Best finds in the wild

[Miss 2600]

Hi:

 

I'm fairly new here, so I'm not sure if this question has been asked before: What was your greatest find(s) in the wild?

 

Game-wise, my best find was Stargunner (with a color label) at a thrift store. I had never seen a Telesys game before, so I wasn't sure if it would work in my 2600, but I thought, for a $1,

what the heck. Turned out to be a super game to play. Only later did I find out it was a pretty rare game as well.

 

My best find was a manual I discovered in Fort Bragg, where I was visiting for a family reunion. I decided to check out a thrift store along the way, and there was a 2600 6-switch there (I only had a 4-switch at the time) with a bunch of games (most common, but some were decent) and manuals. The clerk said I could buy the 2600 and games for $10 and that I could have the manuals for free. I was excited about getting the manuals because you rarely find those at thrift stores. As I was gathering up the manuals, I noticed I was standing on one. It said "Swordquest" but the picture was not familiar. Since I already had Fireworld, I assumed it was Earthworld until I got to the car. You can probably guess what it was....Airworld.

 

No, just kidding.....Waterworld.

[Brian R.]

I don't know how great this is, but I put a wanted ad for Atari stuff in the paper and had a guy bring me a bag full of 2600 carts, including a good-as-new 2600 Xenophobe. I didn't even know they attempted to make this game for the 2600 before I saw it.

[MegaManFan]

Also, a Supercharger and a COMPLETE set of the tapes for $50.

[Osmeroid]

I just picked up a copy of Frankenstein's Monster for £3 ($5?) last week in a motorcycle spares store.

[DanBoris]

I have found both a 2600 Waterworld and 2600 Crazy Climber at a local flea market for $1.00 each.

 

Dan

[MattyXB]

Miner 2049er Volume II complete PAL for only 5,-DM.

[ROBOTRON2084]

Crazy Climber??? Sweet...I've been looking for that one...

[Stella'sGhost]

The rarest game I've ever found in a flea market was Master Builder.

 

I also just recently found a complete mint XEGS with everything that it came with new and some extra games, in a bag in the back of a thrift store that I didn't even want to bother going in cause it smells. Totally mint as if no one ever touched it. for 12$, Canadian...haa hee hoo hoe hoahoaeh hoeahoe..

[Lemmi]

Atari video cube - $3 at a trade center

Condor Attack - $4 at a garage sale

[bfloatarijunkie]

Chase the Chuckwagon from a friend.

Mr Do's Castle at a yard sale

Boxed Intellivision II at Goodwill

[Atarian75]

Up N' Down - $2

[broncoman]

found a shuttle orbiter by avalon hill for 1.00 but i gave the guy 25.00 for it yard sales sometimes pay off

[nashnooga]

my best find was at a flea market, a vader with over 40 games (some were doubles, and about 8 were coleco vision games)

 

FOR $10

[El Destructo]

Quadrun, sealed and complete in the box, for $5 at an Odd Lots back in '91. Picked up all the other last-generation games, too: Gravitar, Solaris, Double Dunk, Super Football, Midnight Magic, Jr. Pac-Man, etc. Man, those were the days.

[Atari2600Lives]

Game wise I have never found anything Atari but recently I picked up a complete in box Turbo for intellivision a very rare game for $3 at a local thrift.

 

 

Non game -was a super, ultra mint condition sears Tele Arcade II at a thrift store...rarity 8 in the DP guide (an 8 is "finds you will never get in the wild!")

[+cvga]

I used to find great things in the wild but not so much anymore. Of course, I don't get to "hunt" as often as I used to so that's probably part of the reason why also. Anyhow, some of my best finds were:

 

Music Machine (loose) - $1

Color Bar Generator - $3

 

I didn't have any idea that either one of these were rare at the time.

 

Later I found a Music Machine complete in the box for $2. I traded the loose one for a Boing, Video Jogger, Video Reflex and one other game that I can't remember right now.

 

Once when I was flea marketing with one of my best friends (who I also got into collecting) we found two Coke Wins. One of them (mine ) was even in the box! The guy who had them knew that they were collectible so we had to pay $10 for the loose one and $25 for the boxed one

 

Oddly, one day I found a loose Chase the Chuckwagon at a flea market and later found the instructions to the game but no cart at a booth on the complete other side! My guess is that whoever sold me the cart bought it at the booth where I found the instructions (their carts were only $1) and resold at a profit (I paid $4 for the cart). Even though they didn't have the cart where I got the instructions, I had to buy a cart for them to let me take a set of instructions. I think I bought a Pacman.

 

I wish I would have kept a log of where I went and what I found from the time I started collecting. It would be fun to be able to read through it now!

[Atari2600Lives]

CVGA-

 

Any chance i can buy that Music machine off of you? name the price :-)

[Philflound]

This past weekend I went to the Rutherford Antique Fair they have every Labor Day. I found a lady with old viewmasters and got everything for $90. May have been a little high, but I gave her my card and mentioned video games.

 

On Tuesday, I was invited to her house where she said she had Atari, Nintendo, etc.

 

This is what I got for $40.00.

2 Atari 2600 units (don't think there are any joysticks, but I have them)

1 Colecovision (no power supply)

1 Commodore 64

1 Atari 130XE

 

About 12 NES carts including Double Dragon I, II, and III. A few Colecovision games, maybe 7 or so, but in there was my prize, Threshold by Sierra. This was one game on my wantlist which put my CV total to 121. There are some Atari games, but nothing fancy as far as I saw. I only brought 2 of the 4 boxes in the house, so I haven't looked closely enough at the other 2 in my car. I also got a book on how to fix video games. Some cool vintage stuff.

 

Phil

[Philflound]

Oh, I forgot to mention that she has another Atari down at her house in south NJ. This I guess was her old house that her daughter and/or son live in now. This stuff was in a garage. She also has more games she said in boxes in the back of the garage that she couldnt' get to due to time constraints. I was told there were Matchbox and Hot Wheels and probably some more toys there. When I get back from Florida, I'm going to call her and try to see what else she has.

 

Phil

[+cvga]

Atari2600Lives - I only have one Music Machine now since I traded the other away a long time ago. I've also promised to let Marco know if I ever decide to part with it. He's only interested in the box though

[Cap5750]

Swordquest Bowling here on AtariAge! Thanks Albert! What a great game!!!

 

Cap

[+bcombee]

My best finds have been in the wild. In my first year of collecting, I found "Glib" at a yard sale, "Crazy Climber" at a Goodwill, and "Harbor Rescue" at a old thrift shop. Non-2600, I also got a MBX expansion module for the TI99/4A and a pretty large Odyssey 2 collection about that time. I also lucked out at the big First Saturday Sale in Dallas back in 1996, and got five of the Caltron 6-in-1 carts for the NES, which proved to be good tradebait.

[Rob Mitchell]

Best: Atari Test Cart (loose) for $2 at a flea in LA. 8 on rarity scale.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Raijin Z]

Konami Pooyan at a local Goodwill. Yeah, it's not terribly rare. I just started doing this.

[Sparkonian]

At a garage sale a few weeks back I picked up a "Darth Vader" complete with box & manual, joysticks & paddles as well as about 15 games with manuals (no boxes). The games included Z-Tack (Bomb) and Threshold (Tigervision) and were all in very good condition.

 

All this for AU$5

 

Yesterday I picked up 2 control pads (with the thumb stick broken off them) for 20c

 

Gotta love the garage sales.