Sears Picture Labels - To collect or not to collect?

[retroeight]

I started collecting for the Atari 2600 again.

 

What can of worms am I opening if I decide to collect Sears picture labels?

 

Thanks,

 

lcc

[Atari_Bill]

Honestly, the Sears picture labels are just about the favorite piece of my Atari collection. I absolutely love that 70s feel that they have. If you dont get too hung up on the pic Superman label, they arent impossible to find. A couple are a little tough but the entire run (minus Superman) is certainly achievable. I would recommend them personally.

[jhd]

What can of worms am I opening if I decide to collect Sears picture labels?

 

I assume that you are located in the United States. As Sears titles were never "officially" sold here in Canada, they are significantly harder to find around here.

 

(There were personal and grey-market imports, of course, so stuff does turn-up, but not very often.)

[retroeight]

Honestly, the Sears picture labels are just about the favorite piece of my Atari collection. I absolutely love that 70s feel that they have. If you dont get too hung up on the pic Superman label, they arent impossible to find. A couple are a little tough but the entire run (minus Superman) is certainly achievable. I would recommend them personally.

 

Superman is out of the question. (Unless luck comes my way.)

 

How many known copies of this exist?

 

lcc

[Shawn]

 

I assume that you are located in the United States. As Sears titles were never "officially" sold here in Canada, they are significantly harder to find around here.

 

(There were personal and grey-market imports, of course, so stuff does turn-up, but not very often.)

 

I must have had some from the grey market or I'm just mis-remembering cause I swear I had some Sears titles back in the day. My parents would have bought them from Sears I assume as there was only so many stores in my City. I live in SE Ontario right off the boarder to NY.

[Atari_Bill]

 

Superman is out of the question. (Unless luck comes my way.)

 

How many known copies of this exist?

 

lcc

I honestly dont know. I think less than 10 that Ive heard of. I was fortunate enough to nab one a year or so ago.

[BassGuitari]

Sears FTW!

 

The pic labels tend to be a little overpriced IMO, but the artwork is awesome. And yeah, Superman is so rare that it basically doesn't count.

 

My Sears pic collection (loose) is only missing Gunslinger.

[Supergun]

They are fun to collect. And I completed the set several years ago, but I still pick them up out of habit whenever I see them in the wild; especially because thats the best way to get them, as stores are oblivious to their rarity & always price them equally to text label versions and/or Atari versions. I have a stockpile of extras and horde them for trade bait.

[Shawn]

They are fun to collect. And I completed the set several years ago, but I still pick them up out of habit whenever I see them in the wild; especially because thats the best way to get them, as stores are oblivious to their rarity & always price them equally to text label versions and/or Atari versions. I have a stockpile of extras and horde them for trade bait.

 

I'm a sucker for picture labeled Pong Sports

[jhd]

I must have had some from the grey market or I'm just mis-remembering cause I swear I had some Sears titles back in the day. My parents would have bought them from Sears I assume as there was only so many stores in my City. I live in SE Ontario right off the boarder to NY.

 

Back in the 1980s, I purchased many video games in the United States (both for the Atari 2600 and, later, the Coco). The selection was significantly better than could be found in Canadian retail stores. Either your family purchased games at Sears in the US, or you bought them at a garage sale or flea market from someone who bought them there.

 

Despite both having similar names, Simpson's-Sears (Canada) and Sears-Roebuck (United States) were different companies that served different markets and had similar (but different) product lines. For a recent example, look at how Target Canada differed from its American parent.

[Shawn]

 

Back in the 1980s, I purchased many video games in the United States (both for the Atari 2600 and, later, the Coco). The selection was significantly better than could be found in Canadian retail stores. Either your family purchased games at Sears in the US, or you bought them at a garage sale or flea market from someone who bought them there.

 

Despite both having similar names, Simpson's-Sears (Canada) and Sears-Roebuck (United States) were different companies that served different markets and had similar (but different) product lines. For a recent example, look at how Target Canada differed from its American parent.

 

They might have picked them up in Ogdensburg I guess.