Master Phruby Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 But when do you draw the line between collector and hoarder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammR25 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I haven't been on the show Hoarders yet so I'd say I'm a comedic collector at the moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennetzel Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Hoarders keep things. They don't usually collect. They don't throw stuff away. They get a newspaper, and it stays in the house. They get a box from UPS, they keep the item, and the box. They keep the cans from the food they eat, the wrappers, the boxes. They throw nothing out. Collectors get stuff. They go out of their way to get something that usually pertains to their collection. An Atari collector gets Atari stuff, nothing else. Now if they are video game collectors, then it's whide open, but it is still video game oriented. If they collect robots, like I do, I get robots. They don't just show up and I decided not to toss them out. I have to get them. That is the difference between a collector and a hoarder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I think when I broke 100 different games it became serious for me. When I decided to keep boxes, that bumped me up. When I started looking at all carts for variations and contributed to the variation list, I took it more seriously. Now I can't know what I've become amassing over 600 different titles, about 350 boxed, some prototypes, and running the variation website. It's much more than collecting. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 But when do you draw the line between collector and hoarder? Hoaders are people who cannot or will not part with anything. Trading, selling, and giving away your stuff constitutes you're not a hoarder, even though you may have amassed tons of stuff and your house is still packed full. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Manhattan Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I was driving around with a 17" color TV on the back seat of my car. In the trunk I had a 2600 and a bag full of games. My friends and I would sneak into various buldings, squat for the evening, and play Atari games all night. This was the late 90s. Soon after I started vising flea markets, goodwill, etc. I drove hundreds of miles just to find Atari games. That's when I realized that I had a serious collecting habit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyx_Fail Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I think collecting became "serious" for me when I realized that I had exhausted the supplies of all area yard sales, thrift stores, used book stores, craigslist ads, and gaming stores that had anything remotely related to Atari 2600. Come to think of it, I haven't dredged the area in a while. Bet I could find some cool stuff now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I think collecting became "serious" for me when I realized that I had exhausted the supplies of all area yard sales, thrift stores, used book stores, craigslist ads, and gaming stores that had anything remotely related to Atari 2600. Come to think of it, I haven't dredged the area in a while. Bet I could find some cool stuff now. Holy smokes!!!! Where have you been hiding??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyx_Fail Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Holy smokes!!!! Where have you been hiding??? Well, I was playing California Games during a crazy-ass lightning storm... then the next thing I remember it's 2013. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Well, I was playing California Games during a crazy-ass lightning storm... then the next thing I remember it's 2013. Great Scott! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aamp Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 When you have recurring dreams of going into a pawn shop, thrift store, or flea market and find either very rare games or games that never existed. I can't even describe how many times I've bought Rambo or something like that only to wake up disappointed. Uh oh.. What about non-existant atari-related consoles ? When you go to bed, holding that 2600 close to your chest. Does just having it in the bedroom for one night count ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyx_Fail Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I dream in 8-bit. My girlfriend asked me, "So, who's Stella?". I was ninja E.T. for Halloween. I keep hoping for Epyx to release Spring Games and Fall Games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csonicgo Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) I'd say it's probably when your heart skips a beat upon finding a label variant. "Ooh, the elusive lowercase Missile Command!" Like I don't have 4 of those already? Jeez. Edited January 14, 2013 by Csonicgo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7800 Emucoder Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I never did, and never will. I have no interest in hording overpriced "collectables" to sit on a shelf in some protective casing. I like playing video games, particularly retro games. If I can acquire the original system and carts/discs to play them in their original format for little to no money, great. If not, there is always emulation. I've gotten a lot of my stuff from the swap area at the town dump in my town for free. For the games that I do acquire, I do so for the sole purpose of hooking them up and playing them. If I'm not going to actually play it, I'm not buying it. So I have no need for the ultra rare games like Video Life or Chase the Chuckwagon, which absolutely suck to play. That's one of the beauties of emulation - you get to find out if games suck without having to buy them. I have no need for boxes, and care not about the condition. Typically I will tear apart classic consoles to video-mod them for use on newer TVs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 LMFAO been there, done that! Serious collectors do not have to explain anything to their wife. Its Called being a man. Top that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 For me is only a hobby to have the games that somehow I like and some CIB just for the pleasure of having them, so far I've 40 different cartridges and some CIB. My definition of a serious collector is the guy that manages to have every cartridge available Besides he has two copies of each game (one CIB carefully guarded and one loose cartridge for playing) He has played each game, even those that aren't worth playing. He knows every possible label variation and edition, he knows where the cartridges used to be sold and the original price, he knows the inner details of game companies. He is a great merchant, getting the most rare cartridges at an amazing value. And someday he will complete his collection and it will appear at eBay saying something like "all the Atari games" for mere 1 million dollars or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari181 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Serious collectors do not have to explain anything to their wife. Its Called being a man. Top that! Awwwww! Those are forum fighting words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari181 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Awwwww! Those are forum fighting words! I was kidding mostly! I had a little explaining to do over a year ago after i dropped 1,100 on spiker for intellivision! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stephena Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Personally, I never want to be a serious collector. Because for me, I just know that the OCD would kick in and I'd have to find every last cart out there. And then I'd be constantly on edge about missing out on auctions and good deals, etc, and all the fun would be sucked out of it. Basically, I know myself well enough to know that collecting would turn into an obsession. Heck, even working on Stella has partly turned into an obsession ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unbeliever Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I'm just at the point where I will collect some boxed games (the commons), but other than that I'd rather play. I have to say, though....my shelf is starting to look really nice with all those boxed Atari 2600 games sitting on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bah Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy joke: You might be an Atari collector if...... You have 12 consoles just for "spares" You have 15 different label variations of Combat You cant see the tv stand from behind the piles of 2600 carts You cant pass the Goodwill store even though you were just there this morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Personally, I never want to be a serious collector. Because for me, I just know that the OCD would kick in and I'd have to find every last cart out there. And then I'd be constantly on edge about missing out on auctions and good deals, etc, and all the fun would be sucked out of it. Basically, I know myself well enough to know that collecting would turn into an obsession. Heck, even working on Stella has partly turned into an obsession ... Good for you! Don't get bogged down and obsessive with collecting. Enjoy what you have and play what you have. I only wish I could take my own advice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy joke: You might be an Atari collector if...... You have 12 consoles just for "spares" You have 15 different label variations of Combat You cant see the tv stand from behind the piles of 2600 carts You cant pass the Goodwill store even though you were just there this morning There are actually 28 variations of Combat now. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari181 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 There are actually 28 variations of Combat now. Phil Damn! I gotta find 2 more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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