beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Hi guys i'm a collector situated in Ontario, Canada. I really collect just for myself hence why I haven't posted my finds online before. I've had tons of amazing/unbelievable finds over the 5 years I've been collecting such as finding 2 copies of little Samson in the wild as well as a ton of other games for a few dollars or practically free by flipping. My whole collection is solely found in the wild either from yard sales/thrift stores in Canada and the United states or trading with other collectors. Some of my heavy hitter finds (not my rarest owned games) are 2 copies of little samson, CIB Sea monster Puzzy, CIB Space Tunnel Puzzy, boxed virtual boy, boxed turbo duo, boxed turbo express, sealed black box first release NES games and much, much more to list. I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors out there with owning every system and edition and most in the boxes, complete turbografx library, complete Nintendo 64 library, almost finished complete NES library and own near 3000+ games in mint condition and a lot sealed. I even own prototypes and other rare games/systems that are impossible to find. I literally spent everyday of my life for the past 5 years hunting for these games so I think I can brag a bit now haha. Most of the fun from collecting for me is from finding this stuff in the wild and the rush of finding it. The reason why I started collecting really was to be able to challenge myself and be able to do things the hard way and feel good about it and of course my passion for video games. Fortunately where I live and the time I started collecting, things were in my favor as many people would bulk sell these old games to me such as closed rental stores putting garage sales (where I got most of my games) or just people getting rid of their old games for cheap. After the release of the mini classic systems and the hype of "retro games" and countless retro stores that opened up in the area around 2016, sadly it's been extremely difficult to collect to the point where i've seen many long time collectors liquidating and bulk selling their collection because it's just too hard and expensive to collect and finish sets. That's where I come in and explain the story of my "once a lifetime find". About 2 weeks ago roaming around on a Saturday not expecting to find much as usual, I stumbled across a house which with was hosting a yard sale about 1 hour away from where I live. They had a few old electronics, tube tv's, old tin cans and stuff like that but nothing that caught my eye. Upon looking closer, I noticed beside the tube tv's there was a Vectrex and Atari 2600 in a box with about 40 games. I got very excited but Nintendo is really my priority and field of expertise, although Atari always has a warm spot in my heart. They asked $100 for everything and without hesitation I purchased it and went home. Browsing through the stuff at home, I tested everything and it was all working and in good condition. The atari had about 30 games and the vectrex had about 10. One weird game I noticed in the plastic container labeled "vectrex" was a small blue shaped cartridge. It looked very weird and I assumed it was for vectrex but it reminded me a lot of atari. I checked on gamevaluenow and I saw a price of "$50" for a loose copy. It was weird because it was the only copy sold and I thought hey id sell it or throw it in a bundle with the Atari system to get my $100 back and keep what I wanted. I followed my gut feeling and one last time I checked gamevalue now and it showed "reproduction" that was sold for $50. So I googled the game "Extra terrestrials" and that's when I was in shock. I also checked racketboy's rarest Atari 2600 games and when I saw it listed as the top 5 rarest atari games in the world I was dumbfounded. I had found possibly the rarest Atari 2600 game ever made or even the rarest video game in the world. The back story of this game (Syd Bolton had explained a lot about this) is that a company in Burlington Ontario that made only about 100 copies during the video game crash of 1983 and was supposed to release it for Christmas of that year. Because of the delays the producer had to release it after Christmas and had no supplier to sell them so he had manually knock door to door and sold a handful of copies at most to make back some of his funds. Syd Bolton, one of the greatest collectors in the world, contacted the game producer a few years back and he confirmed he made no more than 100 copies and was able to only manually sell a few of these. Today in the world there are only 5 confirmed copies (1 to the musuem, 1 syd bolton, 1 original producer, 1 random person not interested to sell and 1 me). Sadly syd bolton passed away and his copy was technically part of the museum so now the museum owns two of them. Really the only COLLECTOR that owns this game is me as of now. The game is tested and working, in relatively good condition and is 100% original. It was found in Ontario close to the place of production, purchased from an old retired couple, has dust both inside and outside the game, works with an original Atari 2600, color of the rom board matches the copy the musuem has (yellow) and I'll also contact the Personal Computer Musuem in Bradford to provide me a certificate of authentication. As explained before Nintendo is primarily my focus point and I believe someone out there will appreciate this game much more than me and possibly even become the first person in the world to finish the Atari 2600 collection. This game is possibly even rarer than Red Sea Crossing, Gamma attack and Birthday Mania due to it's confirmation of authenticity by the producer and how many copies were sold, and the unorthodox way that they were distributed (manually door to door only in a small remote location in Ontario). I am only open to serious offers that are above my expectation and I can't resist so throw your top dollars. This game isn't for everyone and anyone and only the best of the best collectors that want to own the rarest game in the world should contact me. Otherwise I reserve my right to keep this game if not satisfied with offers and will continue to be the only collector to have this game which in itself is a great honor. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Glad to hear you think you're so important. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 P.S. Syd Bolton just died a couple months ago but I'm sure your research was only into dollar signs not the recent obituaries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Glad to hear you think you're so important. Not sure why you sound triggered? I just explained how I got this and what type of collector I am. Regardless thanks for visiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jeremiahjt Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 It might be neat to go back to the people who you bought it from and see if they remember buying a game from a door-to-door salesman. Maybe they have the box and/or manual (if any were ever made) hidden away somewhere. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 It might be neat to go back to the people who you bought it from and see if they remember buying a game from a door-to-door salesman. Maybe they have the box and/or manual (if any were ever made) hidden away somewhere. Yea I was actually thinking the same thing, although after more research I think the producer mentioned he made no manual and possibly (he doesn't remember) made just one prototype box. However one of the other five owners of this game ( lady in hamilton) she said her parents bought it door to door and it was just the cartridge only. Syd Bolton also said it was most likely just the cartridge alone. I'll for sure try to find the couple and ask them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jeremiahjt Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Yea I was actually thinking the same thing, although after more research I think the producer mentioned he made no manual and possibly (he doesn't remember) made just one prototype box. However one of the other five owners of this game ( lady in hamilton) she said her parents bought it door to door and it was just the cartridge only. Syd Bolton also said it was most likely just the cartridge alone. I'll for sure try to find the couple and ask them. I have not kept up too well with the game and had forgotten about there not being a box or manual. I may be remembering wrong on this too, but I thought the museum had three copies. To my knowledge nobody has tested Extra Terrestrials with the RetroN 77, maybe that can be remedied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 I have not kept up too well with the game and had forgotten about there not being a box or manual. I may be remembering wrong on this too, but I thought the museum had three copies. To my knowledge nobody has tested Extra Terrestrials with the RetroN 77, maybe that can be remedied. Yes they do have another cartridge but the label is darker and the ROM doesn't work. It is believed to be a prototype so I opted that one out but if considered then yes technically they own 3 copies now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+atari2600land Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Wasn't there a limited repro run of this game? Cool that someone actually found the first one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 (edited) We had permission way back to make a limited edition repro. But first of all, awesome for finding that, great story. Please permit to have pictures put on AtariMania. I reckon you should keep it. Edited August 19, 2018 by high voltage 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 My congratulations on this find, and thanks for sharing news of it with us! You really should go back to the house you got this from to ask them more about it- if there's even the slightest chance that a manual, box, bag, anything at all related to it still exists it'd be worth following up on. The story of it being sold door to door is also important lore for us collectors. This should also serve as additional confirmation that these sorts of finds are indeed still waiting to happen, even on top-tier rarities. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 My congratulations on this find, and thanks for sharing news of it with us! You really should go back to the house you got this from to ask them more about it- if there's even the slightest chance that a manual, box, bag, anything at all related to it still exists it'd be worth following up on. The story of it being sold door to door is also important lore for us collectors. This should also serve as additional confirmation that these sorts of finds are indeed still waiting to happen, even on top-tier rarities. Thank you very much, yes I also agree, anything is possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 We had permission way back to make a limited edition repro. But first of all, awesome for finding that, great story. Please permit to have pictures put on AtariMania. I reckon you should keep it. You are permitted to use the photos just please credit me "beardman32" on my Atari Age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Not sure why you sound triggered? I just explained how I got this and what type of collector I am. Regardless thanks for visiting! This is a really cool story about coming across a very rare and important piece of Atari 2600 gaming history. However, as I read your post, I was struck with how you interlaced details about yourself and your opinions about your own collection. While I have strong nostalgia for classic games and stories about a door to door salesman trying to sell copies of a game during the crash, comments like "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors out there with owning every system" give me the impression that you are likely coming at this hobby from a direction of personal achievement and looking to amass personal prestige and value. In fact, I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that if you replace "collectors" and "system" in that sentence, it would sound cocky and off-putting no matter what topic you were discussing. "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors comedians out there with owning every system comedy club" Here's a more 'Tarantino' type of example: "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors motherfuckers out there with owning every system your mom's ass" Everyone wants to punch the dude who said these things in the face. The typos and grammatical errors don't really help either. As for Sean, don't worry about him. I don't know him in real life, but from his online persona, I think it is safe to say that he's the first member of everyone's new fan club around here. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 I am only open to serious offers that are above my expectation and I can't resist so throw your top dollars. This game isn't for everyone and anyone and only the best of the best collectors that want to own the rarest game in the world should contact me. Otherwise I reserve my right to keep this game if not satisfied with offers and will continue to be the only collector to have this game which in itself is a great honor. It's a great find and a cool story but yeah...it also all comes off fairly douchey. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 It's a great find and a cool story but yeah...it also all comes off fairly douchey. Hi Stargunner, sorry you feel that way. Really I am just quite excited I came across something like this with it's rarity. It's not everyday especially in 2018 you find games on the top 5 rarest atari games in the world. I know my last line I wrote may come off a little intense but really I'm just trying to push away the low ballers and trolls on the internet. I've had bad experience posting other games online as well with people thinking I don't know what I have offering me pennies. I'm just trying to sound firm on my grounds and the backstory I gave was to show I've been doing this for a while so I know what I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 This is a really cool story about coming across a very rare and important piece of Atari 2600 gaming history. However, as I read your post, I was struck with how you interlaced details about yourself and your opinions about your own collection. While I have strong nostalgia for classic games and stories about a door to door salesman trying to sell copies of a game during the crash, comments like "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors out there with owning every system" give me the impression that you are likely coming at this hobby from a direction of personal achievement and looking to amass personal prestige and value. In fact, I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that if you replace "collectors" and "system" in that sentence, it would sound cocky and off-putting no matter what topic you were discussing. "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors comedians out there with owning every system comedy club" Here's a more 'Tarantino' type of example: "I can officially say I'm one of the better collectors motherfuckers out there with owning every system your mom's ass" Everyone wants to punch the dude who said these things in the face. The typos and grammatical errors don't really help either. As for Sean, don't worry about him. I don't know him in real life, but from his online persona, I think it is safe to say that he's the first member of everyone's new fan club around here. First of all thanks for admiring the game, I myself am quite excited just like you. I'm not sure what kind of impression you got and sorry you feel that way but to be honest, yes I collect for myself not for others as I've mentioned before. I think it's fair to say that a big portion of this hobby is for personal achievement, otherwise people wont spend thousands of dollars just to look at the game, but instead to be proud that they own a piece of history. If you say you don't collect video games to show off then you'd be lying. Although I must say I am proud and yes cocky of my collection this is it something I am not going to hide from, and that is my own opinion you can disagree if you like. There aren't any rules written in stone dictating how and why you should collect; everyone has their own reason and at the end it's most important if you enjoy what you do. Once again the reason why I may have come off "douchy" was because I was giving a backstory that I'm a serious collector and know what I have so serious offers only. I've had bad experience before with people thinking I am clueless and offering me pennies on other items. Just trying to be firm on my grounds and not have this game taken lightly. Also there is no need for threats or implying physical harm, that is childish and doesn't belong here. Regardless thanks for commenting and and expressing your opinions on this holy grail. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+swlovinist Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Crazy find, congrats! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 (edited) Crazy find, congrats! Thanks the Immortal John Hancock I watch your videos all the time!!! Edited August 19, 2018 by beardman32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schitti Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 congratulation to this awsome find and thanks for the story. Nice collection upgrade thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 congratulation to this awsome find and thanks for the story. Nice collection upgrade thanks for sharing. Thank you so much for the kind message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rom Hunter Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Amazing find, beardman32.Congratulations!Although not rarer than Birthday Mania, it's one of the rarest VCS carts known to exist for sure.Thanks for sharing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Not sure why you sound triggered? I just explained how I got this and what type of collector I am. Regardless thanks for visiting! Whatever, sell your game and then go away. We all know that is exactly what's gonna happen here. You can go back to being self important somewhere else. As others have put it so elegantly, you're just a douche that found a rare game and your looking to brag and then sell it. You joined AA just to advertise and maybe pump up the potential final sale price. We have all gone threw this song and dance with people just like you many times over and it's always the same broken record. This isn't the first rodeo for any of us either. Good luck with the sale. Sooner the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardman32 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Amazing find, beardman32. Congratulations! Although not rarer than Birthday Mania, it's one of the rarest VCS carts known to exist for sure. Thanks for sharing! Thank you Rom Hunter! Yes I believe it's in the top 3 rarest Atari 2600 games for sure. I can say it's either this or Birthday Mania on the #1 list along with red sea crossing and gamma attack going for second and third. I suppose Extra Terrestrials is the rarest in my opinion as no copies were ever sold before or advertised and also because of the unorthodox way of selling them door to door. Birthday mania is also very scarce as well but was advertised on local news papers back in the day and about 300 copies were apparently made with currently two collectors who are in possession of a copy today. Other rare games like Gamma attack are unpredictable because the producer never came out and not much information released, so at anytime it's possible for a bunker to be found somewhere in someone's basement with multiple copies just like Air Raid (17 boxed copies were found). Extra Terrestrials and Birthday Mania are verified that only a hundred or so copies were ever made in the beginning so they are the rarest for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Other rare games like Gamma attack are unpredictable because the producer never came out and not much information released, so at anytime it's possible for a bunker to be found somewhere in someone's basement with multiple copies.... You have no clue what you are talking about on this matter. Everything about that statement is false. You would know that if you had a clue but you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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