My Air Raid Auction Update

[GeneralHellfire]

Its now up to $6500.

 

I'm addicted to this thread. I hope the shakes won't be too bad when this is all over.

 

I never said whether I thought it was real or hoax, but I did go out to eBay on the 1st and vote with my wallet about $1500 ago.

 

Only problem I have bidding to win this centerpiece is that Sping is here, and I could use a speed boat, new convertible, or maybe a lake home.

True enough, but here is something to ponder. There are a ton of speed boats, convertibles, and lake homes. They will always be available to buy. This on the other hand will not.

 

 

Excellent point.

 

But as I walked into my inventory closet preparing to pull more money out of my wallet and pondering if and how to explain this to my wife, I caught a glimpse of MotoRodeo and Ikari Warriors... games I purchased complete prior to their slide.

[homerwannabee]

Its now up to $6500.

 

I'm addicted to this thread. I hope the shakes won't be too bad when this is all over.

 

I never said whether I thought it was real or hoax, but I did go out to eBay on the 1st and vote with my wallet about $1500 ago.

 

Only problem I have bidding to win this centerpiece is that Sping is here, and I could use a speed boat, new convertible, or maybe a lake home.

True enough, but here is something to ponder. There are a ton of speed boats, convertibles, and lake homes. They will always be available to buy. This on the other hand will not.

 

 

Excellent point.

 

But as I walked into my inventory closet preparing to pull more money out of my wallet and pondering if and how to explain this to my wife, I caught a glimpse of MotoRodeo and Ikari Warriors... games I purchased complete prior to their slide.

Man, sometimes me liking to argue is a problem. But here are a couple of things different from those games, and Air Raid.

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo were made in 1989/1990

Air Raid was made in 1982

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo's warehouse find was in 2005. That is only a 16 year difference. A find like this is pretty common.

 

It is now going on 28 years since this game was made. Odds of a find like this after that many years is drastically lower.

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo were made by Atari. A well known company that is not going to make a print run less than the thousands. The exception to this rule is Pepsi Invaders which was done as a special service to the Coca-Cola company.

 

Air Raid was made by Men-A-Vision. A fly by night company that jumped onto the 3rd party Video Game making craze of 1982. A company that would be more likely to have a test run of games in the dozens to test the waters of the market.

[jahfish]

...

But reading all the comments regarding the composition of this item - I really don't agree that it would be overtly hard to make one of these. Obviously one wouldn't do it for an april fools hoax - there is just too much time and money involved for a hoax.

...

 

too much time for a single box ... but not if u plan on doing say a hundred repros ...

 

and there's a few people that have the tools to professionaly cut a box, we know that.

 

yellowing can be done by rubbing a wet teabag onto paper, as simple as that.

 

i think the box looks too good, compared to the wear some of his other boxes have ... lots of stains and rubbed off color, but the box itself looks pretty much intact ...

 

i won't eat a crow yet!

[Hornpipe2]

You know I would ordinarily never bid on this, but the free shipping makes it mighty tempting!

[Albert]

i think the box looks too good, compared to the wear some of his other boxes have ... lots of stains and rubbed off color, but the box itself looks pretty much intact ...

There is plenty of wear on the box, and that wear is more readily visible when looking at the game in good light. Much of the wear isn't visible in the pictures, but it's there. The pictures do show some of the more "extreme" wear, though, such as the various creases, as well as the puncture on the front of the box. Aside from those items, overall the box is in good condition.

 

..Al

[GeneralHellfire]

Its now up to $6500.

 

I'm addicted to this thread. I hope the shakes won't be too bad when this is all over.

 

I never said whether I thought it was real or hoax, but I did go out to eBay on the 1st and vote with my wallet about $1500 ago.

 

Only problem I have bidding to win this centerpiece is that Sping is here, and I could use a speed boat, new convertible, or maybe a lake home.

True enough, but here is something to ponder. There are a ton of speed boats, convertibles, and lake homes. They will always be available to buy. This on the other hand will not.

 

 

Excellent point.

 

But as I walked into my inventory closet preparing to pull more money out of my wallet and pondering if and how to explain this to my wife, I caught a glimpse of MotoRodeo and Ikari Warriors... games I purchased complete prior to their slide.

Man, sometimes me liking to argue is a problem. But here are a couple of things different from those games, and Air Raid.

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo were made in 1989/1990

Air Raid was made in 1982

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo's warehouse find was in 2005. That is only a 16 year difference. A find like this is pretty common.

 

It is now going on 28 years since this game was made. Odds of a find like this after that many years is drastically lower.

 

Ikari Warriors, and MotoRodeo were made by Atari. A well known company that is not going to make a print run less than the thousands.

 

Air Raid was made by Men-A-Vision. A fly by night company that jumped onto the 3rd party Video Game making craze of 1982. A company that would be more likely to have a test run of games in the dozens to test the waters of the market.

 

 

All excellent points.

 

But as one of the market makers, villians, dumb as$es or whatever your favorite title is for individuals who have spent thousands on 2600 games, this becomes a little philosophical for me at these prices.

 

I'm prepared (both proven in the past and willing in the future) to pay a premium for my ignorance or impatience in this hobby, but I can't get my head around paying the premium that would be required for a one-of-a-kind item on just the hope that it is... no matter how remote the contrary.

 

This auction is certainly headed toward one-of-a-kind pricing (i think it's at record levels already), and I hope for the winner that it is the one and only Everest. I'm serious about that. Until such time as there is another box found, Tanman is my personal Sir Edmund Hillary, and Al is Tenzing Norgay.

[4ever2600]

Well it looks like I've had to eat my words... The April fools joke that turned out real... This is just incredible stuff! I wish I had the type of money to own this... Sigh...

[GeneralHellfire]

Homer,,, one last thought on the speedboat analogy before I extract myself from this Air Raid crack for a while.

 

If I buy a speedboat today, it will be a speedboat tomorrow. I will not wake up tomorrow and my beloved speedboat will have morphed into a rowboat.

 

The idea of once bitten / twice shy is about heartbreak - not money.

[atari_envy]

Greatest.

 

Thread.

 

Ever.

 

Another vote for real-deal. I have been looking long and hard at the OP's pictures and Albert's pics and comments.

 

So given that we have good pics and Albert's word after visually inspecting the box, what else can be done to convince the doubters? Probably nothing I guess. I was recently talking to person who doesn't believe the moon landing every happened. It was a hoax by our government, and nothing I or anyone else could say or do could change his mind.

 

Lastly, this was actually the perfect April Fool's joke. Think about it -- everyone was EXPECTING a hoax/conterfeit item. We were actually fooled because it was real.

[Keatah]

No reason to get hyped up over a paper box.. It is just that, a cardboard box!

[AtariLeaf]

No reason to get hyped up over a paper box.. It is just that, a cardboard box!

 

Maybe someone should burn it

[DDtMM]

Hi, I've been collecting 2600 for a while, figured I'd weigh in on this because I like to be on really long threads on forums.

 

• 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. It resembles many of my loose games, however. Of course it could be a matter that mine are in a nice a/c house and his Air Raid was in an attic somewhere.
  
• If you go to http://everything2.com/user/passport/writeups/air+raid, it says a boxed version was sold for $1500. Who the heck has that box? The write up was in 2001.
  
• In the pics, one of the side shots says M707. If you were to turn 707 over on a calculator it would spell LOL. Though what the heck is LOLW?
  

 

With all that I still have a gut feeling that this is legit. I also have a gut feeling my wife would kill me if I bought that.

 

Good luck to whomever ends up buying this.

[Albert]

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. It resembles many of my loose games, however. Of course it could be a matter that mine are in a nice a/c house and his Air Raid was in an attic somewhere.

This really isn't too unusual. Depends on the type of label material and the glue used. Some labels are more prone to this than others. For instance, Activision labels are notorious for their "Actiplaque". I've opened brand new games and have seen this type of mottling.

 

If you go to http://everything2.com/user/passport/writeups/air+raid, it says a boxed version was sold for $1500. Who the heck has that box? The write up was in 2001.

Interesting, I don't know anything about that.

 

In the pics, one of the side shots says M707. If you were to turn 707 over on a calculator it would spell LOL. Though what the heck is LOLW?

This came up earlier in the thread. I don't personally give it much credence.

 

..Al

[atari_envy]

No reason to get hyped up over a paper box.. It is just that, a cardboard box!

In your wallet you will find a bunch of paper with pictures with dead presidents, check your wife's wallet, too (there is probably a lot more than you have). I will send you my address and you can mail it all to me.

 

It is just paper!

[Wickeycolumbus]

If you go to http://everything2.com/user/passport/writeups/air+raid, it says a boxed version was sold for $1500. Who the heck has that box? The write up was in 2001.

Interesting, I don't know anything about that.

 

Perhaps it's the same one JerryG was talking about.

[Valler]

• In the pics, one of the side shots says M707. If you were to turn 707 over on a calculator it would spell LOL. Though what the heck is LOLW?
  

It's a clue as to why 42 is the answer to the ultimate question.

 

Perhaps 42 is the total number of Air Raid carts.

Edited April 2, 2010 by Valler

[homerwannabee]

If you go to http://everything2.com/user/passport/writeups/air+raid, it says a boxed version was sold for $1500. Who the heck has that box? The write up was in 2001.

Interesting, I don't know anything about that.

 

Perhaps it's the same one JerryG was talking about.

Oh, wow this one story slipped past my radar. I included it as part of the list.

[atari_envy]

Until such time as there is another box found, Tanman is my personal Sir Edmund Hillary, and Al is Tenzing Norgay.

 

Indeed. Here is the photo took of the historic moment.

[the.golden.ax]

Until such time as there is another box found, Tanman is my personal Sir Edmund Hillary, and Al is Tenzing Norgay.

 

Indeed. Here is the photo took of the historic moment.

 

 

Al has a very big head.

 

AX

[atari_envy]

Until such time as there is another box found, Tanman is my personal Sir Edmund Hillary, and Al is Tenzing Norgay.

 

Indeed. Here is the photo took of the historic moment.

 

 

Al has a very big head.

 

AX

 

He got it from running this site

[Philflound]

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

[GeneralHellfire]

• In the pics, one of the side shots says M707. If you were to turn 707 over on a calculator it would spell LOL. Though what the heck is LOLW?
  

It's a clue as to why 42 is the answer to the ultimate question.

 

Perhaps 42 is the total number of Air Raid carts.

 

 

Perhaps 42 is the average number of years it takes to turn up a carton of boxes for an obscure company like Men-a-vision... beware 2024

[Philflound]

• In the pics, one of the side shots says M707. If you were to turn 707 over on a calculator it would spell LOL. Though what the heck is LOLW?
  

It's a clue as to why 42 is the answer to the ultimate question.

 

Perhaps 42 is the total number of Air Raid carts.

 

When a company makes a product, they are in it to make a profit. There had to be a decent number of these created to offset cost of cartridge mold, insert of box, and outer box. Pirate or not, people don't make things for collectors, especially back in the 1980s.

 

Phil

[GeneralHellfire]

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

 

Indeed.

 

We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

 

So shines a good deed (find) in a weary world.

[DickNixonArisen]

I'm torn. Everything looks real (the fact that the box is in relatively good shape is weird but certainly not impossible) and the cart is unmistakable, but it WAS posted on April first. Why do that? A coincidental 1 out of 365 chance? Eh.

 

I trust for now, but if I'm mislead... may Bira Bira eat their souls!