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The beginning of my Atari 2600 Collecting!


Dreammary

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Yes its my first Atari; so I jumped the gun a bit when I saw the ad.

 

With all honesty, I had never seen an Atari at a pawn shop or anywhere else in my area; so I had no base to value it from. I actually got the idea to buy one from an episode of "Pawn Stars."

 

You got a fair deal. Most important, you got something you will enjoy. Some folks make a nice side business out of buying and selling classic games but, truthfully, this is no way to get rich. If you enjoy the games and the history, you will love collecting. As you spend more time researching your purchases, you will be able to spot a good deal from a mile away.

 

The price you paid is right on par with a fair eBay/craigslist purchase. With the right amount of knowledge and experience, you would have been able to find a better deal, but not by much. Most of the real "steals" are grabbed up quickly by those who are looking all the time and know what they are looking for.

 

You might have done a little bit better but, you certainly could have done A LOT worse!!! Just enjoy the games and the future collecting!

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Yes its my first Atari; so I jumped the gun a bit when I saw the ad.

 

With all honesty, I had never seen an Atari at a pawn shop or anywhere else in my area; so I had no base to value it from. I actually got the idea to buy one from an episode of "Pawn Stars."

 

As long as it was under $100. It's alright, not bad. It's a woodgrain 4 switch system,

which are pretty reliable, with my experience. :thumbsup:

 

If it's what you want, you did just fine. The case, + game sellection are a nifty plus.

 

I actually like to find games with the instruction manuals, reading them really can teach you game tricks and gets you the most out of each game.

 

You might want to ask around here (marketplace section) and stick around the forums, someone could get you a good deal on more games.

 

(I can't I have no duplicates anymore)

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i just recently pick up a 2600 on craigstlist for $15 just a 6 switch system no hookups. thats all the women had i hooked up it up and the damn thing worked. the funniest thing was that it had the clearest picture out of 3 other systems i own. you cant beat a FREE system when you can find someone cleaning out a house. two of my systems were given to me from people cleanin out and ready to throw them to the curb. once you one system you just cant stop its so addicting.

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You got some good games to start off. And a good amount of them. One of the best things about the 2600 is that there are so many good games. You can keep updating your collection for years and always have a fun and varied bunch of games to play. Once the store opens again here at Atari Age you can check out some new homebrews as well. You'd be amazed at what is being made now. And of course there are some great games from the 70s and 80s as well.

 

Welcome to Atari Age!

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A bit high, but not a big deal. It's a nice start to a really fun hobby. There is a lot to learn and the longer you do it, the quicker you will learn to spot deals and build on your collection.

 

Some things I wish I knew when I started...

 

Decide what you want to collect. Label variations, joysticks, Atari Age magazines, the pong units, activision patches, etc. It goes on and on. What Atari stuff you collect will probably change over time, but it's nice to have an idea of the direction you want to go.

 

Collect boxes for games! When I first started, I thought that box collecting was a bit overboard. I passed on a lot of good deals for game boxes. I was a few years in when I finally got (what we call 'round here) "bitten by the box bug". Almost 600 carts and less than 200 boxes... I am proud of my collection and all, but that's quite a gap between boxed games and loose that I wish wasn't there.

 

Stay away from any "Hozer" games. I am lucky enough to never have fallen for any of these games, but if you are on Ebay, stay away from Hozer. The reproductions he makes of games are usually poor quality and a lot of people have been fooled by his "rare carts" that are really just reproductions.

 

Have fun! Tag sale and flea market season is right around the corner. There are a lot of great people here to buy and trade with.

 

Oh, and buy Tunnel Runner immediately and play the hell out of it.

 

Then read the Knight Rider thread.

 

Then learn about the treasures of swordquest and try to find the member here who won one, becuase, I mean, how cool is that...

 

Then read the Atari Landfill thread.

 

And never use armor all to clean your atari...

 

Anyway... welcome aboard!

 

 

 

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@Red5 - Atari 2600 are obscure and incredibly hard to find where I live so I was getting tired of hunting for a cheap one and took what I could find. Its very clean and has a great signal quality.

 

Besides he actually let me pick the games I got, he said pick any 18.

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