told me not to sell the Sunrise version of Quest for Quintana Roo. I think I'll stick to grabbing cheap boxes, or ones that just happen to be with a game I want. Take Ram It for example. I'm looking to spend $30 on it (loose), so if I find a boxed one for that price or less, I'll probably buy a boxed copy.

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I'm mainly into carts and instruction manuals. I have a bunch of boxes and wouldn't turn one down but I don't go out of my way to get them or specifically collect them. In fact, when we moved 3 years ago I sold my Music Machine and Coke Wins boxes. I miss them at times but I'm sure their new owners are giving them a good home and more attention.

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I don't go out of my way to get boxed games. I usually end up with them when they're included in a lot or I find them cheap at a thrift or someplace.

 

They're just not that big a deal to me. They're just one more thing to fuss about (Oddly, despite that attitude, I have probably between 50-75 boxed games for various systems :ponder: ). A number of my consoles are boxed, however, which I don't mind because they're handy for storing the machines in.

 

As long as a cartridge is in reasonable-to-good condition, I'm happy with it. :) A manual will sweeten the deal, though.

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See, I usually don't go for boxes when I've got cart + instructions, but in this case, I went ahead and purchased several games I thought I had instructions for. It turns out that the only ones I did have instructions for were Donkey Kong and Night Driver, and (astoundingly) I didn't have a cart of Atari's picture label Night Driver! I looked and looked, and there was a Sears pic label and an Atari text label, but I had just put off picking up that version of Night Driver all this time.

 

The only one I left behind was 01 combat with the box and instructions. I'm going back today to see if I missed anything, which I'm sure I did. I may pick up the Combat and put it up for sale with my light sixer later today.

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My main concern is keeping the cartridge protected, and a cardboard box isn't going to cut it, so I could care less for them. Certain systems had games that came in protective boxes to begin with (current systems, the Genesis, the Master System), so for those, yeah, I like the original, but I put the other carts into a plastic clamshell box. I do like having the original instructions when I can get them, though.

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There's too many 2600 boxes to think about collecting them all unless you've gone off the deep end. So, I limit myself to certain lines, like Atari-brand color and silver mostly. And Activision. The other brands, I just get as I find them cheap, or ones I particularly like, or in lots or whatever but have no intention of having them all. I've started to get rid of a few third-party ones altogether, and just keeping one or two from that brand and getting rid of the rest. On some of them the box art isn't all that distinct between carts in a brand, so why keep them all?

 

I'd like to just find boxes, but usually I find CIB. Since I have the majority of 2600 carts and manuals that I want, I'm ending up with two collections, one boxed and one loose, so I'll soon have a pretty decent loose collection to sell since I won't keep both. I've found a few label variations and catalogs etc that I didn't have before in the CIB's though, so it hasn't been a totally redundant effort. I now just wish I had gotten at least all the common ones CIB to begin with, so I wouldn't have the problem at all now.

 

The box art is just not the same in a scan. Especially the Atari-brand art is just so incredible.

Edited by Mirage1972
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Those Activision boxes did a pretty good job of protection, though. There is not a spot of plaque on the labels larger than a pinhead on any of the five Activision games I got. Some of the boxes look a little rough, though. They were probably well kept for the most part, and that would have helped.

In that case, though, the boxes protected against sunlight, which I understand is the #1 cause of actiplaque.

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I'll get boxes if they come with the games for a good price, but I usually don't keep them. My main aim for collecting is the love for gameplay. As the title of the thread says, 'you can't play the box'. Right now, I think I have 'Demons to Diamonds' and 'Frogger' boxes, plus four or five factory-sealed Pac Man games (if you know anyone who wants one, send 'em my way, eh?). :P

 

Maybe if I had more space, I would think harder about it, but I can't imagine I would truly change my mind. Now manuals are another matter entirely. I will be posting my want list for those as soon as I have more money! :cool:

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I had to think hard about keeping a load of boxed games I got for $2 a pop yesterday. I think I've decided to keep 'em, and after a look at Al's database, my wife told me not to sell the Sunrise version of Quest for Quintana Roo.

So you got a Sunrise QFQR CIB for $2! That is a great score :)

 

Yep. pix are over in the Thrift Finds thread.

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I'm aiming for a complete 7800 boxed collection, as that's actually possible. I also prefer boxed versions of Lynx games. For the 2600, I'm going for boxed for the Red lables. Outside that, I am not interested. If it's difficult to get the games boxed (say $50 difficult) I won't even try. Also, for me the quality of the box isn't important. Some are in worse shape now than when I bought them, because I don't treat them lightly. I imagine they'll eventually look like my old nES boxes: beat up but still legible.

 

I only collect them because I like the way the collection looks with them, as opposed to simple end lables. Other than that, I really couldn't care less.

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Boxes are great if they are affordable. Doubling the value of a game to get cardboard always seemed a bit silly to me, but then, I collect to play more than anything. I think it's a personality thing. It seems to depend on either wanting/appreciating the artwork on the boxes, or being more of the 'completist' type. I'm more of a game hobo ;)

 

As I've said before, I rescue all the carts with 'Tommy' written on them in sharpie marker :D

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I don't really consider myself a collector. I'm more of a "keeper". I kept all of my original Atari games in their original boxes because I liked the way they looked, and it kept everything (manual, game, the occasional overlay) in one place. It's a little weird, because I never kept the original boxes for anything other than video games. Probably because everything else (toys, plastic model kits, etc.,) were designed to be displayed/kept/used outside of their original packaging. With games, you had to have some means of storing them anyway, so why not keep them in their boxes? I did have a bunch of cart holders on my wall for awhile, where I kept most of my cartridges that I played frequently. But I still hung onto the boxes. Eventually, when I lost interest in Atari, they went back into the boxes, and the cart holders went away (not sure what happened to them). Since I've gotten back into Atari, I've only actively sought out two* boxed games to "collect", and only because they were two games I meant to buy back-in-the-day, but for one reason or other, didn't. Since everything else I have is boxed - I want the last two to match. I already have one - Threshold. The other... well, that's going to be a bit tougher to find.

 

* Actually, this is only partially correct. I didn't keep the box that Tron Deadly Discs/Adventures of Tron/the Tron joystick came in. So I've also picked up individual boxes for those two games.

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I keep my boxes and manuals, but I don't keep the games in the boxes. I think that's stupid. Too much of a chance of damaging your boxes over time. If you don't have to worry about fading from light, there's still the problem of opening the flap countless times or the oils in your hands damaging the boxes or dipshits dumping something on your boxes or touching your boxes with their greasy, sticky hands since so many people seem to be afraid of water, so they don't wash their hands after they eat or piss or squeeze out turds that have a higher IQ than they do.

 

When I see photos of collections where all of the games are still in the boxes, I always wonder if the owners of those collections are on drugs or if they are just oblivious to the damage that will eventually happen.

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I started collecting loose.

Now I'm at a point in my collection where most of the stuff I need has a stupid crazy price tag.

 

So it was either sit and way and hope for the amazing auction that nobody notices or the occasional tag sale manual.

 

Then I noticed another option that I swore I would never do...

COLLECT BOXES !

 

A whole new world opened up! There was stuff I didn't have for $3 - $5 again all over the place!

It was like I was just starting out again and could get all kinds of crazy stuff I didn't have for unbelievably low prices!

 

Call it the box bug, but I think it is a normal progression in collecting.

 

Don't get me wrong, if I can add something to my collection as a loose cart, I am still all over it.

(But if it's in a box, so much the better!)

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My opinion on boxes is if it comes with one, fine, if not, no big deal. I keep what boxes I have folded flat and stored in a tote. I'm more into collecting instruction manuals. Same art that's on the box, only more useful!

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I'm mainly into carts and instruction manuals. I have a bunch of boxes and wouldn't turn one down but I don't go out of my way to get them or specifically collect them. In fact, when we moved 3 years ago I sold my Music Machine and Coke Wins boxes. I miss them at times but I'm sure their new owners are giving them a good home and more attention.

With the exception of Intellivision games - which I DO want complete because they're... well... just so cool!! - I agree with cvga 100%. :)

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I keep my boxes and manuals, but I don't keep the games in the boxes. I think that's stupid. Too much of a chance of damaging your boxes over time. If you don't have to worry about fading from light, there's still the problem of opening the flap countless times or the oils in your hands damaging the boxes or dipshits dumping something on your boxes or touching your boxes with their greasy, sticky hands since so many people seem to be afraid of water, so they don't wash their hands after they eat or piss or squeeze out turds that have a higher IQ than they do.

 

When I see photos of collections where all of the games are still in the boxes, I always wonder if the owners of those collections are on drugs or if they are just oblivious to the damage that will eventually happen.

Ah yes... the playground name-caller once again rears his head. Just for the record, I think your appearance is peculiar, and your mother dresses you in a rather disagreeable manner.

 

And you smell like poo.

 

I keep my games in my boxes, because that's what I keep the boxes for.

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