Date code stamps on Sears picture end labels

[NovaXpress]

Okay, before I get to Sears lables, please check this out.

 

What about Atari-branded games purchased at Sears. My "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is dated 43 2 R, which places it at the very start of October, correct? My "Earthworld" is 40 2 which puts it in mid-September?

[Omegamatrix]

Okay, before I get to Sears lables, please check this out.

 

What about Atari-branded games purchased at Sears. My "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is dated 43 2 R, which places it at the very start of October, correct? My "Earthworld" is 40 2 which puts it in mid-September?

1025571[/snapback]

I took a calendar and counted it. I'm guessing they counted the first week of 1982 as Jan 1-3 (fri, sat, sun). By that count I get week 43 as Oct 18-24, and week 40 as Sept 27 - Oct 3.

[Christophero Sly]

Okay, before I get to Sears lables, please check this out.

 

What about Atari-branded games purchased at Sears. My "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is dated 43 2 R, which places it at the very start of October, correct? My "Earthworld" is 40 2 which puts it in mid-September?

1025571[/snapback]

 

My calculations put your ROTLA at approximately the last week of Oct. and Earthworld the first week.

 

From Jan 1. to Sept 30. = 273 days = 39 weeks. I didn't count out the days that made up each week that year.

Edited February 28, 2006 by Christophero Sly

[NovaXpress]

In that last thread I read, it said that the first week is the first containing a Thursday, so week one wouldn't start until Sunday Jan 4.

 

Arcade Pinball - 222

Berzerk - 392

Defender - 222

Pac Man - 092

Star Raiders - 332

Submarine Commander - 222

Warlords - 402

Yars Revenge - 142

I'm surprized that I don't have more Sears pic labels. I bought most while it was still all-text.

Edited February 28, 2006 by NovaXpress

[A.J. Franzman]

I took a calendar and counted it. I'm guessing they counted the first week of 1982 as Jan 1-3 (fri, sat, sun). By that count I get week 43 as Oct 18-24, and week 40 as Sept 27 - Oct 3.

1025593[/snapback]

Nope. See post #10 of the Atari text labels thread for explanation. By the defined standard, January 1-3 of 1982 were in Week 52 of 1981.

[NovaXpress]

So how do my Earthworld and Raiders dates compare to the earliest known versions purchased from non-Sears sources?

 

How do the earliest days of Sears Pac-Man or Demons to Diamonds compare to the Atari versions?

[Christophero Sly]

In that last thread I read, it said that the first week is the first containing a Thursday, so week one wouldn't start until Sunday Jan 4.

 

Arcade Pinball - 222

Berzerk - 392

Defender - 222

Pac Man - 092

Star Raiders - 332

Submarine Commander - 222

Warlords - 402

Yars Revenge - 142

I'm surprized that I don't have more Sears pic labels. I bought most while it was still all-text.

1025737[/snapback]

Thanks!

 

Are your Defender and Yars' Revenge orange or red text?

Edited February 28, 2006 by Christophero Sly

[Christophero Sly]

So how do my Earthworld and Raiders dates compare to the earliest known versions purchased from non-Sears sources?

I don't think there would be any difference between copies purchased at Sears and copies purchased elsewhere. Perhaps all the copies of the game made during a certain week went to Sears, but determining what date batches went to which retailers and which carts were purchased at which retailers is probably impossible at this point in time.

 

How do the earliest days of Sears Pac-Man or Demons to Diamonds compare to the Atari versions?

TMK, date stamp information for the Atari picture labels hasn't been gathered. Without that information it's impossible to say how the Sears versions of these two titles compare to their Atari counterparts in that respect.

[NovaXpress]

Are your Defender and Yars' Revenge orange or red text?

Red

 

I don't think there would be any difference between copies purchased at Sears and copies purchased elsewhere.

Ah, that's where I think I'm on to something. I believe that a small number of carts had releases which varied by as much as a month between Sears and other retailers. There's a particular dispute about Pac-Man. Atari's relationship with Sears was very very unique..

 

determining what date batches went to which retailers and which carts were purchased at which retailers is probably impossible at this point in time.

There have to be a few more like me out there, people who know the original source. I know that my ROTLA came from Sears because I bought it there myself. There has to be a few others who can match the exact cart to the exact store.

 

Date stamp information for the Atari picture labels hasn't been gathered

Anyone have an Atari version of Pac-Man or two handy? Edited March 1, 2006 by NovaXpress

[Omegamatrix]

Anyone have an Atari version of Pac-Man or two handy?

1026139[/snapback]

I only have a couple of Pac-Mans' left.

 

Atari Pic Label Pac-Man:

242R

142R

[Christophero Sly]

Are your Defender and Yars' Revenge orange or red text?

Red

Thanks for checking on that.

 

... I believe that a small number of carts had releases which varied by as much as a month between Sears and other retailers. There's a particular dispute about Pac-Man. Atari's relationship with Sears was very very unique...

 

There have to be a few more like me out there, people who know the original source. I know that my ROTLA came from Sears because I bought it there myself. There has to be a few others who can match the exact cart to the exact store

That's entirely possible, However, other retailers may have received carts from the same date-of-manufacture batch, only a month later than Sears. It would be hard to determine what carts went where. It's this side of the equation that is tricky.

 

Anyone have an Atari version of Pac-Man or two handy?

Are you saying that you believe Sears-branded Pac-mans were produced and sold before Atari Pac-mans? If so, the earliest Sears Pac-mans date to the first week of March 1982 (092). If you can't find Atari carts with a date stamp that early, you might be on to something. Of course, not all carts have date stamps and it's probably impossible to say when those were made.

 

I've also wondered if date stamps might be able to reveal some interesting things. I'd like to know if any E.T. carts were produced in 1983 or 1984.

 

However, if you plan to investigate your Pac-man hypothesis, would you mind starting another thread devoted to it, so this thread doesn't get sidetracked?

 

I'll go check the Atari Pac-man carts I have.

Edited March 1, 2006 by Christophero Sly

[Omegamatrix]

Sears pic Basketball - (no stamp)

Sears pic Speedway II - 222

 

Edit April 25th: Add a Sears pic Math Grand Prix - 292

Edited April 25, 2006 by Omegamatrix

[Omegamatrix]

I have two more Pac-Mans to add:

 

Sears Pic Pac-Man 092

Sears Pic Pac-Man 182

Edited May 7, 2006 by Omegamatrix

[Christophero Sly]

I have two more Pac-Mans to add:

 

Sears Pic Pac-Man 092

Sears Pic Pac-Man 182

 

Added all of your recent submissions. Thanks!

Edited May 13, 2006 by Christophero Sly

[gamme]

Demons to Diamonds - 282

Maze - 352

[Christophero Sly]

Demons to Diamonds - 282

Maze - 352

Added. Thanks!

[shadow460]

Here goes:

Baseball: 222

Berzerk: 402

Black Jack: 372

Chase: none

Defender (orange text): 272

Defender (red text): 222

Gunslinger: 412

Haunted House: damaged--appears to be 052

Missile Command: 222

Night Driver: none

Pac-Man: 132 I didn't check Crazy Climber's Pac-Man before I sent it.

Space Combat: damaged ?22

Space Invaders: repro label

Speedway II: none

Star Raiders: 402

Submarine Commander: repro label

Yars' Revenge (orange text): 222

 

I wish I knew to look for the date stamps when I got Space Invaders and Submarine Commander. I'd have dug through the sale bin looking for their end labels.

 

Christophero, if you want to have a look at that Space Combat and see if you can decipher the date stamp, I'll send it to ya (but you gotta send it back when you're done). Or maybe me and Flack, Lord Helmet, or Tim can get our heads together and try to decipher it.

 

I bolded the ones that weren't in your list yet.

Edited September 2, 2006 by shadow460

[Christophero Sly]

Here goes:

Baseball: 222

Berzerk: 402

Black Jack: 372

Chase: none

Defender (orange text): 272

Defender (red text): 222

Gunslinger: 412

Haunted House: damaged--appears to be 052

Missile Command: 222

Night Driver: none

Pac-Man: 132 I didn't check Crazy Climber's Pac-Man before I sent it.

Space Combat: damaged ?22

Space Invaders: repro label

Speedway II: none

Star Raiders: 402

Submarine Commander: repro label

Yars' Revenge (orange text): 222

 

I wish I knew to look for the date stamps when I got Space Invaders and Submarine Commander. I'd have dug through the sale bin looking for their end labels.

 

Christophero, if you want to have a look at that Space Combat and see if you can decipher the date stamp, I'll send it to ya (but you gotta send it back when you're done). Or maybe me and Flack, Lord Helmet, or Tim can get our heads together and try to decipher it.

 

I bolded the ones that weren't in your list yet.

Thank you for your submissions!

 

No need to send the cart to me. I doubt I would be able to decipher the date on Space Combat any better than you. My guess would be 222 though, because that seems to be one of the most common dates. I'll just leave a "?" there for now.

Edited September 2, 2006 by Christophero Sly

[shadow460]

OK. Tim and I talked once or twice about trading in person. If I meet up with Tim or any other AA'er, we'll study the Space Combat cart.

I think that middle digit is a 2, but it's hard to tell on that one, too. the first digit has been worn away where the label was creased.

[Deteacher]

Here are mine:

 

Maze: 122

Submarine Commander: 222

Space Invaders: None

 

Now, I've got a Star Ship cart (black/yellow text label) that's stamped 452. I know you wanted time stamps on pic labels, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway because it's got a stamp.

 

All my other Sears labels are text labels with no stamps

[Christophero Sly]

Here are mine:

 

Maze: 122

Submarine Commander: 222

Space Invaders: None

 

Added. Thanks!

 

Now, I've got a Star Ship cart (black/yellow text label) that's stamped 452. I know you wanted time stamps on pic labels, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway because it's got a stamp.

 

Yeah, I'm not tracking that one, but it's an interesting label nonetheless. All known date stamps for that one fall between 422 and 452.

Edited September 2, 2006 by Christophero Sly