Went "fishing" today at the goodwill!

[KAZ]

I wanted to share some happiness with you guys:

 

One of my favorite pasttimes has been to go "fishing" for classic stuff at my local goodwill. My routine is to do a sweep of the store, it takes only like 5 minutes, and then I leave. The past few days have turned up nothing. My last score there was an Atari 2600 Trakball, but that was like two weeks ago.

 

I compare it to fishing, because I never know what I could find there. Today I saw it...a box with cords in it. I knew it was going to be something special. On closer inspection, it was a box full of Atari 2600 stuff, I couldn't believe it. There was some crap sega genesis stuff in there too (like catching a sun fish compared to a walleye).

 

There were like 12 cartridges, and a whole mess of manuals, and old controllers, and cords. I carefully weeded out everything that I required. I picked up three carts that were in decent shape. I passed up a pong sports because the label was terrible.

 

I picked up the following for 10 bucks, being it was from "the wild" it was worth it to me:

 

Canyon Bomber

Sky Jinks

Enduro

 

Manuals:

Activision Cartridge Catalog

Atlantis Instructions

Enduro rules and regulations

Nintendo Control Deck manual

Ice Hockey Instructions

Nintendo Zapper Instructions

Frogger Instructions

Combat Instructions

Data Age Catalog

Pac-Man Instructions

Defend Atlantis Contest

Sky Jinks Instructions

Imagic Catalog

ET Instructions (and a secret map to the million missing carts)

Haunted House Instructions

 

I bought all the instructions for just $.99 (that's what they charged me).

 

I was definitely satisfied with my score. This only makes me want to go "fishing" there even more often. I wonder if it is a good idea to go there right when it opens. Does anyone have a grand "goodwill" strategy they've used in the past. Or some secret phrase I can tell an employee to unlock a secret vault full of goodies?

[KAZ]

I'll commit a "faus pax" and reply to my own post.

 

More than just the fishing for the stuff in the wild, this is what I do with the carts next:

 

I first test their durability by running them over with my car, j/k

 

Well, I get out my isopropyl alcohol, and I swab the insides of the carts, till they are sparkling. I go on my computer and record the date and location I got them from, or in the very least I record them in my Atari 2600 collection list.

 

I kneel down by a picture of the great Nolan Bushnell, and recite an arcane verse. I pray that nothing bad will befall my Darth Vader upon using the cart.

 

Then I just play the game.

[lonesome_pa]

What!?!?!?! Did I read your post right??? You had a good find and have made no offering or even a word of thanks to Bira Bira??? Instead, you thank Bushnell? Interesting.........

[Ridenmy65]

Some of you guys crack me up.. Most of my friends think I am nuts when I tell them I spent my saturday morning in thrift stores and flea markets looking for games. Then I come to Atariage, or I go into the game room and play yars' revenge for a while, and then I remember why I do it. Anyway, I know it's not as big as philly or vegas but hopefully I will see some of you guys at the Raleigh show.

 

 

Angelo

[Ed Siegler]

Are there any Goodwill stores, or anything like that in the Philadelphia area?

[Raijin Z]

I know there's one in Sharon. By Lowes and Long John Silver's.

[Ed Siegler]

I'm not 100% familiar with that area. Where is that? I would be comming in from King Of Prussia. Still new to this area.

[Cassidy Nolen]

King of Prussia is down the road from PhillyClassic!

 

Wait till that fishing trip in April!

 

Cassidy

[Ed Siegler]

The sad thing is that I never knew about it until I just recently hhoked up with David Neuman. I'm looking forward to that one. I'm thinking of bringing my Asteroids Cocktail table there to sell for 2600 stuff. Sad, isn't it? I restored it and now lost interest in it since I got back into the 2600 full force.

[Ridenmy65]

I would be interested in that asteroids table!!!!!!!

 

[email protected]

 

 

Angelo

[Cassidy Nolen]

Just sent you a private message.

 

Cassidy

[Raijin Z]

Sharon is just inside the north-ish western border of PA. Yahoo or Lycos Maps can locate it for you.