8 replies to this topic

[Buyatari]

When it comes to rarity, by definition, what qulifies as a TEN?

I have my own definition but it may or may not close to anyone elses. I think alot of the arguing about rarity numbers could be reduced if we had concrete guidelines on what defines a ten a nine an eight etc etc etc.

To me a ten and a nine would be this.

TEN - This is the rarest rating a released game can have. While the exact number of carts produced is often unknown it is generally believed that less than 20 copies have survived. These carts are very rare and are only offered for sale or trade once every 3-5 years on the average.
EXAMPLE-Video Life or Eli's Ladder

NINE - A released cart rated with the 9 score comes up for sale or trade no more than once or twice within a 1-3 year period. While the number of these carts produced is unknown it is generally believe that less than 100 copies exisit today.
EXAMPLE- Lockjaw or Malagai


Some might argue by these guidelines that Lockjaw is really a ten and it may be. I did manage to pick up 2 copies of this game (down to one boxed complete) in the past 6 years so I think it fits. Malagai might been seen as too common to be a Nine as it is sometimes offered more than once in a year period. But for many years prior none were ever seen so it has avgs to 1 per year or so. Time will tell on that one if it is truely rare.


By this scale. Waterworld , Crazy Climber, Chuckwagon etc would all be 7's or so at best. As they are availble on avg more than once per month. In the days of ebay thats not rare at all. You can buy one every month of the year.
These are my guidelines though.

Lets hear your definitions of a NINE and TEN

Adam

[Rick Weis]

"These carts are very rare and are only offered for sale or trade once every 3-5 years on the average.
EXAMPLE-Video Life or Eli's Ladder"



how long of a time span are you talking? because i know of 4 video lifes that have sold/traded in the last 5 months! video life would NOT make it as a "TEN"!!

Take care,

Rick

[Buyatari]

Quote

how long of a time span are you talking? because i know of 4 video lifes that have sold/traded in the last 5 months! video life would NOT make it as a "TEN"!!

I'm talking the avg over a long period of time. Since say 1994 or 1995 in into the recent future for as far as we can determine.

Well there are less than 20 Video Lives known to exist. Thats the important part. The number sold is a guage used to help determine how many do exisit. In this case we KNOW less than 20 now exisit due to the information John and Sean uncovered during the buyout.

Well as we all know by now Sean and John contacted Commavid and bought them out. The surplus of Video Lives are NOS and well it wasn't really that big of a surplus.

There is one more Video Life to be sold and then well you'll have to wait 3-5 years for the next one.

Over the long run its a 10 no doubt about it.

Adam

[Rick Weis]

"Over the long run its a 10 no doubt about it"


I AGREE 100%

Take Care,

Rick

[CPUWIZ]

If you would argue that VL is a ten, you'd need to be shot Adam.

* looks at glass case with MIB VL in it *

[NE146]

shit it's easy.. 10's or 9's simply denote cartridges which at this point in time, I have a snowball's chance in hell of owning. Simple!

[Callipygous]

In my observation, rarity ratings often confuse the cost of a cart with the actual volume produced. Atari carts like Crazy Climber or WW maintain a relatively high auction price despite the fact that thousands were made. The ratings seem to assume that if the cart is always going for $75 or $100, then it must be rare. In reality, they aren’t as rare as other 8 or 9 carts, just more popular.

[MattG/Snyper2099]

Ok, here's what I define nines and tens as:

NINE- A cart that is available for trade or sale a few times a year but costs you $100 or more.

TEN- A cart that is only offered for trade or sale one time or less every year.

As a side not, I agree with Marco's rarity system. There are carts that most collectors with eventually have, and there are cart's that most collector's will never have. It's all about how patient and persistant you are.

MattG.

[Marco(2)]

MattG/Snyper2099 said:

As a side not, I agree with Marco's rarity system.  There are carts that most collectors with eventually have, and there are cart's that most collector's will never have.  It's all about how patient and persistant you are.

Wahoo! I have a follower!

Indeed, to me a TEN is a game that most collectors will never have. All the rest is gettable, only a matter of time. Should that read "matter of money"? I don't think so. I suspect that most carts will loose their value over time. Only the TENs will remain valuable. Somehow, there's just not enough collectors around to make (95% of) the supply scarce.

Cheers,
Marco