Do worn out or ripped on catridge wraps make u mad

[Ite]

Even though the game works when the catridge looks worn out or actually torn, it makes me upset, because it's like the game isn't in good condition.

[Room 34]

That's the collector's instinct. You want things to be in good condition.

 

I'll accept a game with a torn or missing label if it's one I don't already have, but I would generally keep looking until I find one that's intact.

[shadow460]

If the label is damaged, I usually make a new one for the cart. The exceptions are things like Activsion labels where they wrap around the end of the cart--I don't know where to get a good scan of the flattrened labels.

 

Otherwise, any cart, diskette or cassette is fair game for a replacement label.

[Foxsolo2000]

Depends on if I can easily get a replacement for that particular game. As long as it works I am happy

[+Random Terrain]

You know what used to make me mad? When I would let someone borrow a game back in the 1980s and they would damage the cartridge label or set a glass or cup on the instruction book leaving one of those permanent coffee cup-like circles on it. That was one of the first times I started to notice how scummy the average human was. It's like most people didn't evolve a long time ago, they just crawled out of the sea, so they are still covered in slime from head to toe and they can't keep their newly formed fingers out of their various holes.

[AtariJr]

yea , its amazing that those carts are in such good shape as they are... i just ordered a few carts a little bit ago, and they were in perfect condition, and then the ***hole put huge stickers on the label with his online store name on them that wouldnt come off!!! OMG i was steamed!

[Ite]

How do you guys actually replicate the labels like that? All from a computer?

 

Explain fine sirs.

[Bruce Tomlin]

I hate it when I go to the Taco Bell and order a cartridge wrap, and they've made it with a TORN TORTILLA and all the bits fall out and make a mess on the floor, all 4096 of 'em!

[Sayton]

Yep! I have a Centipede cart like that and I would have a Pac-Man Jr. cart, however the label was very very messed up. Argh! Made me mad cause I wanted that game. There was another game I was going to get but there was a nice, small hole on the front...yeah, didn't like that either

[Foxsolo2000]

You know what used to make me mad? When I would let someone borrow a game back in the 1980s and they would damage the cartridge label or set a glass or cup on the instruction book leaving one of those permanent coffee cup-like circles on it. That was one of the first times I started to notice how scummy the average human was. It's like most people didn't evolve a long time ago, they just crawled out of the sea, so they are still covered in slime from head to toe and they can't keep their newly formed fingers out of their various holes.

 

I have to agree with you on that one Random for I remember one time when I lent out a cart and some jerk had actually managed to break a corner of the cart for he claimed it fell out of his pocket as he was shutting the car door Mind you a friend of mine lent someone else Popeye and when it came back it had no label at all

[NES Console]

well , I dunno if this happened to you before , but here , in Romania , ( our only console ever is Nintendo NES ) , if you would have lended your cartige to a friend , you would have recieved it back with black stripes of plain dirt , consisting of sweat and dust ... it's because they were coming home from football or whatever and play the console without washing their hands ... ALL OF THEM were the same .... 4-5 years I always used to spray my cartiges with a cleaning substance and then clean it ... it was AGHAHGAHGHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!

[Lord Thag]

You know, I actually kind of like finding the well worn carts with the initials of the old owner (or whatever) on them. You know you found a game that was well loved. It's nice to give it a home again.

[Rik]

I ,myself dont care if a cartridge is extremely rare or very common,I collect game carts for the sheer enjoyment i get from playing them,,the manager at EB,knowing i was a vintage game collector,brought in all his CV,ATARI 2600,INTV,carts for mainly me to buy,i got first pick,it was like Christmas for me!anyway,the dork who works there priced the carts by putting a huge price sticker right on top of ALL the games,those friggin stickers had the kind of glue that when trying to peel off,the label underneath would come off with it,thus ruining games with labels that some,were like new,which kind of pissed me off,guess not everyone realizes buyers are collectors who want games in the best condition,im fussy cosmetic wise,so ,i prefer my carts to look nice with no rips,or coffee mug circles on top of them,but too me,its the game thats important,but to a serious collector,i can just see them pulling their hair out trying to peel off those damn label ruining price stickers!!

[Student Driver]

Tattered labels make me wonder how people treated carts back in the day. Faded labels are understandable-- sun fade-- and Coxed carts are understandable since kids liked to trade games. But when something looks like it's been eaten by rats, you gotta wonder where the carts have been. Do they use the carts as dog chew toys? Do they toss a handful of carts under their tires to get traction?

 

The worst condition game in my collection (aside from bad Actiplaque cases) is 2600 Sky Skipper. There is a postage-stamp-sized patch of water-damaged, faded label left in the top center of the cartridge, with dirty traces of glue all around. It looks like it was tossed into an industrial washing machine, then left in a lint trap for a few years. Oh! The previous owner probably did auto body work as well, and apparently used his copy of Sky Skipper as a sanding block; the sides and back are scuffed to the point where the plastic is translucent and flexible in spots.

 

...but the game still works.

[Dirt Gherkin]

I'll give Lord Thag credit for a point of view I hadn't considered. It *is* nice to give a well-worn cartridge a new home. If I don't know where the damage came from, it doesn't bother me. I guess it's the girlfriend principle- the twenty years of history don't bother me... but witnessing it is something else entirely. I was at a community garage sale a few years back, and digging through a box of $1 each 2600 games, I found a label variation of Hangman I hadn't seen before in perfect condition. I take it to the attendant, who says "Oh, this wasn't marked $1 like the others, I'll mark it so they know what to charge you." With that he pulls out a black marker and writes "$1" on the label. I freak inside. The gloss on the cart repels the ink, so he says something about how the darn ink won't take. He then proceeds to press harder trying to scribble the price onto the cart. I tend to get hung up on condition, and felt my colon clench up while a voice in my head started screaming "stop that!" Anyways, I take the cart, buy it as quick as possible, and thankfully the marker came off with a little dab of water in the parking lot. The point? Well, if there's any at all it's that if the price was put on before I got there, I could deal with it. Witnessing avoidable damage get to me.

[Chickybaby]

Sure it's nice to have "minty" labels, I'll admit to being picky like that but the games are fun to play first and foremost. Now I wouldn't pay a lot of money for a rare cart with a crappy label but I wouldn't mind scoring a bunch of R7+ that looked well loved for a really cheap price.

 

If someone is new to playing atari and we have a double game, I happily will try to find it a good home. Most of our dupes are well worn and it wasn't from us. But for someone that has always wanted to get back into playing, it's a start. We also had some very nice people give/send us carts which weren't always perfect but well appreciated when we were starting out. I figure it's a way of giving back and not only maybe making a new friend but expanding the appreciation of Atari goodness.

[jboypacman]

i wouldnt say it makes me mad but it does upset when i find a cart i want or have been looking for and its worn or ripped but these games are well over 20 years old and i know that its hard to find them in great shape sometimes.i will skip over a cart in hopes to finding one in better shape but like most collectors if the price is right or if its free i will take it and just find a better one later.

[phaxda]

I buy in lots off of eBay usually, and I've accumulated quite a stack of carts that have a variety of damage. One is actually BURNT, which is about the worst I've ever seen. It makes me more sad than mad, but what can you do? Someone awhile back had an auction featuring "carts that you wouldn't want to bring home to mom," which I thought was pretty funny.

 

i wouldnt say it makes me mad but it does upset when i find a cart i want or have been looking for and its worn or ripped but these games are well over 20 years old and i know that its hard to find them in great shape sometimes.i will skip over a cart in hopes to finding one in better shape but like most collectors if the price is right or if its free i will take it and just find a better one later.

[D.Yancey]

I have a Mountain King cart that appears to have been used as a surface to rest cigarettes. There are about a dozen nicotine colored melted spots in the case on the side opposite the label. This person couldn't even afford an ash tray?

[Philflound]

Well, if you have beat up regular Atari games that are commons, don't forget you can send them to Albert for 50 cents credit so they can re-use them for homebrews.

 

Phil

[Crazy Climber]

You know what used to make me mad? When I would let someone borrow a game back in the 1980s and they would damage the cartridge label or set a glass or cup on the instruction book leaving one of those permanent coffee cup-like circles on it. That was one of the first times I started to notice how scummy the average human was. It's like most people didn't evolve a long time ago, they just crawled out of the sea, so they are still covered in slime from head to toe and they can't keep their newly formed fingers out of their various holes.

I remember this friend I had back in High School that would come over to my house and while we were playing video games he would always ash his ciggerette on the floor when the ash tray was clearly within reach, when I would say somthing he would say it was a habit and he didnt know that he did it, Bull-$h*t, some people have no respect I tell ya.

[Crazy Climber]

I am actually trying to update my collection to all nice labels right now, I am trading a PSP for 75 commons that I need in better condition. Check it out in the Market Place forum.

[The MilkMan]

I bought a lot from a guy (console with games and controllers) privately, not thru ebay. The contents were pretty disgusting. The whole boxed smelled of cigarettes and cat pee. I bought it anyway and cleaned everything up. The worst cart, bowling, had (what I think was) cat litter all over it.

[jboypacman]

oh man thats gross whats wrong with people dosnt anyone take care of there stuff any more.i hope it was a good deal you got for thoses games.

[phaxda]

I like Al too much to subject him to some of these carts!

 

That's a great shot of that Bowling cart. I'll post pics of my "reject collection" later.

 

 

Well, if you have beat up regular Atari games that are commons, don't forget you can send them to Albert for 50 cents credit so they can re-use them for homebrews.

 

Phil