Alamogordo approves Atari excavation

[+rdemming]

Man, a blast from the past. Geraldo and Al Capone's vault. Yeppers, I watched it live too. I would watch this dig live if it happened that way. I love being disappointed!

 

 

Then you probably also enjoyed watching the live broadcast on National Geographics a few years ago where they put a small camera in the door they found in the great pyramid shaft only to find there was another door behind it

[Grig]

Then you probably also enjoyed watching the live broadcast on National Geographics a few years ago where they put a small camera in the door they found in the great pyramid shaft only to find there was another door behind it

 

Yeah, I remember that too. Didn't watch it but I remember people at work talking about it. Maybe one of these days we will also find out that Ulysses S Grant really is buried in Grant's Tomb.

[AtariDude]

Lets say for argument's sake that they do find ET cartridges and perhaps other items. Suppose they decide that they want to auction some of the things that they find Atari related from the dump site. Do you think it would be worth much to anyone?

[+Random Terrain]

Lets say for argument's sake that they do find ET cartridges and perhaps other items. Suppose they decide that they want to auction some of the things that they find Atari related from the dump site. Do you think it would be worth much to anyone?

 

It would be worth at least this much to people:

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/212888-alamogordo-approves-atari-excavation/page__st__50#entry2765612

[Crazy Climber]

I was given a lump of concrete in plastic case once and I still have it. It was a piece of the Berlin wall. So they can put these lumps of concrete with bits of black plastic in it in plastic and number them and make money!

 

We should get a sign up going for who wants an Official Limited numbered piece of Atari Landfill Trash in display case and for an extra $100, signed by Howard Scott Warshaw

I get your point....but, thats the Berlin wall man, I'd say the demographics are quite different. It's the freakin Berlin wall, they could and probably did sell hundreds of thousands of those chunks. I'd say realistically you could sell a few hundred atari landfill chunks unless they were DIRT cheap (get it, dirt, hehe) Even with the documentry sales and "finds" the amount of work and money to excavate and document this will make it impossible to turn a profit. I didn't say it wouldn't be fun though, and as stated, I would gladly volunteer for the experience but it's waaay too far from my backyard The guys doing this know they are not going to get rich I'm sure. They are probably just hoping to break even and have some fun

 

 

Lets say for argument's sake that they do find ET cartridges and perhaps other items. Suppose they decide that they want to auction some of the things that they find Atari related from the dump site. Do you think it would be worth much to anyone?

Yeah, a few hundred will move just to say you have an actual ET from the dumping grounds. I'd probably buy that for $20 or so and I'm sure others would but the novilty will wear off, just like the O'shea limestone caves, eventually everyone that wants one will have it and the rest will sit in a mini storage unit until the guy grows tired of running there every few weeks for $20

[high voltage]

Maybe there all in excellent shape, unlimited supplies for Albert's homebrews.

[Special Teams]

So apparently a sealed copy of ET is rare:

 

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574883395&toolid=10001&campid=5336500554&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fctg%2F56242726%3FssPageName%3DSRCH%253ACMPL%253AVS%26_tab%3D2%23req_1_all_qqq_qqq

 

I remember managing Musicland stores at the time. We literally couldn't give the thing away, which is what we tried to do at Halloween when the kids were trick or treating in the mall.

[Master Phruby]

I wouldn't mind have a mint in box E.T. cartridge but not for that much. $15-20 sounds better to me.

[Chuck D. Head]

I remember managing Musicland stores at the time. We literally couldn't give the thing away, which is what we tried to do at Halloween when the kids were trick or treating in the mall.

 

Haha! "oooh, what a scary ghost! Here you go, don't forget to read the manual!"

 

I guess that would be the '80's version of "I got a rock".

[Impaler_26]

Lets say for argument's sake that they do find ET cartridges and perhaps other items. Suppose they decide that they want to auction some of the things that they find Atari related from the dump site. Do you think it would be worth much to anyone?

 

It would be worth exactly $0.00 to me.

[Special Teams]

Haha! "oooh, what a scary ghost! Here you go, don't forget to read the manual!"

 

I guess that would be the '80's version of "I got a rock".

 

LOL! They had the choice of E.T. or an 8-track tape. The look of disappointment on their little faces was priceless. I see you're from WA - I was managing Alderwood Mall and Everett Mall Musiclands at the time if you ever made it up that way.

[Curt Vendel]

Was interviewed about this whole thing this morning on a Canadian News/Talk Radio show:

 

http://ataribook.com/book/etalamogordo-atari-dump-interview-with-co-author-curt-vendel-on-mclean-in-the-morning/

[+Nathan Strum]

I was given a lump of concrete in plastic case once and I still have it. It was a piece of the Berlin wall. So they can put these lumps of concrete with bits of black plastic in it in plastic and number them and make money!

When Mt. St. Helens erupted, people were selling little jars with volcanic ash in them in Seattle. Even though the ash didn't fall there, cars were driving around everywhere with ash piled up on them that you could just scrape off and put in your own jar. If you lived anywhere in the path of the ash cloud, you could scoop up a few dozen wheelbarrows-full of the stuff from your own yard. Completely worthless stuff, but proof that people will buy anything.

[Gregory DG]

Was interviewed about this whole thing this morning on a Canadian News/Talk Radio show:

 

http://ataribook.com...in-the-morning/

Nice interview Curt, but I think you blew him away with so much Atari game history!

[Grig]

Haha! "oooh, what a scary ghost! Here you go, don't forget to read the manual!"

 

I guess that would be the '80's version of "I got a rock".

 

I just watched that the other day. I have a 1986 broadcast of the Halloween special. haha, thanks Chuck!

[Chuck D. Head]

When Mt. St. Helens erupted, people were selling little jars with volcanic ash in them in Seattle. Even though the ash didn't fall there, cars were driving around everywhere with ash piled up on them that you could just scrape off and put in your own jar. If you lived anywhere in the path of the ash cloud, you could scoop up a few dozen wheelbarrows-full of the stuff from your own yard. Completely worthless stuff, but proof that people will buy anything.

 

The prime viewing spot for the mountain for I-5 travelers was four miles from where I grew up. My dad made pinback buttons that said "Ashington, the Evergrey State" that has some ash under the plastic. I would pin them all over myself and he would send me up there to sell them for $2 each and we shared the profits (30 cents for the parts, I got 70 cents, he got a dollar). I sold hundreds of them over about four weeks, enough for a new ten-speed, some games, a bunch of new cassettes, etc. The ash was everywhere on the ground the whole time.

[atarian1]

When Mt. St. Helens erupted, people were selling little jars with volcanic ash in them in Seattle. Even though the ash didn't fall there, cars were driving around everywhere with ash piled up on them that you could just scrape off and put in your own jar. If you lived anywhere in the path of the ash cloud, you could scoop up a few dozen wheelbarrows-full of the stuff from your own yard. Completely worthless stuff, but proof that people will buy anything.

 

But it's sooo cool!

 

 

[moycon]

Not as cool as THIS!!.....

[doctorclu]

Why do I get the feeling that if this were to actually happen, the documentary would be very reminiscent of the Geraldo Rivera "Al Capone's Vault" debacle:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P84OKTUx6LY

 

This was EXACTLY my first reaction to this.

[doctorclu]

Was interviewed about this whole thing this morning on a Canadian News/Talk Radio show:

 

http://ataribook.com...in-the-morning/

 

A good interview. You know it is interesting that around the same time my Dad and I used to dig through the Atari service center dumpster in Arlington, TX. We would stop in and they would have joysticks, cartridges, and we would repair them and resell them. Curt mentioned the closing of the service centers, and that was what brought that memory to mind.

 

Then one day we showed up and the dumpster was FULL of cartridges and other things but mainly cartridges. We carried off as much as we could, both with what the car could hold and what time allowed. Mainly a lot of older cartridges, many still in the box, and most with a hammer blow in the center of the box (which sometimes did and did not do damage). We shelled the game boxes, actually had to get my sister for help, and they took the games out of hundreds of boxes. We probably only made it half way through the dumpster before having to go home (trunk being full, along with the back seat piled up with games, and the passenger floorboard full as well).

 

After that, the center closed down, and there were no more dumpster dives to be had.

 

I would think that would give an idea of what can be found, but then, most service centers probably kicked their merchandise to local dumps. However, it does show to me what Atari did and did not find valuable at the time. Mostly 2600 items were in that dumpster that we could tell, not so much the computer line. Most of the games we found were mostly pre-silver stuff, though we did occationally run across some (A Krull, and a Phoenix were found I believe), but a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. of course. A lot of Joysticks, service center manuals, a smashed 2600 or two (which we pieced back together). Etc.

 

Despite what the market said, there were a lot of people who were happy to buy E.T. cartridges, among the rest.

[Master Phruby]

I remember my mom bought me a jar of Mt. Saint Helens ash. It was a lot of fun to play with. We would mix it with water and make ash bombs and throw it at each other. That stuff got all over the house!

[Chuck D. Head]

A good interview. You know it is interesting that around the same time my Dad and I used to dig through the Atari service center dumpster in Arlington, TX. We would stop in and they would have joysticks, cartridges, and we would repair them and resell them. Curt mentioned the closing of the service centers, and that was what brought that memory to mind.

 

Then one day we showed up and the dumpster was FULL of cartridges and other things but mainly cartridges. We carried off as much as we could, both with what the car could hold and what time allowed. Mainly a lot of older cartridges, many still in the box, and most with a hammer blow in the center of the box (which sometimes did and did not do damage). We shelled the game boxes, actually had to get my sister for help, and they took the games out of hundreds of boxes. We probably only made it half way through the dumpster before having to go home (trunk being full, along with the back seat piled up with games, and the passenger floorboard full as well).

 

After that, the center closed down, and there were no more dumpster dives to be had.

 

I would think that would give an idea of what can be found, but then, most service centers probably kicked their merchandise to local dumps. However, it does show to me what Atari did and did not find valuable at the time. Mostly 2600 items were in that dumpster that we could tell, not so much the computer line. Most of the games we found were mostly pre-silver stuff, though we did occationally run across some (A Krull, and a Phoenix were found I believe), but a lot of Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. of course. A lot of Joysticks, service center manuals, a smashed 2600 or two (which we pieced back together). Etc.

 

Despite what the market said, there were a lot of people who were happy to buy E.T. cartridges, among the rest.

 

I KNOW that I am going to have a dream directly related to this little story......

[esplonky]

The only thing they will find is a big concrete pool. Atari crushed the carts with steamrollers and poured concrete over them so nobody could dig them up because of safety issues

[+nanochess]

Then one day we showed up and the dumpster was FULL of cartridges and other things but mainly cartridges.

You and your father were so lucky .

Edited June 7, 2013 by nanochess

[mos6507]

I remember the thread years ago about trying to get Mythbusters interested in this project.

 

I predicted this would eventually happen one way or another, even though people here swore up and down that pop culture just didn't give a damn.

 

Well, here we are. It's a bigger deal than anybody realized--for Generation X at least.

 

Regardless of whether there is anything new to be discovered here, I would enjoy the spectacle of seeing stuff coming out of the landfill. I don't care if it's E.T. or any other excess cartridge. I don't care if it's intact carts or just shattered pieces. Just the video of stuff coming out of the ground like an archaeological dig is worth it for me. It kind of symbolizes the downfall of Atari in a way that any written history of its history can never do.

Edited June 7, 2013 by mos6507