Super Bagman Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Hi! I was going through some boxed 2600 titles today and came across a copy of Air-Sea Battle with a white sticker on the lower left part of the front, with a diameter a smidge larger than a quarter. It reads "Not intended for Resale. FREE ...with purchase of Atari Street Racer and Atari Bowling" I didn't find anything by doing a search of the site, but does anyone here know what promotion this was related to? Counld understand if it were a bonus game with purchase of a 2600 system... but Street Racer and Bowling? I can provide a picture if needed, but figured I'd see if anyone might know the answer before doing so. If it helps, the Air-Sea Battle is the standard red box, copyright 1978. Thanks very much for reading and helping me with this mystery! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hunmanik Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Here's a newspaper ad from June 18, 1981 that appears to answer this question: Atari Action Pak PRO-500 Includes Street Racer, Bowling, and Air-Sea Battle. 166660973.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyshots Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Here's a newspaper ad from June 18, 1981 that appears to answer this question: Atari Action Pak PRO-500 Includes Street Racer, Bowling, and Air-Sea Battle. I'm amazed that OC Building Still Stands 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumerNivek Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Great find on the newspaper article! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I'd like a scan of both front and back cover along with the info from the tiny flaps like printer, date, Rev if it's possible. Thanks. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Wow. That really is an impressive find on that newspaper ad! Thank you for posting that. I don't have my scanner set up, but I should be able to dig it out over the weekend and will be able to get some scans on the box. In the meantime, I did take a picture of the box. I'm no expert, but it appears the box is ordinary in all regards other than the sticker. This thread getting a response comes at a good time, as I just recently got another box with a similar sticker. This one's a Home Run box stating the game is free with purchase of Atari Golf and Atari Basketball. I have a picture of that also. Also, since we're on the topic of Atari boxes, I also have a picture of the usual Yars' Revenge box but with a sticker over where the blurb for the comic book would've been. The game is still sealed, and its light enough that there's no comic inside. Was this just another cost saving move by Atari? I don't really know how to attach photos, so if I've messed this up, please let me know and I'll be glad to try again. Thank you very much to everyone for your insight on these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumerNivek Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Wow, I just noticed you posted this question 5 1/2 years ago, Bagman! Better late than never, I guess! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philflound Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Was this an offer by Atari, and are official Atari stickers, or is this something a local retailer put together? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Wow, I just noticed you posted this question 5 1/2 years ago, Bagman! Better late than never, I guess! The funny thing is, I wasn't even on the site for a lot of that time. I just happened to check in and saw my old post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Was this an offer by Atari, and are official Atari stickers, or is this something a local retailer put together? Phil I really have no idea. We used to have several local stores back in the day who ran thier own promos like this, but I never saw stickes like these when I was a kid. It's weird because I could see retailers trying to move older games with this tactic, but Air-Sea Battle and Home Run seem like they wouldn't be the best incentives. Come to think of it, were Home Run, Basketball, and Golf released about the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+hunmanik Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I haven't been able to locate a newspaper ad for the second Pak here: free Home Run with purchase of Atari Golf and Atari Basketball. Given that the sticker is exactly the same design as the PRO-500 sticker, I think it's reasonable to conclude they are from about the same time period, around June 1981. It would be nice to confirm the PRO-xxx number for the Home Run / Golf / Basketball promotion. What I had been doing when I came across this thread was, I was trying to pin down when the PRO810, PRO811 and PRO812 Paks might have come out, going by when they appeared in newspaper ads. I think these probably came out about a year later, mid-1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 I haven't been able to locate a newspaper ad for the second Pak here: free Home Run with purchase of Atari Golf and Atari Basketball. I think its cool that you've used newspaper ads as a research source. Back in college, between classes, I'd go to the library and look up ads for local shops' VCS game sales on microfilm. Somewhere around here I have a three ring binder with a collection printouts. I need to find that and see if maybe I have anything with a mention of the Home Run/Golf/Basketball package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 I didn't want to clutter the boards with a separate post for this, but was going through a few more items and came across a box for Air-Sea Battle with a sticker on the back with information for Irwin Electronics. Were they the company that sold the VCS in Canada? Maybe they had an arrangement like Sears Roebuck did in the US? I'm not great with Atari history, but didn't Canada have the five language boxes? I tried a web search but didn't learn much. Any information is really appreciated. I did another web search prior to posting to make sure I didn't miss anything, and I did: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/67/Irwin-Toy-Limited.html So, is that to say that Irwin was to Canada like Sears was in the US, or was Irwin the distributor to all Canadian companies who sold VCS games? Forgive my questions if they seem a bit foolish; I love the VCS but my knowledge of its history is average at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bagman Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Oops, forgot the image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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