When did you start collecting Atari 2600 and how?

[Philflound]

I've seen various topics about different aspects of collecting, but not sure if anyone covered this. Anyway, when did you start collecting your Atari 2600 games and how did you start?

 

Rules of this mean you actually pursued getting games, whether to save in nice condition or play. Having games from when you were a kid don't count, unless you never stopped trying to acquire more games throughout the years.

 

I had Atari when I was a kid back in the late 1970s and gave it up by 1983 when I got my Colecovision and moved on to better things. I eventually sold all my carts to my brother's friend and his house went up in flames in the mid-1980s, so all of my original carts were destroyed.

 

I began collecting in 1995 when I had my comic book store. One of my customers, who became my only part time employee, came in with a box from a garage sale. It was a 7800, which I had never heard of, and had about 25 games. He pulled a few games out that he wanted to keep and said I could have everything for what he paid, $20. So I took it home, hooked it up, and felt the nostalgia. I then thought about that feeling and if I had, then others about my age were destined to also have that feeling and thus I thought that this would be the next collectible. So I worked on finding out info about the system, somehow finding Digital Press with their price guide, the giant list of games, which opened me up to a vast amount of 3rd party games that I never even heard of, and my passion began. Due to space, I refrained from collecting boxes, and didn't start keeping them until I found O'Shea in 1997 and purchased almost 600 sealed games from him.

 

So now I have somewhere in the 625 games, not counting the few variations I keep. I consider Sears separate, so that is included in the total. I probably have 350 boxes now. Though space is still an issue. And once I started the Atari 2600, I expanded with other vintage systems. At first it was anything made before 1990, until I got my hands on Turbo Graph-x, Jaguar, and Virtual Boy. Then Playstation came along and I recently (last 3 years) found a SNES. Also add in Dreamcast and a Gameboy Advance that I won in a raffle, and I have more systems that I care for. I have managed to stay away from N64, Game Cube, PS2, PS3, and X-Box.

 

Systems I do consider collecting, but more for cartridges than diskettes are many of the computers like the Aquarius, C64 and Vic 20, Atari 400/800/XE, Tandy, and even the Timex Sinclair. I have probably 90% for systems like Colecovision, Intellivision, the 7800, Bally Astrocade, and Fairchild.

 

Anyway, sorry to get off topic. So how did you start the 2600?

 

Phil

[fiddlepaddle]

Sort of like this thread:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/207677-where-did-you-get-your-first-atari-2600-and-what-type-was-it/

[accousticguitar]

Sometime in the early 2000s I came across an Intellivision at a local pawn shop. It had around 30 boxed games with it for $80. I picked it up and really got into some of the games, like D&D cloudy mountain. From there I discovered ebay and started buying more games for it. Later on I came across a 7800 at the local St. Vincent store for $15. I didn't buy it (although I should have) because it didn't have a power supply. I decided to buy one off ebay and I paid a lot more than $15 for it. Then I discovered AtariAge in 2006 and eventually the 2600 bug bit me. I now have over 200 loose Atari 2600 games, it's been a while since I actually counted them.

[kennetzel]

I just started collecting some Atari around the end of 2012...simply because I pulled out my old game and got interested in it all over again. I realized there were games I didn't have and wanted, and they were cheap enough at auction to buy. So I spent the last six months rebuilding a library of games I never had on top of the good ones I already had. I wouldn't say I am a passionate collector, but I collect so many other things, there is room for one more thing to collect I suppose. Since then I bought a Darth Vader which works better than my original (it had some difficulty switch issues) and now have a well functioning system and I keep buying old games for.

[Ransom]

After going through the usual progression in my youth (2600 to Colecovision to A8, etc.), I got back into the 2600 in 1991, when you could find tons of stuff cheap at garage sales and flea markets. Collected a ton of different classic consoles and computers (and software). Got rid of everything but the A8 stuff about 1997. Started collecting 2600 stuff again about 10 years ago. Branched out from there. It is much more expensive this time around.

[Ranthulfr]

I started reading classic videogame newsgroups on Usenet in the mid-late 90's. At first I was surprised to see that some people collected these games to the point of keeping checklists, etc. Then around 1998 I picked up a few loose games just for nostalgia's sake. But it was ordering a lot of NIB games from O'Shea that really got me interested. At the time they were 80 cents apiece so you could get a copy of every title in stock for like 20 bucks.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Ranthulfr

[shadow460]

I started collecting in 2005 with a 7800. It came from a less than reputable ebay seller with about 40 games. I'd say about half were 7800 games, and most of those were CIB. I just kinda went from there, getting a light sixer, then a heavy sixer, then finally becoming hopelessly lost on the right side of hardcore.

 

I still have that 7800 sitting near my heavy sixer, and both systems still get used.

[shadow460]

I just started collecting some Atari around the end of 2012...simply because I pulled out my old game and got interested in it all over again. I realized there were games I didn't have and wanted, and they were cheap enough at auction to buy. So I spent the last six months rebuilding a library of games I never had on top of the good ones I already had. I wouldn't say I am a passionate collector, but I collect so many other things, there is room for one more thing to collect I suppose. Since then I bought a Darth Vader which works better than my original (it had some difficulty switch issues) and now have a well functioning system and I keep buying old games for.

 

If you still have your original system and would like the difficulty switches repaired, shoot me a PM.

[LidLikesIntellivision]

I started collecting last year! After joining AtariAge 2600 High Score Club -HSC ! :thumbsup:

 

Yes, I also had an Atari when I was a kid. I had about 22 games, but maybe only 18 at the same time because I did some trades.

I jumped to the NES and trade my Atari and cartridges for Nes games...

 

Then sometime around 2001 I discovered Stella!

Since I had Atari back with Stella I never stopped playing Atari anymore but never went into collecting and never searched another Atari console.

 

It all changed after joining AtariAge.

I bought 2 Atari 2600 consoles and started a still very small collection.

 

My small Atari collection is made of homebrews and those games I had or played the most when I was a child.

 

I consider my hunt interesting because I don't go for CIB or NIB.

I try to get all cartridges I had with the exact label. This is very interesting when you live in Brazil and there are so many clones.

For instance, I do have an Enduro but I want to upgrade it to the Microsoft version of Enduro (the one I had).

 

I also started to collect other systems but this is another history.

[AtariLeaf]

WARNING - LONG RAMBLING STORY AHEAD!

 

Ok my Atari collecting habits started in 1992. I was married that summer and my wife still had her junior and centipede and frostbite which were her two favorite games. I played them a bit and it was an interesting bit of nostalgia but I had no connection to either game on the 2600 so it was put away. Shortly afterward, we were in Zellers and in the electronics section there was a bin of brand new M-Network carts - Space Attack and Astroblast - for a $1 each. Again, nice little diversion but I had no connection to either game and they were then put away.

 

Well one late summer day in 1992 we passed by a yard sale and there was a 4 switch woody and about 20 or so games for $20. I only had a $10 on me so I asked if I could have the games for $10 and the woman accepted. NOW the nostalgia and fun were kicking in because in this lot were many of the games I did love as a kid - Asteroids, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Adventure, Yars Revenge, Chopper Command, Berzerk, Defender, etc, etc. Now I'm having a blast and it was at this moment that I was hooked.

 

From that point on I was like a man possessed. I went to every yardsale and thrift store I could think of. Back then I was finding games every week and I would literally come home with bags and boxes of systems and games for pennies on the dollar. I put an ad in the local paper and people were bringing systems and games to me. Good size lots for $5 or $10 each. I amassed a massive collection. My biggest score in 1992 was from another local collector who's job allowed him to travel the world (he was some kind of salesman). he answered my ad and had well over 300 games, 6 systems and so much more which I got for $125. I had many rare ones, all the Mystique games in their little leather cases. So many I can't remember. Of course back then there was no online rarity guide so rarity and its attached value meant nothing to me.

 

Sadly I sold that whole collection for a measly few hundred dollars in 1995, again, not knowing the value of what I had.

 

Then in 1999 when my daughter was born, we were online at this point and my wife would sell my daughters outgrown baby clothes on ebay, back when it was new and worth it to use. She made such good money that we started going to thrifts to pick up other good name brand baby clothes to sell - good little side job.

 

As I went along I looked around too and of course, in 1999 Atari games were still very easy to find in thrift stores. I still had no interest in getting back into collecting but I knew these games now had some value on ebay so I thought this might be a fun way to make some money. I did this for a couple of years and then found one massive collection in a yard sale - Atari with 120 games - for $10. I had so much fun playing and testing this stuff that I decided to start collecting again. I would buy games and systems both to sell and to keep. It was around this time - November 2002 - that I joined Atariage.

 

My other biggest find from this second go round of collecting was a local Bibles of Missions Thrift store around 2004. I just happened to ask the manager if she had any old video games in the back and she said yes, quite a bit but it had been there for a long time sitting because the person who tests the stuff was away. She brought me into the back and my eyes lit up. Several Atari 2600, 7800, 800XL and XE computers were sitting in this back room with well over a hundred carts, many boxed. I had $40 on me at the time and bought about 80 carts for the 2600 and 7800 and a system for each. At this time I had never owned or played a 7800 but was fascinated since it had Robotron and Food Fight - two arcade games I loved. I told her to hold everything else for me and a few days later came back and bought the 8-bit computers and the rest of the carts and accessories. I don't remember the price but I think it was again in the $40 range so quite the haul. I remember one of the 8-bit carts being Captain Beeble, a fairly rare game that is more common in Canada.

 

However around 2005 I started tiring of it all again and again, sold it for probably less than its true value to a collector who drove down from Toronto and bought the whole thing in cash.

 

So again a few years pass and in 2008 I'm driving out with my wife and daughter in the county and stop at this place that was basically a little indoor yardsale run by this very nice older biker couple. Looking around I found, you guessed it - Atari stuff - two systems (one Vader and one Sears light sixer) and 80+ games and got it for $40. As I was paying for this and leaving, my exact thought was this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

 

So now I'm hooked again but this time I start to go overboard. I'm not only buying everything Atari, but every other system I grew up with - NES, Genesis, Turbografx-16, Tandy color computer, SNES as well as systems I didn't own as a kid, like Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Dreamcast, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Master System. So I did this for a couple years, buying anything and everything. Around 2010 I really started to feel bogged down by it all again. This time however I decided I'm not selling it all. Not making that mistake again but I got rid of all the systems and games I knew I would never play and as a result, about a third of my 2600 collection, 80% of my NES collection, two thirds of my Genesis collection, half my SNES collection was sold and systems like Intellivision and Dreamcast that I didn't really care for all went.

 

Now at this point my collection is much more manageable and I spend a lot less time collecting and more time enjoying the collection.

 

Looking back at the last 20 years and 2 major collections that came and went, I realize I was never really out of collecting. I just took extended breaks from it. This time if I take a break, it'll stay with me because I just know that when the bug bites again, I'll be better prepared.

Edited January 20, 2013 by AtariLeaf

[+save2600]

About '90/'91, ventured into a Community Thrift store in Waukegan, IL and saw a slew of vintage and classic things, such as gaming, stereo equipment, etc. Picked up a 5200 that I refurbished and probably a previously unknown to me, game or two, for the 2600. Down the road and a little north, I found a Salvation Army that had a nice O2 system with a ton of games. Decided to pick that up and by the early 90's when I'd visit the Twin Drive In Flea Market (Wheeling, IL), I really started seeing 2600 games I had never known existed. Having never got rid of my 2600 from back in the day, these new games intrigued the hell out of me, so I started actively collecting anything different for the system that I was previously unaware of. By the mid 90's and thanks to the internet (I'll never forget the first list of over 500 officially released titles in America I ever saw), was amazed to discover hundreds of other titles and the rest is history.

[Schizophretard]

WARNING - LONG RAMBLING STORY AHEAD!

 

With such a big post, I'm surprised that I didn't find something about Circus Atari.

[Mirage]

Between '81 and '84 amassed about 50 carts, became obsessed with computers once I finally got one, and sold my original Atari and games at a garage sale (cheap).

 

REBOOT: In '89, bought a friend's old 2600 collection of a light sixer and maybe 20 games for a few bucks. He brought it all to school in a paper bag. Sold all that on an online forum in about '91.

 

REBOOT: In about '92, found a "big box of Atari stuff" for sale on another online forum, and met the guy at a used games store, and bought the whole box of maybe 30 games and another 2600. Sold it all about a year later somehow or somewhere.

 

REBOOT: Around '94-'95, started going to thrift stores regularly. Found a 2600 and some games. Found another 2600 and some games. Hey, this stuff is cheap! Started going to flea markets, garage sales, wherever I could find more 2600 games. (Found some C64 and other stuff, and started buying up those, too).

 

No more reboots. Been going ever since. I've slowed down in collecting for awhile a few times since then, but an a 2600 has been hooked up somewhere everywhere I've lived ever since about '95. So, I guess it'll be about 20 straight years of collecting since the last reboot. There won't be another reboot, I'd be crazy to sell everything I've worked for, only to get the bug again and have to start all over.

[AtariLeaf]

With such a big post, I'm surprised that I didn't find something about Circus Atari.

 

Oh yea my favorite game

Also my original username which was "I_Love_Circus_Atari" which I changed to Atarileaf accompanied by a thread that stated that I_Love_Circus_Atari is dead which in retrospect was not well thought out and a proper retraction was made

[Serious]

Hi everyone.. My first post on this site...

 

I made the painful mistake of donating my Atari 2600 games and accessories to Goodwill when I left home around '89. I had continued to buy games from my friends during high school, after they had moved on to Nintendo, etc, so I had accumulated about 100 cartridges, including many choice games, like all of the Starpath cassettes, all of the Xonox double-enders, Subterranea, and lots of other good stuff (with boxes for most).

 

I'm pretty sure they left it all outside in the rain.

 

 

When I got on eBay in around 1999, I started rectifying this terrible mistake. I almost feel better about it, now.

[Philflound]

Sort of like this thread:

 

http://www.atariage....at-type-was-it/

 

No, it's nothing like that thread. I didn't ask about my first Atari, which was 17 years prior to when I started collecting.

 

Phil

[fiddlepaddle]

No, it's nothing like that thread. I didn't ask about my first Atari, which was 17 years prior to when I started collecting.

 

Phil

Oh, for me, both started and continue together. I didn't even register a separation. Sorry.

[Philflound]

That's why 2nd sentence in the original post states having an Atari as a kid didn't count unless you never stopped collecting. I think the majority of collectors let their collection go one way or another. It's a common thing that happens with all types of collectibles, especially toys. You have them as a kid, you play with them, you hit teenage years, you have no interest in them, your mom gives them away or sells them in a garage sale, you graduate college, you get a nice paying job, you see that nostalgic toy when you are an adult and it gives you a special feeling, and you go back and collect it.

 

Phil

[atarilovesyou]

It's almost like all great collections start from a great loss of Atari stuff; my first decent haul was back around 93 or so, I traded an SNES and one cart for a box of Atari stuff: three non-working four switchers, but the games: close to 100 carts, all working (but used, some worse than others). Lots of somewhat rare stuff (all the Zellers carts, lousy though they were!)...I kept it all in a large box until the box blew up. I never really 'cared' about the system, I just played the shit out of it for years. I was always into old school games, so it was never really retro for me. One day in the late 90s the collection moved to a huge garbage bag...I loaned it out to some friends (the N64 was out by now and the Atari stuff was just for laughs), because I wasn't using much of it. When I collect, I like the stuff to remain as new-looking as possible, so maybe that's why I didn't care so much about it as I should have. I was using a nice Atari Jr to play the games, as none of the original machines worked properly...anyways I finally loaned it to a girl I knew: her old man really liked Atari, so she thought it would be cool to let him try it out. I kinda forgot about it, and when I came back a few months later to collect it was gone. Most likely the bag was around the garage and was mistake for real garbage....I'd like to think it went to some other collector, maybe but most likely it was disposed of. I didn't spend more than 150 bucks on the whole she-bang but it was worth every penny for the fun we had with it.

 

I restarted my collection in 2005 when I found a very nice six switch on craigslist. It had issues but looked pristine. Paid to get it repaired, found another console to use as a 'beater' and collected a few modest games. I wasn't really on the internet enough to take advantage of ebay or other stuff like that so I bought directly from some companies like Best electronics. I overpaid in retrospect, but whatever...I've kept it all since, but am avoiding going overboard like the first time. I just keep the carts I really like, and bought some amazing homebrews. I shortly signed up here and the rest is history. With my latest purchase, a Harmony cart, I might sell off my small physical cart collection (save the homebrews and those new ones) as the Harmony does it all and then some. I'm always on the look out for better joysticks and paddles.

 

I also collect NES and CV. Those are my big three, although my PS2 also makes the grade with all those great compilation games (I've got em all except for a few turds), and now I'm finally getting into MAME.

 

I really do love retrogaming: small collection, playing every so often, keeping it all in operable condition. It's a great lil hobby even though nobody I know really shares that opinion, lol! They're good for a few games of Ms Pacman and Galaga but that's about the extent.

[Stan]

My family didn't have a lot of money when we were younger, but my dad loved taking us to garage sales and to peoples' houses when they sold off old games in the local classifieds. We were always usually about 5 years behind in terms of what system was out, the NES being an exception. He come home one day with a nice 2600 with a bunch of games and my brother started playing. Had a decent collection, sold it, regretted it, and started again when you see the date next to my name here.

[Philflound]

Being behind a few years is what it's all about if you don't mind waiting. There is so much stuff out there to enjoy yourself, it's not necessary to get the latest and greatest. For example, a couple of months ago I picked up Assassin's Creed 1 and 2 for $9.99 in a combo pack from Target. You can get it now for that price at any Target. I discovered there is an Assassin's Creed Revelation, which I assume was something they threw together and added new missions to play. So far lowest I've seen is $29.99. I'm waiting until I get it for $20 or less. BTW, this is for the PC. I loved Witcher part one, which I picked up for $20 at the time and now you can get for $10 at Target. I just got Witcher II enhanced for only $20. I figure new games I won't pay more than $20 for. Eventually prices always drop. I even got Dragon Age Origins last summer for $8 new at a flea market. Great finds are out there if you're patient enough.

 

Phil

[Rick Weis]

January 1978 (2 weeks after Christmas) most of my friends collected baseball cards and I did not have any interest in collecting baseball cards so I decided to collect ALL Atari 2600 games, at first it was easy but after a while they were coming out faster then I could afford. I would say over 75% of my NTSC collection is from back in the day. (longs drug store/toys R us and anywhere else I could find them)

 

Rick

[Serious]

With my latest purchase, a Harmony cart, I might sell off my small physical cart collection (save the homebrews and those new ones) as the Harmony does it all and then some. I'm always on the look out for better joysticks and paddles.

 

I think this is something you may regret, later, if you do it.

[atarilovesyou]

I think this is something you may regret, later, if you do it.

 

Perhaps!...but I'm a believer in the Harmony cart, lol...it's just that awesome. Easy to use, holds everything and fits like a charm. I think the only physical carts I'll sell are the ones that are in pretty used shape...maybe I'll stick em' all together and see who makes an offer.

[Vintagebreed]

Hi this is my first post here in the 2600 forums.I just recently started to collect 2600 games it all started in 1994 with the atari Jaguar i collected for that system and absolutley loved it as time went by they went under and games became how do you say very exspensive.So with the new babies and all i no longer could afford to collect for the Jaguar and went on to cheaper systems sega saturn,Dreamcast mainly.So i put my Jaguar into a storage unit and time when on in 2002 i took a long needed break from collecting and went on raising my family and playing very seldomly.Around 2008 I took the Jaguar out and started collecting for it again i loved the thrill of the hunt finding those rare jaguar games having it out at auctions.Finally breaking down and buying the cd unit to the jaguar i found myself collecting the small but nice commercial list of games for the jaguar.Once i reached my collection peak with the Jaguar i was left feeling bored i didnt like the style of games on newer systems it seemed alot of the fun factor was lost in time as the xbox ps3 and wii came out just kept getting more annoyed by the lose of interest in games those systems had to offer.So when i joined atari age and jaguar sector 2 forums i found myself becomming interested in other atari systems so i got a 7800 being amazed at the games the system had to offer i found myself feeling the fun factor again as i started to buy more and more games for the 7800 i took advantage of its 2600 capatability and bought some games i remember from childhood like Battlezone,Gorph,and surrounded.In this moment i knew that the hunt was back on i love the thrill of finding my childhood games sitting back late at night while the kids are in bed and jammin some Gorph.Currently i am still collecting for the 7800 trying to get my quota in the games i am interested in.As for the 2600 i keep picking up more and more games double and triple what i do for the 7800 not to mention the 7800 dosent have a large library of games like the 2600 did to me i love the thrill of getting those games sitting back and reliving the joy i once had with them.To me i cant seem to fit in with todays gaming as many of us on these forums do we love the retro scene.Now i have just recently won a lot of 2600 games on ebay and i have a game called Tunnel Runner i played it tonight for the first time and was just amazed at how great that game was specially for its time of debut.That is one question i would like to know on the cartridge label it says Ram Plus i am asuming it has added ram to it.What is this for?Storage or graphics?In any event i am very very happy with it.So now im up to around a small collection of 40, 2600 games and 25, 7800 games not that many but a nice start and i am loving it ^^ .As for my Jaguar collection i still collect for it but the titles i am missing are those one's that are so elusive only time will tell if you get it or not.Well this is my story of how and when i started collecting 2600 games.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Vintagebreed