+JasonlikesINTV Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 A while back I decided to pursue the factory sealed Activision games as a fun collecting subset. So far I have identified 5 of the 7 as originally available factory sealed. I have yet to see a sealed Beamrider or Pitfall. If anyone can verity the existence of these, feel free to let me know. I recently picked up one of the rarer and more difficult to find sealed Activision games: I'm still missing a sealed Worm Whomper, but if the two unsealed games mentioned above don't exist, it would be the last one I need to complete this sub-collection. Of course I'm broke now, but I can be patient on the Worm Whomper They are out there and I'll eventually grab one. Here is a pic of the ones I have so far. Again, the Dreadnaught Factor, Happy Trails, River Raid, and Stampede are all factory sealed. The others are not. Enjoy! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SoulBuster Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Sealed Beamrider 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BBWW Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Cool, my next project is a Sealed Happy Trails, one of the top 10 Intellivision games in addiction factor…and a personal favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfy62 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I have a sealed Worm Whomper and I opened my Beamrider to play it about 7 years ago. No regrets! Interesting as common as it is I have not seen Pitfall wrapped either. or, i just never noticed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certifiable Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) Huh, my Dreadnaught Factor has the same sticker on the top, maybe we bought them from the same seller? For some reason the Happy Trails and Stampede seams are on the sides of the boxes instead of the top/bottom... As long as we're posting pics here's one of a sealed Pitfall! I was lucky enough to come across, it's seams are on the top/bottom like Dreadnaught and Beamrider... ...And it looks like someone here has just outbid me on the sealed Beamrider on ebay right now... Edited February 10, 2014 by Certifiable 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Huh, my Dreadnaught Factor has the same sticker on the top, maybe we bought them from the same seller? For some reason the Happy Trails and Stampede seams are on the sides of the boxes instead of the top/bottom... As long as we're posting pics here's one of a sealed Pitfall! I was lucky enough to come across, it's seams are on the top/bottom like Dreadnaught and Beamrider... ...And it looks like someone here has just outbid me on the sealed Beamrider on ebay right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 I'm starting to wonder if the top seal is the original and that the side seal might be a reseal? My Dreadnaught Factor is from Venezuela. Happy Trails and Stampede are from eBay So it looks like all 7 might have come sealed at one point or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Certifiable Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 That's what I was thinking, why would they put the seams over the game title on the spines? The original Mattel games didn't do that (at least most of them...as far as I know)... And congrats on the River Raid purchase, that was a great deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 I also noticed that on the Happy Trails, I didn't see the normal breathing holes on the front or the back. This may destroy my already shaky faith in factory sealed games I didn't spend a ton on any of them. $110 for River Raid. $30 for Happy Trials. $15 for Stampede. IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Don't Activision factory seals have a one-inch vertical band on the reverse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Well I finally acquired a sealed copy of Worm Whomper. I'm assuming it's genuine. I didn't pay much more than the going rate for an opened one, so still a great deal. Here she is! Addressing some earlier posts in this thread (*scroll to bottom for a very short summary*).... I've done some investigating and I'm pretty sure that my sealed copies of Stampede and Happy Trails are reseals. I'm kinda bummed, but the evidence is there. I didn't pay too much for either, but it just proves that the sealed market is tricky and you should definitely do your research and buy responsibly. Here's the original pic from earlier: Evidence & Identifying Characteristics: There are at least 2 major things to check for. First, the seams on the plastic should be on the top and bottom, not on the sides (display spines) of the game. The copies of the Dreadnaught Factor that came from Venezuela were all this way. In contrast, the copies of Pitfall and Beamrider that came from Venezuela weren't sealed, so they probably weren't resealing games. If they were, they probably would have done Pitfall and Beamrider as well. Most of the sealed games that people are posting (and a majority of the sealed Activision games that I have seen) have the top and bottom seams. My copies of Stampede and Happy Trails are in the minority. Also, I inspected them closer and they look to have some wear on the box under certain parts of the undamaged seam. The second major identifier is the overlap of the plastic on the back of the box (pointed out by boxpressed). Don't Activision factory seals have a one-inch vertical band on the reverse? So here are some updated pics for reference (notice the seams on the bottoms of the boxes): Here's a shot of the backs showing the overlap band that boxpressed pointed out: My Happy Trails and Stampede don't have this band on the back. * Sorry this turned out to be so long. I tend to get long winded Here's the 'too long, didn't read' summary: Finally got a sealed Worm Whomper. My Happy Trails and Stampede are reseals Sealed Activision games have seals on top/bottom as well as an overlapping band on the back of the box 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 OK, I'm taking a poll. I'm normally not a big fan of stickers on boxes and I'm considering taking these off. I love the $4.99 price (considering its current worth), but I really like the look of a nice stickerless front for sealed games. I'm pretty confident I can get them off without compromising the seal. Any thoughts or opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMUalum Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Take it Off! You guys are brave. I've read too many horror stories of people buying sealed collectables, only to discover it's either a re-seal, or the actual item isn't in the box. I'm sticking with the complete in opened box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I think you should leave the stickers on. Why? They are part of the "history" of that package. They have time-traveled along with the game and box to be in your hands today. Why would you remove them? They are part of the object that you purchased and own, presumably for its intrinsic historical interest. Why remove them? So that you can have a plain plastic wrapped box with no individuality or etc? As it is, no other WW box looks exactly like yours. Remove the stickers and you have made it look like every other WW box with plastic on it. If you're of the mind-set to remove the stickers, why not just remove all of the plastic and re-shrink wrap it yourself? Wouldn't that be just as satisfying? Is it the 30 year old plastic that prevents you from wanting to rip it open? Of course! If that's true, then respect the 30 year old stickers that are arguably the best and most interesting part of that particular collected piece. It's truly fantastic that the piece has a LOWERING set of prices on it. A visible, not authentically replaceable once destroyed, wonderful bit of consumer/social archaeology evidencing the video game crash of its era. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+JasonlikesINTV Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 I think you should leave the stickers on. Why? They are part of the "history" of that package. They have time-traveled along with the game and box to be in your hands today. Why would you remove them? They are part of the object that you purchased and own, presumably for its intrinsic historical interest. Why remove them? So that you can have a plain plastic wrapped box with no individuality or etc? As it is, no other WW box looks exactly like yours. Remove the stickers and you have made it look like every other WW box with plastic on it. If you're of the mind-set to remove the stickers, why not just remove all of the plastic and re-shrink wrap it yourself? Wouldn't that be just as satisfying? Is it the 30 year old plastic that prevents you from wanting to rip it open? Of course! If that's true, then respect the 30 year old stickers that are arguably the best and most interesting part of that particular collected piece. It's truly fantastic that the piece has a LOWERING set of prices on it. A visible, not authentically replaceable once destroyed, wonderful bit of consumer/social archaeology evidencing the video game crash of its era. Excellent analysis! As it sits, it tells a story...one of an orphan unwanted by all but those willing to pay but the mere cost of a footlong sub. Someone bought it in the 1980s. It then sat, or possibly was traded around, for 30 years until it ended up in my hands where it will be loved and displayed as one of the more prized pieces of my collection. I think the answer is clear. Buy a second sealed Worm Whomper so I can have one with stickers and one without. Viva la variacion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishcar Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Excellent analysis! As it sits, it tells a story...one of an orphan unwanted by all but those willing to pay but the mere cost of a footlong sub. Someone bought it in the 1980s. It then sat, or possibly was traded around, for 30 years until it ended up in my hands where it will be loved and displayed as one of the more prized pieces of my collection. I think the answer is clear. Buy a second sealed Worm Whomper so I can have one with stickers and one without. Viva la variacion! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Yah there's no debate at all. Stickers stay on. They are awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austodd Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I've always wondered how the manual and overlays were originally packaged in Activision games. Does the manual sit between the two flaps on the black insert box? Where do the overlays go? Can anyone who has opened a sealed Activision game answer this? Or better yet, is there an "unboxing" video out there somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Excellent analysis! As it sits, it tells a story...one of an orphan unwanted by all but those willing to pay but the mere cost of a footlong sub. Someone bought it in the 1980s. It then sat, or possibly was traded around, for 30 years until it ended up in my hands where it will be loved and displayed as one of the more prized pieces of my collection. I think the answer is clear. Buy a second sealed Worm Whomper so I can have one with stickers and one without. Viva la variacion! What I find even more amazing (and amusing) is that it looks like there are FOUR price stickers on that box, which means it got marked down three times! I can read two of the prices, but two bad we don't know the other ones. Wonder what it started at. $40? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojotv67 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 This is not a sealed Activision game but does speak to the point of telling a story... This Burgertime once sold for $29.97 at Kmart and then it got marked down over and over again until it eventually found itself in the bargain bin at $3.00. Not sure if it sold higher at one point but there are 10 price stickers on that upper right side of the box. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BBWW Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I like stickers that say Toy R Us or Kay Bee Toys, ones that actually identify the store... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intymike Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Yep. This is totally going to turn into a "show us your games with stickers" thread. Engage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intellivisioner Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Some of my collection... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intymike Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Some of my collection... Nice, also from Complay in Cologne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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