Rarity Guide observations

[mpowr]

I'm imagine I might generate some flames from this post, but as a person who is fairly serious about their Atari 2600 collection I have to observe:

 

On the Internet in general, I see a particular emphasis on Atari Age's Rarity Guide. I have accolade for the people who have created this guide. It is very interesting, and I have fun comparing titles in my collection with the Rarity Guide.

 

I have noted however, especially when searching Ebay, that the Rarity Guide sometimes seems to be the "Be All, End All" reference point. Ebay sellers often don't even mention Atari Age when they list a particular item's "rarity" rating. This troubles me.

 

I could be wrong, but the Atari Age Rarity Guide seems to rely on the number of carts manufactured per title. And that is it. The guide does incorporate label variety into its system, so I give credit where credit is due.

 

But what about condition, boxed or not boxed, correct manual/catalog included, and so on?

 

Let me give an example of how I think of my collection:

 

One of the items I usually pull out and show interested individuals is my Combat 01 gate-fold package. I have the cart, box, manual, and catalog. It almost always gets a "wow" from the person I show it to. But if I compare it with the Atari Age Rarity Guide, it is hardly valuable.

 

It appears to me that a scratched, beat-up Waterworld cart with a peeling label and no box or manual is worth ten times the value of a Combat 01 gate-fold with correct box, manual, and catalog in pristine condition.

 

How is this possible? Am I really such a naive collector? It seems to me that a beat-up, cart-only Waterworld and a pristine Combat 01 with box/manual/catalog are both difficult to find.

 

Am I wrong? Do thousands of 2600 collectors have gate-fold packages in perfect original condition while only 50 or 60 of them have Waterworld as a cart only?

 

Am I alone in thinking that a well-preserved Street Racer 12 gate-fold with the original box, manual, and catalog all placed in the correct order in the box is a more valuable find than a cart-only Waterworld?

 

I guess I don't have to tell you which one I would buy first.

 

Ok, flame me. I have my Hazmat suit on.

[sku_u]

I could be wrong, but the Atari Age Rarity Guide seems to rely on the number of carts manufactured per title. And that is it. The guide does incorporate label variety into its system, so I give credit where credit is due.

 

 

There are a lot of factors that go into determining rarity. As production figures are not widely available, that is just one small criterium used.

 

But what about condition, boxed or not boxed, correct manual/catalog included, and so on?

 

Keep in mind that the rarity guide is first and foremost a guide. It is not the be all end all of rarity by any means and that it is a guide to help determine rarity, not price.

 

One of the items I usually pull out and show interested individuals is my Combat 01 gate-fold package. I have the cart, box, manual, and catalog. It almost always gets a "wow" from the person I show it to. But if I compare it with the Atari Age Rarity Guide, it is hardly valuable.

 

Any serious collector knows the difference in price point between a boxed game and an unboxed game.

 

It appears to me that a scratched, beat-up Waterworld cart with a peeling label and no box or manual is worth ten times the value of a Combat 01 gate-fold with correct box, manual, and catalog in pristine condition.

 

Again, rarity /= worth. What something is worth to someone depends on the individual determining worth. For example, I paid almost $100 for a boxed rarity 4 title. Why? Because it was the only rarity 4 I was missing, I hadn't seen one in a while and I wanted a complete set. Most rarity 4 boxed games are maybe $10-20 tops on a good day.

[Red 5]

As a reference point, I have a gatefold Combat and I don't even collect boxes.

I only collect loose, but if I get boxes, I keep them. (I just don't actively seek them out.)

 

On the other hand, I have over 300 unique carts. Waterworld is not one of them.

 

A boxed combat compared to a boxed Waterworld would be the same distance apart on the rarity guide as a loose combat vs. a loose Waterworld.

 

Either way, combat is still a better game.

[Wntermute]

Besides, this is a rarity GUIDE... not a rarity BIBLE. As someone who used to be big in collecting Star Wars toys, rarity for one particular item is different for each person. Condition and production variations should be taken into account.