Jump to content
IGNORED

My Air Raid Auction Update


Tanman

Recommended Posts

So...I read this entire thread....but yeah, I'm STILL skeptical, even though it's April 2:

 

- Who says that a prankster doesn't have an in with someone who works at eBay who could arrange it so that nobody loses money over this? (including insertion fees, etc.)

 

- Again, the "Fraud Alert" sign and, yes, even the "Loan" reference...

 

- Why have Albert & co. not moved this thread to the eBay forum? Seems to me they're pretty adamant that all eBay threads be put there...

 

Mind you, I'm not saying it IS a joke, I'm just saying I'm skeptical. :)

 

And if it's real, I hope it DOESN'T get a lot of publicity -- you know what a bitch it'll be to shop for Atari stuff in the wild now if word gets out to the masses?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the Tanman Air Raid box really a one-of-a-kind rarity? I don't think so.

 

As a former owner of the highly coveted Air Raid game, I thought I'd chime in on what I know about it. I found my copy of Air Raid in 1999 or thereabouts. At that time, I was very interested in the history of the game because, even more so then than now, virtually nothing was known about it. And I love a good mystery. Here is what I found:

 

Shortly after my find (c. 1999), I scoured the Internet and dug through old usenet posts for anything I could find out about Air Raid. I wasn't even sure if that was the actual name of the game because the label has no text on it to identify its title, nor is the title mentioned in the game itself. Eventually, I discovered a post that was written by Terry Rutt in the late 1980's (or maybe it was the early 1990's) in which he talks of finding a blue T-handled game called Air Raid by Men-A-Vision. The thread sparked little interest among subscribers, because at that time, the game itself was so rare nobody knew what he was talking about. One very cool thing about his post, though, was that he mentioned "Men-A-Vision". Men-A-Vision is indeed the name that appeared on the game start-up screen when I popped my blue T-handeld find into my Atari VCS. So, I knew then that Terry Rutt must have known what he was talking about. The label artwork suggests Air Raid is a plausible title for the game, but I wanted to be sure. I wondered how Terry Rutt knew the title of the game. The other very cool thing about Mr. Rutt's usenet post was that he included his e-mail address at the end of the post.

 

I sent him an e-mail right away, asking him how he knew the title of the game was Air Raid. I was surprised the e-mail address was still valid, and I was even more surprised to receive his response to my e-mail a few days later.

 

He told me he knew the game was called Air Raid because he had found not only the game cartridge but the original manufacturer's box as well, and the game title "Air Raid" was printed on the box.

 

I begged him to make a scan of his Air Raid box, for the benefit of my own selfish curiosity and for the benefit of the collecting hobby at large. He said he would, if he could locate the box. He told me that locating the box would be difficult, however, because in the years that had elapsed since making his usenet post he had dropped off the map as far as active video game collecting goes, he had since moved to another state, and his collection was scattered about in unmarked boxes in his garage and other locales. He had a good job and a busy life, and fiddling with the old video game collection just wasn't a priority for him. But he did promise to look for the Air Raid box in his spare time and make a scan of it for me when he located it. I sent him monthly e-mail reminders for over a year, but he never found his box. Eventually, he stopped returning my e-mail enquiries and I gave up on asking him.

 

Ten years later, a legitimate sample of the Air Raid box has finally surfaced. This is cool. Really cool. A decades old mystery has finally been put to rest. The title of the mysterious blue T-handled game is indeed Air Raid, beyond all doubt. The title EXACTLY matches the title espoused by Terry Rutt 10 years ago.

 

Confirmation of the title begs the question: How did Terry Rutt KNOW the title of the game was Air Raid? Was it a lucky guess? Or, does present-day confirmation of the game's title lend significant credibility to Terry Rutt's claim that he "knew the game was called Air Raid because I [Rutt] have the box and the title is printed on the box."?

 

I believe Terry Rutt has a copy of the Air Raid game and box. And I believe it is only a matter of time until his copy of it finally surfaces. A high profile auction like Tanman's is just the thing to motivate Terry Rutt to go looking for his copy of the game.

Edited by Pitfall Harry
  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the Tanman Air Raid box really a one-of-a-kind rarity? I don't think so.

 

As a former owner of the highly coveted Air Raid game, I thought I'd chime in on what I know about it. I found my copy of Air Raid in 1999 or thereabouts. At that time, I was very interested in the history of the game because, even more so then than now, virtually nothing was known about it. And I love a good mystery. Here is what I found:

 

Shortly after my find (c. 1999), I scoured the Internet and dug through old usenet posts for anything I could find out about Air Raid. I wasn't even sure if that was the actual name of the game because the label has no text on it to identify its title, nor is the title mentioned in the game itself. Eventually, I discovered a post that was written by Terry Rutt in the late 1980's (or maybe it was the early 1990's) in which he talks of finding a blue T-handled game called Air Raid by Men-A-Vision. The thread sparked little interest among subscribers, because at that time, the game itself was so rare nobody knew what he was talking about. One very cool thing about his post, though, was that he mentioned "Men-A-Vision". Men-A-Vision is indeed the name that appeared on the game start-up screen when I popped my blue T-handeld find into my Atari VCS. So, I knew then that Terry Rutt must have known what he was talking about. The label artwork suggests Air Raid is a plausible title for the game, but I wanted to be sure. I wondered how Terry Rutt knew the title of the game. The other very cool thing about Mr. Rutt's usenet post was that he included his e-mail address at the end of the post.

 

I sent him an e-mail right away, asking him how he knew the title of the game was Air Raid. I was surprised the e-mail address was still valid, and I was even more surprised to receive his response to my e-mail a few days later.

 

He told me he knew the game was called Air Raid because he had found not only the game cartridge but the original manufacturer's box as well, and the game title "Air Raid" was printed on the box.

 

I begged him to make a scan of his Air Raid box, for the benefit of my own selfish curiosity and for the benefit of the collecting hobby at large. He said he would, if he could locate the box. He told me that locating the box would be difficult, however, because in the years that had elapsed since making his usenet post he had dropped off the map as far as active video game collecting goes, he had since moved to another state, and his collection was scattered about in unmarked boxes in his garage and other locales. He had a good job and a busy life, and fiddling with the old video game collection just wasn't a priority for him. But he did promise to look for the Air Raid box in his spare time and make a scan of it for me when he located it. I sent him monthly e-mail reminders for over a year, but he never found his box. Eventually, he stopped returning my e-mail enquiries and I gave up on asking him.

 

Ten years later, a legitimate sample of the Air Raid box has finally surfaced. This is cool. Really cool. A decades old mystery has finally been put to rest. The title of the mysterious blue T-handled game is indeed Air Raid, beyond all doubt. The title EXACTLY matches the title espoused by Terry Rutt 10 years ago.

 

Confirmation of the title begs the question: How did Terry Rutt KNOW the title of the game was Air Raid? Was it a lucky guess? Or, does present-day confirmation of the game's title lend significant credibility to Terry Rutt's claim that he "knew the game was called Air Raid because I [Rutt] have the box and the title is printed on the box."?

 

I believe Terry Rutt has a copy of the Air Raid game and box. And I believe it is only a matter of time until his copy of it finally surfaces. A high profile auction like Tanman's is just the thing to motivate Terry Rutt to go looking for his copy of the game.

 

:thumbsup:

 

Rick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- Who says that a prankster doesn't have an in with someone who works at eBay who could arrange it so that nobody loses money over this? (including insertion fees, etc.)

That's pretty unlikely. Even if a prankster here knew an eBay employee who also was in such a position to manipulate seller fees, I'm sure eBay has some pretty strict rules regarding this sort of thing. Who's going to risk their job for an April Fool's joke?

 

- Again, the "Fraud Alert" sign and, yes, even the "Loan" reference...

We were in a bank as Tanner wanted to put the game in a safe deposit box. He happened to be sitting in a chair with that placard next to him. I didn't even notice it when I took the picture, but I did find it highly amusing when I later opened up the photo. :D

 

- Why have Albert & co. not moved this thread to the eBay forum? Seems to me they're pretty adamant that all eBay threads be put there...

This is a somewhat unique thread regarding an extraordinarily rare Atari 2600 box of which this is the only copy to have surfaced thus far. It's just as relevant in the 2600 forum as it is the Auction forum.

 

I don't really feel any of the above points justify being overly skeptical about this box.

 

..Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the Tanman Air Raid box really a one-of-a-kind rarity? I don't think so.

 

As a former owner of the highly coveted Air Raid game, I thought I'd chime in on what I know about it. I found my copy of Air Raid in 1999 or thereabouts. At that time, I was very interested in the history of the game because, even more so then than now, virtually nothing was known about it. And I love a good mystery. Here is what I found:

 

Shortly after my find (c. 1999), I scoured the Internet and dug through old usenet posts for anything I could find out about Air Raid. I wasn't even sure if that was the actual name of the game because the label has no text on it to identify its title, nor is the title mentioned in the game itself. Eventually, I discovered a post that was written by Terry Rutt in the late 1980's (or maybe it was the early 1990's) in which he talks of finding a blue T-handled game called Air Raid by Men-A-Vision. The thread sparked little interest among subscribers, because at that time, the game itself was so rare nobody knew what he was talking about. One very cool thing about his post, though, was that he mentioned "Men-A-Vision". Men-A-Vision is indeed the name that appeared on the game start-up screen when I popped my blue T-handeld find into my Atari VCS. So, I knew then that Terry Rutt must have known what he was talking about. The label artwork suggests Air Raid is a plausible title for the game, but I wanted to be sure. I wondered how Terry Rutt knew the title of the game. The other very cool thing about Mr. Rutt's usenet post was that he included his e-mail address at the end of the post.

 

I sent him an e-mail right away, asking him how he knew the title of the game was Air Raid. I was surprised the e-mail address was still valid, and I was even more surprised to receive his response to my e-mail a few days later.

 

He told me he knew the game was called Air Raid because he had found not only the game cartridge but the original manufacturer's box as well, and the game title "Air Raid" was printed on the box.

 

I begged him to make a scan of his Air Raid box, for the benefit of my own selfish curiosity and for the benefit of the collecting hobby at large. He said he would, if he could locate the box. He told me that locating the box would be difficult, however, because in the years that had elapsed since making his usenet post he had dropped off the map as far as active video game collecting goes, he had since moved to another state, and his collection was scattered about in unmarked boxes in his garage and other locales. He had a good job and a busy life, and fiddling with the old video game collection just wasn't a priority for him. But he did promise to look for the Air Raid box in his spare time and make a scan of it for me when he located it. I sent him monthly e-mail reminders for over a year, but he never found his box. Eventually, he stopped returning my e-mail enquiries and I gave up on asking him.

 

Ten years later, a legitimate sample of the Air Raid box has finally surfaced. This is cool. Really cool. A decades old mystery has finally been put to rest. The title of the mysterious blue T-handled game is indeed Air Raid, beyond all doubt. The title EXACTLY matches the title espoused by Terry Rutt 10 years ago.

 

Confirmation of the title begs the question: How did Terry Rutt KNOW the title of the game was Air Raid? Was it a lucky guess? Or, does present-day confirmation of the game's title lend significant credibility to Terry Rutt's claim that he "knew the game was called Air Raid because I [Rutt] have the box and the title is printed on the box."?

 

I believe Terry Rutt has a copy of the Air Raid game and box. And I believe it is only a matter of time until his copy of it finally surfaces. A high profile auction like Tanman's is just the thing to motivate Terry Rutt to go looking for his copy of the game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Grandpa Joe says, "There is plenty of money out there. They can always print more. But there are only 5 golden tickets." There are plenty of nice items and money out there, but so far only 1 Air Raid box.

 

Phil

 

I'm goofy, it was Grandpa George. This line is from the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

 

Phil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pitfall Harry, thanks for taking the time to writeup the information regarding Terry Rutt's copy of Air Raid. Perhaps he will see this and be inspired to once again hunt down his copy. If it does surface someday, that would more firmly cement that this is a legitimate box. That is, assuming it would match this box. :)

 

I found the Usenet post from 1995 that you referenced:

 

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.classic/browse_thread/thread/95eeb1a7b5ac59d0/b9512dd721ea7811?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Terry+Rutt%22+air+raid#b9512dd721ea7811

 

Air-Raid: By Men-a-Vision. Previously unknown title and company. This

is not a proto but extremely rare. Original effort (not a knock-off).

Baby-blue T-handle casing. Anyone else have one? Why it lists for only

$20 in DPPG is beyond me.

..Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pitfall Harry, thanks for taking the time to writeup the information regarding Terry Rutt's copy of Air Raid. Perhaps he will see this and be inspired to once again hunt down his copy. If it does surface someday, that would more firmly cement that this is a legitimate box. That is, assuming it would match this box. :)

 

I found the Usenet post from 1995 that you referenced:

 

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.classic/browse_thread/thread/95eeb1a7b5ac59d0/b9512dd721ea7811?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Terry+Rutt%22+air+raid#b9512dd721ea7811

 

Air-Raid: By Men-a-Vision. Previously unknown title and company. This

is not a proto but extremely rare. Original effort (not a knock-off).

Baby-blue T-handle casing. Anyone else have one? Why it lists for only

$20 in DPPG is beyond me.

..Al

 

If he cannot fine his box to get pictures of from 15 years ago, can anybody get in touch with him to see if he can confirm that his looked like the one on eBay? That should end a lot of doubts if any are remaining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I for one am happy that we have convinced Tanman that we are a slightly rowdy and very goofy bunch of fun and entertaining people rather than the posse of jerks he initially thought we were! I hope you become a permanent fixture at AtariAge and soon you will catch that collecting bug like all of us! You'll be posting huge 'show us your collection' pictures in no time I bet, since when that 2600 collecting bug bites a person it bites a person hard!! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I for one am happy that we have convinced Tanman that we are a slightly rowdy and very goofy bunch of fun and entertaining people rather than the posse of jerks he initially thought we were! I hope you become a permanent fixture at AtariAge and soon you will catch that collecting bug like all of us! You'll be posting huge 'show us your collection' pictures in no time I bet, since when that 2600 collecting bug bites a person it bites a person hard!! ;)

 

If he gets $25K - $40K he could have a fairly nice collection :D Personally, I've always said when watching Antiques Roadshow and some schmuck comes up with a $50K+ painting... then says "oh I'm going to keep it." Sell it! But before you do have Kinkos make you a real nice print, frame that sucker, and put a copy of the canceled check in the frame with your knock off. Trust me, it will be more fun, especially if you don't have a million bucks in the bank already.

 

I love a valuable game as much as the next collector but when it comes to THAT kind of money, personally, I think a repro is justified. I'll never own a few games... I've accepted that. Would I kill a condor or vulture cart and paint it blue and pay a couple hundred to have a really convincing repro of Air Raid... you bet. I'm okay with a PAL stadium events too :D

 

AX

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[*]That label shows a lot of wear (spotting) for being in a box. I was checking out my boxed games with picture labels and none of them look like that.

 

Off all the Air Raid's I have seen pictures of, they all look like that. Wonder why...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the first auction, he mentioned it was the unique shape of the cart that caught his eye. I ask, how could he see through the box? Well, he mentioned it might have had a window in it. But here, we see no window. I was hoping the OP could explain this.

 

-Rob

He already explained that he was confusing it with the insert inside the box, which is what he was remembering. The game wasn't sealed, so he was apparently able to remove it and look at the cartridge.

 

 

Ok gotcha. I must have misunderstood. I figured it was something simple. What kind of store is Tuesday Morning? They didn't keep games behind the counter?

 

Who was it that made the original "Gatefold Statement?" It was from an early game magazine, right?

 

-Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Ok gotcha. I must have misunderstood. I figured it was something simple. What kind of store is Tuesday Morning? They didn't keep games behind the counter?

 

Who was it that made the original "Gatefold Statement?" It was from an early game magazine, right?

 

-Rob

 

It's a sorta upscale ritzy Big Lots :) Closeout stuff at rock bottom prices.

I don't remember all that many games being behind counters circa 1984 or so.

Wp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just think it's interesting that this Terry Rutt on Face book goes by Terutt, the same user name at the very bottom of the old usenet post. Also, they are in TEXAS... Coincidence? I think not!

Sounds like I will need to make a trip! Unless they are also in Austin. :D

 

..Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, and I made peace with the one gentleman with the money comment.

I have gone back reread the thread. This is the first online community I have been apart of and the groping dynamics are new to me. Basically, everyone talks to everyone like they are roommates but everyone are still kinda strangers.

I am not going anywhere after the auction. The collector bug has bit and I want to find the next holy Grail. Maybe a second ewok cart! :)

 

 

Well, I for one am happy that we have convinced Tanman that we are a slightly rowdy and very goofy bunch of fun and entertaining people rather than the posse of jerks he initially thought we were! I hope you become a permanent fixture at AtariAge and soon you will catch that collecting bug like all of us! You'll be posting huge 'show us your collection' pictures in no time I bet, since when that 2600 collecting bug bites a person it bites a person hard!! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, and I made peace with the one gentleman with the money comment.

I have gone back reread the thread. This is the first online community I have been apart of and the groping dynamics are new to me. Basically, everyone talks to everyone like they are roommates but everyone are still kinda strangers.

I am not going anywhere after the auction. The collector bug has bit and I want to find the next holy Grail. Maybe a second ewok cart! :)

 

Hope about the Personal Game Programmer? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...