Does Mint matter?

[StanJr]

I was just wondering what kind of condition your collections are in?

I try to only pick up carts that are in really good condition. Label tears, discoloration, plastic scars, are usually deal breakers for me. If its minor, I'll get it and try to fix it, but mostly I only get stuff that looks pretty clean.

So does the condition of the cart affect your buying habits?

For a little more fun, what cart do you have in the absolute WORST condition?

[Lemmi]

Maze Craze it has no front labeland the top label is half off and all scratched up all the way across that you can barely make out the name

 

Frostbite very dirty greenish color and faded

( i just looked at Atariages copy and its worse then theres lol)

 

He-man missing all of the label except the "He" part

 

I have more but i cant remember off hand

But now i try to get good copys to replace the messed up ones , but if i have a hard time finding a title i like i will buy the beat up copy

 

[ 10-24-2001: Message edited by: Lemmi ]

[Rhindle The Red]

I buy anything I don't have if it's $1.99 or less. For more money, it's got to be good condition or it's got to be really rare.

 

I have a lot of "naked ladies" that I usually cover with custom labels and give to people, but the worst cart in my collection that is my "official" copy is a messed all to heck copy of Dishaster. It's all bubbly and cracked and is just plain ugly.

 

Kind of like the game itself, now that I think of it.

[Albert]

If it's a game I don't have a copy of I'll generally pick up a copy, even if the label is in sad shape. I figure that should I come across a label in better condition I can then use the poorer copy as tradebait. This is especially true of rare games that you won't come across very often. At CGE this year I personally witnessed someone pay several hundred dollars for a copy of Malagai that had half its label torn off.

 

..Al

[Genki]

Short of a labeless cart, the absolute worst cart I found in the wild was a Coleco Donkey Kong. It had been mainted black and a lot of the label were ripped off. There was an odd looking oval shaped white spot on the bottom, appearantly from a Gemini sticker that was peeled off after it was painted.

 

When I buy carts just for the label condition and nt buying the whole lot cheap, I generally avoid carts that have some to serious tearing, unreasonable markings on label and such. Fortunately I don't usually encounter anything worse than a slightly greyish Activision cart or PB with loose front label.

[Jobf]

This topic reminds me of a cart that a fellow collector once found in a box of carts at a boot sale:

 

 

IIRC, the cart was Basketball. Obviously the previous owner didn't think much of it

 

 

Steve Rich

[Ze_ro]

Like others, I'll pick up pretty much anything as long as I don't already have it. If I already have a copy in much better shape, or the better condition doesn't warrant the extra price, I'll usually leave it where it is. Actiplaque doesn't bother me too much, but label tears really piss me off.

 

For example, I have a copy of Stampede with most of the label missing, and I don't think it even works... yet it still sits in my collection until I can find a cheap replacement (I never liked this game much anyways). I also found four boxed games at a thrift store recently that I already had, but since they were cheap and I didn't have the boxes, I snagged 'em up right away

 

--Zero

[+RangerG]

I like nice labels and will pass on labels with tears or holes. Actiplaque doesn't bother me at all, but I guess my collection is oriented toward only really major label variations and good labels. Quality vs. quantity for me.

[Albert]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jobf:

This topic reminds me of a cart that a fellow collector once found in a box of carts at a boot sale:

---

 

Ha ha! That's hilarious! While I've seen tape on carts and boxes before, I've never seen anything like that! Thanks for sharing, that made me laugh (and that's always a good way to start the day.. )

 

..Al

[Albert]

quote:

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Originally posted by RangerG:

I like nice labels and will pass on labels with tears or holes. Actiplaque doesn't bother me at all, but I guess my collection is oriented toward only really major label variations and good labels. Quality vs. quantity for me.

---

 

What I'd like to know is if anyone has acquired a complete collection of Activision carts that doesn't have any Actiplaque. I have some nice Activision labels that look brand new, but most of them have some degree of Actiplaque. Therefore many of the Activision carts we have scans of also display Actiplaque and it'd be nice to find cleaner scans of these someday.

 

..Al

[StanJr]

I try to avoid Actiplaque when buying Activision carts. If I get any that are cleaner that the ones here, I'll send you a scan.

[Cassidy Nolen]

Your question about the Activision labels makes me wonder. I have some Acti labels that have been stored in a dry, heated/AC'ed area at my Mom's house since back in the day. As for them, the labels seem to have much less to almost none compared to the collection ones I have picked up in the wild.

 

I have a sealed Robot Tank, and I would love to know what it looks like. It still has the plastic, which should, in theory, have kept most of the air out, but it may have had temperature changes.

 

What do you all think causes it more: Air or heat, or are we all doomed to play ugly Kabooms?

 

Cassidy

[Joel D. Park]

I'll pretty much avoid anything missing the end label. Even a rip in a label is ok if its something I need. But I'm a real stickler when it comes to end labels.

 

Like HES, MY GOLF the white label version, it never had an end label and it drives me nuts! Also there's no way I would have bought Spitfire attack if it didn't have the end label. I did buy Alfred's Challenge without the end label but I had to make one.

[Parcel]

Mint means nothing to me, but I do require that all the label be there with no tears, altho screw holes dont bother me. As far as the plaque, well I hate it but I dont want to make a big deal out of it.

[davidbrit2]

He he, I've got an Activision Boxing that's got the top half of the plastic case shattered right off. There's some pretty nasty jagged edges remaining, and I think a good sized piece of plastic shrapnel held on only by the label. I didn't think I hit it that hard. . . :-) But it still works!

[atarimastermarty]

my collection is in overall nice conditon, my worst cart is big birds egg catch. its all spotted and dirty.

[Joel D. Park]

It's funny but the really rare games I get are normally in pretty good condition.

 

It's usually common stuff I get that's really rough. I just bought a lot of games from a private guy, and 10 or 11 of the carts had been chewed badly by a dog. There was even hair and tooth marks.

 

Bad Dog! BAD! Go chew on my new Pentium4 PC, but leave the Atari alone!!!

[AtariDude]

I am just getting started as a collector so I pretty much get anything that I don't already have. I have quite a few cartridges that the labels have seen better days but given the fact that there is next to nothing Atari related in South Florida, I have to stick with what I have and hope I might find something better some time in the near future.

[Adrian M]

Does mint matter? ABSOLUTELY!

 

I refuse to buy any game that isn't in mint or factory sealed condition. I'm a collector and collectors care about the aesthetics of their prized items. What's the point of owning a copy of a rare game if the box is crushed/missing or the cart label is torn off?

 

Another thing I can't stand is when people auction items off on ebay and they list them as "NEW/MINT/FACTORY SEALED" and then it says "Item was opened and used only once to test it!" What the hell is up with that? What is it with this incessant need to "test" everything? If a game system or game is sealed/factory new, then the buyer will assume that it works and is in functional shape, so why does the seller feel he/she needs to open and test these items?? God only knows if these items were actually "tested" once or who knows how many times! LEAVE SEALED ITEMS SEALED and LET THE BUYER TEST!

[Rhindle The Red]

quote:

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Originally posted by Adrian M:

What's the point of owning a copy of a rare game if the box is crushed/missing or the cart label is torn off?

---

 

You can play it.

[atarimastermarty]

i got a scuba diver sealed. although the box has a bend on the back and the corners are worn, i still consider this item as a pretty rare item.

[The Night Phantom]

quote:

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Originally posted by marty:

i got a scuba diver sealed. although the box has a bend on the back and the corners are worn, i still consider this item as a pretty rare item.

---

 

Beware: a scuba diver can be killed by the bends!

[Lemmi]

Well since we are on the subjet of mint , i like mint candy , york pepermint patties

 

 

MMMMM MMMMMM good