Super Baseball a 2 - is it really that common?

[+DamonicFury]

http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html...wareLabelID=526

 

I was just perusing the rarity lists and was shocked to see a cart in the rarity 2 list that I not only didn't own, I had never even heard of!

 

Most of the 2's I have multiple copies of, come across in the wild ALL the time, and there are dozens of them on Ebay at any give time. Do a search on Ebay for Super Baseball... see?

 

I'm not saying it's ultra-rare or anything... but it's certainly no 2! Maybe a 4?

 

(btw, anyone got one to trade?) :-) http://www.geocities.com/sbdamon/ataritradelist.html

[Pitfall Harry]

The AtariAge rarity guide is not based on eBay availabilty. Nor does it go by what you can find in the wild. Most people can't find anything Atari in the wild anymore, but that's hardly a reason to bump Combat or Pac-Man up to a 6.

 

No matter how scarce Atari cartridges become -- be it a year or ten thousand years from now -- the AtariAge 1-to-10 Rarity Scale shouldn't be overly affected by it. That's because it's a relative scale. Cartridge rarities are assigned not in accordance with how difficult they are to find in an absolute sense, but rather by how difficult it is to track down and acquire one title as compared to another.

 

How difficult is it to track down a given Atari title? Well, that depends on where you look. You may have serious difficulty finding a single game made by Panda, for example, if you search for it only in the wild. Panda games are a tough find pretty much anywhere. But if you happen to live in North Carolina, where the tiny company was located, your odds of finding a Panda game in a local thrift are much, much greater than those of your collector buddies combing the thrifts out in California. Even in North Carolina, bagging a Panda game in a local thrift could take years. In California, the liklihood is much closer to never. North Carolinians who assess the rarity of games solely on what they and their local collecting friends find in the wild will want to rate Panda games at least a 5 or a 6. The "thrift store only" seekers in California would insist Panda games deserve a rating closer to 8 or 9. Collectors in Kansas or Mozambique, who have no prayer of finding a Panda game in the wild, may see one pop up on eBay 8 or 9 times a year -- and actually buy one because they know where to look!

 

Regional rarity is a reality. No matter where you live, there will always be certain titles or certain manufacturers titles which turn up much more rarely in your backyard than in other places. Just because "in your experience" a certain title never turns up, it doesn't mean the title never turns up in the experience of others. AtariAge has a lot of experience. AtariAge pooled the experience of a lot of collectors in a lot of places all over the globe and far, far beyond. They tap into the experience of collectors who look for games in places that may surprise or even shock the average collector. And if the AtariAge network of cartridge hunting fiends discovers a ready source of a particular Atari title, no matter how impossible it is to find "in the wild," then by virtue of its readily available status AtariAge assigns that title a low number on its 1-to-10 scale. Super Baseball falls into that category because Super Baseball is available to anyone at any time from http://www.oshealtd.com/, provided they are willing to part with the $5 to acquire it.

 

Eventually, the supply of $5 Super Baseball's from OShea's will run out. When that happens, the AtariAge gurus will convene an emergency summit. They will argue and thrash deep into the night for weeks on end, reassessing the rarity of that one title. Hair will be torn from scalps. Furniture will be hurled across the room. There will be a bloodletting. But in the end, I'm confident that AtariAge will do the right thing and bestow a much higher number upon Super Baseball than it presently has. Like a 3, maybe. But until that time, yeah, Super Baseball ought to remain what it is -- a lowly 2. Even though I've only seen it once or twice in the wild in the past 5 years myself.

 

 

Ben

[+DamonicFury]

Believe me, I wasn't trying to give the AtariAge guys a hard time... I have tremendous respect for the guide they've put together, and the tremendous resource they've give to the Atari community. I was just posting my own opinion on the rarity of a paticular cart... which is what I believe this forum is for (?)... not trying to upset anyone's apple cart. :-)

 

As for Oshea's, I'm familar with them, and ordered all the carts they had I was missing back when they were a mere 80 cents a piece. I didn't then, and I don't now see Super Baseball listed there... there is a cart simply listed Baseball... is that really S.B? (I had assumed it was the common-as-hell RealSports version, or maybe even Home Run) Super Football and Football are listed separately on their site separately.

 

Pitfall Harry, I appreciate the long and informative reply. I've been collecting carts for a long time myself, even if I'm fairly new to posting on these boards. :-)

[Pitfall Harry]

Hi there sdamon!

 

I believe you. I didn't think for one second that you were giving the AA guys a hard time. As far as I can see, all the applecarts are upright and tidy.

 

Now, I can only hope that you believe me when I say I wasn't trying to give you a hard time either. I tried to showcase some of the many factors that go into rarity ratings, I tried to answer all of your questions, and I tried to make it entertaining. I'll admit I got a little carried away with my post, and I can see how you might interpret that as belittling. That wasn't my intent. Pure and simple, I come here to AtariAge to have fun, and I find that fun in two ways: 1) By answering questions when I can. Not to pass myself off as some uncontestable expert, but to help out my fellow gaming enthusiasts. And 2) By being a goof and saying things I just think are damn funny. Sometimes, inadvertantly, I miss that mark. If you've been around these boards long enough, then you'll know that whenever I do miss the mark, I am humbled far more than he who first was offended. Believe me, you are no exception and you have my sincerest apologies.

 

Now to answer your remaining questions...

 

Yes, Super Basesball is indeed the "just plain Baseball" of which I ranted. I know, because I got my first copy of the game from OShea's, back when it was a mere 80 cents.

 

The answer to your other question, the question I missed from your first post, is yes. I have a copy of Super Baseball to trade. However, I doubt there's anything you'll want to trade away that I need (all I need are a few 6's and higher to complete my 2600 collection), for my Super Baseball. So, I'd rather just sell it to you instead.

 

My Super Baseball is complete, with mint instructions and box. And if you could email me with your address, you can have it for what I paid for it -- 80 cents.

 

 

Ben

[+DamonicFury]

Pitfall Harry, you are the man! :-) Apologies completely accepted... and I apologize for my ignorance of this this paticular case - sometimes after collecting for 20 years and owning nearly 300 carts, you get to think you know everything! For my own part, I had no idea S.B. was one of O'shea's mountains of carts... that certainly goes a long, long way to explain why it's rating of 2, despite it's (relative) scarcity elsewhere. You gotta admit, it's pretty unusual case. :-)

 

I will indeed email you about your cart... many thanks for your very generous offer.