Marco Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 $6000+ now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 IMO one bidder (g***r(1)) looks quite suspicious. I agree on that one--their bids are often just shy of the next round-value even increment, a calculated move to drive up price while ensuring that someone else ends up holding the bag at the end of the dance. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 As a collector who knows a little about buying very rare Atari 2600 prototypes, this is definitely a shilling operation, no doubt about it. I have purchased prototypes that are a lot more rarer than this and paid a lot less than what it is now. The timing of bids and the one with one transaction is a dead give away. Think about it, if you are a serious collector, how can you only have one transaction? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Besides, it is a PAL cart which tend to fetch less than their NTSC counterparts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Wow, it went down 2000 dollars after my post, This auction is definitely contaminated. This is why I gave been a lot less active in collecting. The funny thing is that there is already another one out there that is slightly different which is why I am even more surprised that this auction has gone this high, especially that it is PAL. Incredible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Wow, it went down 2000 dollars after my post, This auction is definitely contaminated.The one I mentioned above g***r(1) retracted his bid. This smells! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 The one I mentioned above g***r(1) retracted his bid. This smells! And now it's back over $7000. This whole thing is really getting out of hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimefighter Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Hi Guys - My name is Nic and I am the current owner of the cart in question - I am so pleased that it is a rarity and has hopefully helped answer a few questions - the link to the listing on ebay is here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hard-Head-HardHead-Activision-1983-ATARI-2600-Cart-Only-PAL-Super-Rare-/192190035715?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT for those of you that may not have seen it yet... I am selling off a whole collection so check out my other listings too Any questions you have - fire away Nic Personal opinion - I would hold onto the cart and NOT sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Personal opinion - I would hold onto the cart and NOT sell it. He wants the money, I would too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Looks like t***2(227) is another shill bidder. When the last withdrawal by anyone else was made, it was for a value of 4,800 pounds. Note that our shill here then knew that as long as he stayed safely below that line, he could play the prior bids that were previously placed by others to maximize their financial pain. Something is definitely wrong here. . .this auction will not end well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Back down to $6,300 again. This auction needs to have a pre-approved bidders clause added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) There's a chance Crane recalls the programmer of this one if he hears the title.The game seems very well programmed and I would be surprised if he hasn't seen anything of it during his days at Activision. Edited May 21, 2017 by Rom Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I saw that too Shawn. Everybody who knows me knows that I pay good money for prototypes. However, this auction is a joke...all of the shilling and the amount that this auction is right now is hilarious. A prototype like this where there is already snother copy and it being PAL does not cost anywhere close to the amount where the auction is right now. I am OK with not getting this one as I own one of the unknown Activision prototypes. Besides, I am more of a NTSC collector. So, for all of you who have PMed me about this prototype, I will not be bidding on it as I am not going to participate in driving up shilled prices, if that makes any sense... lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari181 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I saw that too Shawn. Everybody that knows me knows that I pay good money for prototypes. However, this auction is a joke...all of the shilling and the amount that this auction is right now is hilarious. A prototype like this where there is already another copy and it being PAL does not cost the anywhere close to the amount where the auction is right now. I am OK with not getting this one as I own one of the unknown Activision prototypes. Besides, I am more of a NTSC collector. So, for all of you who have PMed me about this prototype, I will not be bidding on it as I am not going to participate in driving up shilled prices, if that makes any sense... lol. I agree, this whole thing stinks of Shit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 The last shill I identified retracted pretty quickly too, which got me thinking some more--they are definitely reading (and reacting to) this thread. Looking at the bid pattern, i***t(13) smells pretty bad too, as they only seem to step in to amp up the bidding when the auction has been quiet for a while. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Hills Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Fixed it. I can credit you if you want, I just didn't want to put your name out there without your say so. Yeah a named credit would be great - many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Hills Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) Personal opinion - I would hold onto the cart and NOT sell it. I have no use for the cart - this is what i do to earn a living - so am more than happy to sell it on to someone who wants it Edited May 21, 2017 by Nic Hills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Hills Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Looks like t***2(227) is another shill bidder. When the last withdrawal by anyone else was made, it was for a value of 4,800 pounds. Note that our shill here then knew that as long as he stayed safely below that line, he could play the prior bids that were previously placed by others to maximize their financial pain. Something is definitely wrong here. . .this auction will not end well. I agree there are definitely people messing around on my listing - for the record i am a professional ebayer (have been for 15 years and would never consider bidding up my own listings - ebay is very hot on this sort of thing and I would not risk having my account closed as it is my livelyhood.. i predict this auction will be ruined by trolls/joke bids etc and will probably not end in a sale... I wanted word to get out that I have this rare item and if this listing does not end in a sale - any serious buyers can make a deal with me afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Hills Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I agree, this whole thing stinks of Shit! In what way? - unfortunately due to sharing on my youtube channel and FB etc this has attracted a lot of idiots who are putting stupid bids on and then retracting, if this auction becomes a farce which it looks like it may well do - I will hopefully be able to deal with any serious buyers after the event if it fails to result in a sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Hills Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 100% agreed. It's nowhere near that neighborhood. It's already been dumped. Granted, the data may be slightly different, perhaps even a bit further along, but there's nothing absolutely mind blowing here. The name was the biggest gain to be had, and it's already been obtained, and for free. This is escalating in price purely because of over hype, exageration, and spectacle. Place it on eBay, make a video, spam every website & forum community. This isn't & never was about finding this cartridge the right home. Oh please. It's about fetching the most money it can. For decades now, the word rare has been overused to the point of silliness. And now, over the past several years, the same thing has happened to the term holy grail. Whatever happens to be the most unique item a person finds during the course of their interest in the hobby, automatically becomes the next holy grail. Again, yes, this was a great find & a rare item indeed. But it's significance & position in the main scope of things is far less then it's being made out to be; and for all the wrong reasons. Hi, I didn't even know what I had, I almost completely dismissed it and chucked it in a bundle with a console to get rid of it - am i promoting the listing - Hell yes... if this is a rarity, by it's very nature i need it to reach all potentially interested parties. Do I want to sell it for as much as possible - of course - this is what i do for a living - if I can get £2000 rather than £200 - I am not daft i would prefer £2000.... I have no idea what someone will actually pay for this - unfortunately the listing is getting a lot of time wasting bids - many which have already been retracted... and it will probably not even end in a sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Wonder007 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I am a serious collector and have purchased 100's of Atari protos for over 20 years. I have never seen anything like this before. I own true one of a kind Atari 2600 protos and have never paid anything close to where the auction is now.... That is why I know that the higher bids are not legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Where is roadrunner, when you need him? He somehow always knows who is bidding. Who is the 553 bidder? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supergun Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 In what way? - unfortunately due to sharing on my youtube channel and FB etc this has attracted a lot of idiots who are putting stupid bids on and then retracting, if this auction becomes a farce which it looks like it may well do - I will hopefully be able to deal with any serious buyers after the event if it fails to result in a sale What?! Your own video and internet postings spamming across YouTube, newsgroups, forums, Facebook, etc, specifically & obviously done to attract an over abundance of attention (orchestrated by YOU yourself) has backfired, derailed your auction, & caused you grief and your complaining?! Complaining to whom? Yourself of course; right? Because you certainly won't find anyone here feeling sorry for your self inflicted situation. Especially seeing as you made an account here only a few days ago...because you love Atari & you love this place right? It's a double edged sword. The publicity you were seeking comes at a price. A little less, would have yielded more. In fact, as history has shown, often times the ripples in the water are so intense, they find their way to another owner or even to the programmer himself. Resulting in the one of a kind data suddenly becoming shareware; and the value of the ubiquitous item plummeting to its early death. I have no horse in this race. But make no mistake, what has been said here by our community experts is accurate. What you have is valuable, but nowhere near what you hoped or dreamed it would be. This was mishandled from the getgo; and often that's how this happens. It's completely random when & where these items turn up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Doesn't matter how many people look at it, IMHO it is already too late. I called it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Everyone needs to simmer down a bit. I honestly believe Nic posted this proto in good faith, discovered it was a one (well two) of a kind, and decided to promote it a bit to get as much as he could for it. What's wrong with that? If there are shills bidding it up, it's nothing he can really control. If you think he's in league with the people shilling then offer up some proof because that's a serious charge. I want to see this rom released as much as (probably more than) the rest of you, but let's not start forming a mob just yet. Just relax and see where the auction goes. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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