How many people here are still seriously collecting for the Atari 2600?

[Pantechnicon]

So thanks to a tip from hellfire (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133337), I got on Goodwill’s auction site yesterday to bid on (and win) a stack of mostly common 2600 carts, but also including a copy of Rubik’s Cube, and the acquisition thereof was my main goal.

This was my first shopgoodwill.com auction. What struck me as odd about it was how easily I won this compared to some of the trouncings I’ve experienced on Ebay. I showed up at the Goodwill site near auction’s end prepared for a last-minute snipefest and there was no one else there but the crickets. Bear in mind that Rubik’s Cube is an R7, according to the DP Guide. And granted, Goodwill’s auction site has nowhere near the traffic as Ebay, but searches show there still seem to be some decent deals therein from time to time, yet there’s not a huge flurry of bidding activity.

The whole thing got me to wondering, in the context of DP, how many people are still actively collecting for the Atari VCS/2600? By all accounts, it seems like there are considerably fewer active collectors than there used to be. I accept that there is a certain inevitability to this. Finds are going to dry up over time and owing to finite numbers. Popular interests are going to shift as younger gamers develop more interest in collecting systems relative to their own youthful epoch, while older dorks like me will often “outgrow” the hobby, and maybe cash out owing to loss of interest or financial necessity. Still, I thought it might be a good time to ask for a head count.

So, if you’re still mostly active in collecting for the VCS, please post, and share what sort of ups and downs you’re presently experiencing in pursuit of all things 2600-ish. Likewise, if you were, but are no longer, collecting for the system anymore, please share your thoughts as well (and pm me with any good deals ;)).

For my part, I still consider the VCS my primary collecting focus. In about 14 or 15 years of actively collecting I’ve got a decent number of system variants as well as slightly more than 300 carts. However, as time marches on I’m finding it increasingly difficult to pick up good finds at local sources like thrifts, shops or yard sales. Events like CGE or OVGE are great sources, but only when they happen, as well as if I can actually plan & afford to go. I’ve never been much of an online buyer/trader but the increasing inability to locate good scores locally seems to be pushing me more towards the inevitability of online trade nearly exclusively.

[swlovinist]

On DP, I suspect that there is a small loyal following collecting for the 2600. Considering there is AA, I suspect the Atari 2600 collectors here to be small in number. Many of the hardcore 2600 collectors are only missing the oober rare stuff. I am a passive 2600 collector who collects for the system as I find it, with a most recent find of Q-berts cubes, one of my rarest carts. I am now up to about 375 carts, with over 20 homebrews and several hacks. Our show in September will have some great Atari 2600 stuff :)

Honestly, Atariage is where I go for my great trades and deals. I would look no further. Craigslist would be my second place.....

[Bojay1997]

I think a few things are in play. First, many of us have been collecting since the late 80s and early 90s. As such, we have located a lot of what was on our want lists. I don't mean to be critical, but having 300 carts after 15 years doesn't really sound that impressive. I think I hit 300 unique 2600 carts after maybe two years of collecting, but maybe I'm just lucky.

Fewer new collectors have started collecting 2600 while collecting NES and newer games has surged. Thrifts and swaps have largely dried up on the older stuff simply because it was already donated and sold to collectors long ago. Finally, some of us have decided to move into more difficult things to collect like mint, complete or sealed games. That's pretty much an Ebay only or private sales outside of most Internet forum type of collecting.

[Kid Ice]

I still collect for the VCS but I have almost everything I really want. I only collect boxed games, and only first party and Activision. I still need Fun With Numbers boxed, after that I'll have all the "easy" Atari boxes. After that I can consider going after the Quadruns and Crazy Climbers of the world, maybe using some of my other collections as leverage.

I stopped caring about carts a long time ago, I have about 400 of them. I sold some of my rarer carts last year and haven't missed them a bit.

Rubik's Cube is an R5 at best, I think that R7 number is outdated.

[scooterb23]

I still collect for the 2600, but I, like most 2600 collectors have "the basics" (meaning the main 100 or so carts everyone has) and a decent selection of the next tier up. I collect cart only, but most of my local sources don't really keep a stock of anything of interest anymore.

[o2william]

Well, I started collecting the 2600 in 1994, when I purchased an ex-dealer's lot of about 100 games. Once I got started, I quickly hunted up the games I had when I was a kid (all commons). But since then I've never been a super-aggressive collector. I acquired most of my 2600 stuff through thrift store and flea market finds, which were much more frequent 15 years ago. In the late '90s I bought quite a bit of stuff from Usenet auctions, but those dried up when eBay got popular. Of course, I've occasionally purchased some lots on eBay and at shows like CGE. I haven't counted for a while, but I'd guess I have 400-450 carts now.

Last month, I had my first 2600 find "in the wild" in at least a few years. During a vacation to to visit family in Ohio, I hit a used game store and found Spitfire Attack -- not that rare a game, but one I hadn't run across before. I also scored a trade copy of Submarine Commander at that store, and found some semi-rare Intellivision stuff there and at a thrift store in northern Kentucky. By a weird coincidence, I found some boxed 2600 stuff at a local flea market once I came back home to California -- which NEVER happens. I already had all the games, but didn't have most of the boxes, and there were a couple of semi-uncommon things (Spy Hunter) for the trade pile. And I don't mind telling you -- these small finds THRILLED me, because they are just so infrequent nowadays.

So I'm still collecting, but honestly I have most of the games I really want, and I don't have the drive to shell out the big bucks for the really rare stuff. I was just thinking about this the other day, and I think the only not prohibitively expensive 2600 cart I don't have that I really want is Subterranea. But if I ever find anything that I don't have in the wild or get a chance to trade for it, I'm all over it.

[NayusDante]

I grew up collecting NES, so Atari is actually only a recent collecting interest for me.

I always wanted a 2600, but never enough to pay the going rate. I finally gave in and got a 2600 Jr a few months ago. While other systems I've bought more out of collector's interest, I'm genuinely interested in the 2600 for other reasons.

Modern gaming has been disappointing me as of late. There's so much room for innovation, but it rarely surfaces. The 2600, on the other hand, WAS innovation. Sure, it was watered down by the countless crappy releases, but it's a different era to look at. There's different (and often more interesting) cultural connotations with the 2600. Popping in Cosmic Ark to beat my last score is so refreshing, compared to booting up disc 3 of FF8 and moaning to myself about "getting that next damn card." When I have the time and the drive to do it, modern games are a wonderful experience. More often, however, I'm finding that I just want gameplay.

That said, I would expect to see more people coming to the 2600 for similar reasons. Games have lost focus, and the ones that do interesting things are getting fewer and further between. Just because Hideo Kojima can craft a meaningful gameplay experience with lots of cut-scenes doesn't mean that everyone else can. Why should I play 2009's derivative shooter when I can play one that was actually innovative for its time?

The 8-bit era is definitely popular now, but I expect it to change in the next few years. There's not enough charm in the early CD consoles, with the PlayStation being the only (mainstream) successful one. People aren't going to build papercraft of the original Lara Croft model to hang in their car. 8-bit is aesthetically pleasing as it is, but I can imagine people stylizing the Atari age.

[Fuyukaze]

I try to buy what I can when it's cheap but more and more the prices go up and the selection stays the same. I know I'm cheap when it comes to 2600 carts but I refuse to pay anything over a buck for common games. I definitly refuse to pay 3-5 per loose for most loose 2600 games.

[Mayhem]

I'm mostly in the 2600 for getting the homebrews now. Don't have the room for an official release collection, the CC2 suffices. I have the five silver box Atari Club games, a Magicard and a few others hard to find pieces but that's about it; the rest is homebrew or proto repro releases.

[careerbellman]

I still collect, although havent gotten a 2600 game in a couple of years. Ive run out of room and dont have much money to spend since Im unemployed. The last game I think Ive got was Auctionauts by Rob Fulop. Ive got most of the Atari produced carts. The only ones I need are BMX Airmaster and Quadrun and Gravitar the silver label. Obviously those are quite expensive, so it will be a while till I get those. My Colecovision collection only needs 24 carts left. Mostly I need those lame educational games. I really dont feel like blowing money right now on those.
But really with the economy like it is right now, Im putting my collecting on hold. But thats good for you right now, as I bet games are cheap as ever!!!!
Good luck with your collecting, this is your chance to get some great deals.

[s1lence]

I'm still collecting for the 2600, thought not that active in it.

I don't think prices have really started to drop, but I think that they have peeked on the majority of titles.

[Flack]

I've never considered myself to be a serious 2600 collector; I'm more of a "collector of opportunity" I guess. My rules for collecting kind of defined themselves. I never had any interest in buying super rare games or completing the collection; I just used to buy games I didn't have when I ran across them in the wild. For me that meant garage sales, thrift stores, antique malls, etc. Occasionally I'd pick up some games from Vintage Stock or GameXchange but that's about it. I never bought any 2600 games online, eBay or otherwise.

As you might imagine, my sources of 2600 games have dried up and so has my collection. 2600 games at garage sales have been replaced by Xbox discs, and the last 2600 game I saw at a thrift store was a loose Space Invaders for $7.

I have all of the games I had as a kid plus hundreds more. That's good enough for me, and probably where my collection will stand.

[guitargary75]

I still collect for it. But, I hardly EVER see anything in the wild anymore. If and when I do, it's always over priced. I have all the basic crap and some rare titles as well. I probably have around 400 carts. I love playing the Atari. I pop in a game and play. No loading, no 20 minute story, just game play.

[Queen Of The Felines]

I'm all about the 2600, but only if they're boxed/complete. I had to sell a big chunk of my collection a few years back but now that I managed to snag a much better paying job I'm back into it full-force. Regular releases, repros, homebrews, hacks, whatever, I'll take 'em all. :)

[Leo_A]

I'm a Atari 2600 fan, it remains my favorite console to this day.

But since buying a Cuttle Cart II during its second production run several years ago, I rarely buy cartridges. I'm a gamer that loves to play on original hardware, but having the cartridges isn't necessary for me to enjoy it. The CCII allows me to have a complete 2600/7800 collection (Minus Pitfall II) without ever having to change cartridges. :)

I'll likely someday restart collecting 2600 cartridges and try to get a mostly complete collection of boxes games from a few of my favorite companies, mostly because I like the boxes and cartridges. But I've never been out for a complete collection. When you go beyond a few of the main companies, most of the other obscure stuff isn't very good.

I'd also like to try to build something styled to look like a Atari display/demo case to store many of those boxes someday when I do.

[MrRoboto19XX]

Although my collecting in general has cooled down recently simply because I'm trying to spend less, I would call myself an active 2600 collector. As has been previously stated, I too have the hundred or so games everyone has, as well as a few that are a bit less common.

Last year around this time, I was buying both lots and singles off of Chasethechuckwagon.com to beef up my collection. I'd just bid on several items by the same seller and have them all shipped at once. The blocking point I found with this is that I'm still missing odds and ends of the "mini-collections" (all Activision standard labels, all Atari Picture labels), and not only are they hard to come across at times, but shipping can get pricey.

I'd like to someday get boxes for the games I have, as most are loose, but it's not too often that people sell boxes. Even so, I like the way they look lined up loose, as I discussed in a previous thread months ago, I simply find most (most meaning "Not M-Network") 2600 games aesthetically pleasing when they're all arranged and lined up.

Man, did I ramble on. Short version: Yes, I'll always consider myself a 2600 collector, as that system has a charm to it that I can't shake.

[Ye0ldmario]

If I ever come across an atari system for a good price or some games I'd probably buy it. Finding atari stuff seems to be almost extinct now and even harder to come by as these years pass.

2 games that come to mind are the rare Halloween game and Texas chainsaw Massacre for the 2600. These had limited shelf life didn't they? I'd love to find one of them in a flea somewhere someday.

[MachineGex]

I am now actively collecting 2600 (and 7800). I was focused on NES for a few years, but now I am close to completing the NES(about 5-10 major games away including Caltron). So I have moved back to the 2600. It is the only system I have ever sold off(twice now) and both times I regretted it. I now have almost eveyrthing I use to have, but the days of finding 2600 games at the goodwill or flea market is looooooooong gone. Sure, you still may find a game or two, but I use to bring home boxes of stuff from the flea market.

I am loving the homebrew stuff and the starpath stuff on CD. I just started doing atari again this year. I have vowed to only collect the games I am gonna play. We will see how that goes....I said the same thing for the NES.

[ubersaurus]

I've pretty much bought everything I've seen local that I didn't already own (so, about 200 odd games) and since I don't usually go online to buy games, I've hit a wall with 2600 collecting. Also there is the issue of space, as I am pretty much out of room for a whole lot of new games. So collecting in general has taken a backburner until I have the room.

[Steve W]

I've never considered myself to be a serious 2600 collector; I'm more of a "collector of opportunity" I guess. My rules for collecting kind of defined themselves. I never had any interest in buying super rare games or completing the collection; I just used to buy games I didn't have when I ran across them in the wild. For me that meant garage sales, thrift stores, antique malls, etc. Occasionally I'd pick up some games from Vintage Stock or GameXchange but that's about it.

That's how I am exactly. I don't use eBay or any online retailer, I collect Atari games the old fashioned way... I hit the pavement and go looking through thrifts and flea markets. A local chain called the Movie Trading Company has really helped me build up my collection as of late. For a year or two they've been buying up people's game collections for whatever console they want to sell off. They have rarity lists for the NES onward, but no idea about Atari game rarity. So most everything gets a blanket price of $1.99. Most locations don't have much, but I'll occasionally stop in one and buy $20 worth of games, including rare stuff like Guardian and Rescue Terra I. It's always a thrill to walk into a store and find a heap of stuff I need for my collection. The occasional thrift store find helps fill out the Atari section of my shelves.

[PapaStu]

/me waits patiently for Carey85 to post in here.

[megasdkirby]

I don't collect 2600 as much I would love to, only because I know that it means loads of $$$ to shell out, something I simply can't do. I really like the console, but I can't see myself spending $1K on a game, when I can use that money to get loads of games.

I will, however, pickup a few games here and there when I come across them. I haven't been to fleamarkets in years, and the last mayor haul was back in the mid 90's, when my brother found quite a handful of Condor Attacks, CIB, for $2 each. Heck, I even think Russ (slapdash) has one of the copies my brother found!

He still has a few around, somewhere packed up.

Good times...awesome memories.

But it makes me want to get a decent car and go around PR game hunting. I know there are massive finds wanting to be discovered. And at the same time, expand my 2600 collection.

[The 1 2 P]

I don't collect for the 2600 at all(ugh). However, my Goodwill gets a good amount of Atari stuff every now and then. As a matter of fact, theres a tote with a 2600 system and about 20 games there right now. Of course, it's been sitting there for a little over two months now. Most people around here(myself included) go for games starting during the Nes age. However, if I knew what people were looking for(game wise) I could start to take a closer look at the games that come thru my store.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I buy them as I come across them, provided they are cheap. I usually won't pay above $3 for a cart, and I'll snap up just about anything for $1, as long as I don't have it. I would guess that I may pay as much as $5 for a game I like that's complete. I may also bend my buying rules if I come across a rare game, as I don't have (m)any rare 2600 carts. A lot of my 2600 games are cosmetically challenged, but I don't mind as long as they're playable. The library (http://www.digitpress.com/library/manuals/atari2600/index.html) here is an excellent source for me, because I don't own any complete games, and have only a few manuals.

The 2600 is the only Atari system I currently own, and it's the only one I have games for. As a collector I don't actively seek out games or systems. I buy based upon what I come across at thrifts (etc.) if the price is fair. It's great because it saves me a lot of money. I'm patient and I'm not in a hurry to amass an envious collection. And I sure as hell don't collect as a financial investment.

[RASK1904]

Back in the 90's when I was in high school me and my best friend had one. We bought it off Brian in my Econ class. 20$ with like 30 games. Me and my best friend used to find games all the time in the wild back then. Some times .50. Some days I'd come home with 16, 25. It was awesome. We used to take it to parties and hook it up. Well what had happen was my friend put it in her car and was going to bring it back to me and her car got stolen. At the end we had over 200 games. By H.E.R.O. She told me and I was some mad I couldn't even talk to her.

Flash forward about 15 years and I was having a hard time because of the pain surrounding my old collection, I could not start a new one without dealing with this pain. So slowly I'd pick up good games cheap. Just for someday, nothing serious. But after I had some really cool games(Frankensteins Monster, Kool-Aid man ect) I had to buy a system. I saw one for 9$ and I decided to hold out. Short on cash at that moment. A couple months went by and I was regretting passing up that one for I had seen a bunch for 15-25 bucks. Then I saw another one for 9$ and I jumped on it. It was nice and clean too. Now all told I have maybe 100. Later I found one of those 9 games things that plugs in, I forget the name right now. But yes I collect any good deals. And yes I still need HERO!

[sidnotcrazy]

Yep, like many I still collect for it, but like most of my systems, I don't pay crazy amounts of money to get 'rare' titles. If I find them, and I can afford it, then I get them. I won't put myself into a financial bind over soething that it is a hobby. That said, I have been collecting for the VCS for 28 years, and I am no where near completetion. Its tough to find the really odd ball games like Tax Avoider, and Q-bert's Qubes. But I love the chase, and the finds, its a lot of fun!

[Lerxstnj]

I have not bought any 2600 carts since I started collecting games, but I did keep my 10 or so favorites (air-sea battle, yars revenge, berzerk, combat, pac-man, cosmic ark, etc.) after giving away my system as a kid. I still have the Colecovision 2600 adapter though.

[Vectorman0]

I collect 2600 fairly actively and have been for a few years. However, I'm not sure if I should call myself a "serious collector" (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133437). I have slowed down over the past few months, mainly because I tapped out my usual resources and I have been running low on space. Unlike most people here, I haven't been at it for a while.

I bought my first 2600 off ebay in 2003. I can't recall exactly what drove me to buy one, I think it was that I wanted to get in touch with my gaming "roots". The only exposure I had prior to that was playing 2600 Pac-Man at a neighbors when I was younger. If you haven't already gathered, I'm probably younger than most of the people posting in this topic. ;)

I have around 400 carts and I would guess there are about 300 unique games out of those. I keep all major label variations I end up with, but I normally don't worry about them. (text/picture/red/silver for Atari, normal/blue for Activision, etc.) I have about 160 unique games on my need list, 100 of which DP considers R6 or higher. I would estimate that 50 or so games were bought on ebay, and approximately 25 from trades and sales on DP/AA forums. The rest came from purchases and trades at the DP Store, Next level Videogames (http://nlvideogames.com/) and gaming conventions such as CGE, MGC and Too Many Games.

[Badhornet]

I still collect seriously for the 2600. I have around 300 different carts, although finding what I'm missing has been harder and harder, so I have branched out to other systems.

[Atarileaf]

I'm nearing the end of my 2600 collecting. Like others, I'm not out to get everything or CIB games (I do have a few) but the games that I enjoy playing. Right now the last two that I'm actively looking for are Cosmic Commuter and Tapper so if anyone has extra copies . . .

[alxbly]

I got a package today... here's what was inside:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/alxbly/Atari/AtariVCS002sm.jpg

And so this is the beginning of my VCS collecting! The last time I played one of these was probably about 1985, when I was still a kid. I seem to remember the console being bigger... But I'm just glad I managed to get one at a good price and in nice condition.

I spent most of the evening just cleaning everything; the console, the connecors inside, the games and their connectors. I tested it first and everything works great, although I'd like to get a controller that's in better condition (the rubber around the joystick is burst). Anyway, here's the end result of my labour:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y70/alxbly/Atari/AtariVCSsm.jpg

I think it's looking pretty good. Now, I need to figure out all the games I want... :)

[Joe West]

I dont collect 2600 carts, I buy & sell, at a flea market, a old man had the console, couple of controllers, and over 50 games, alittle dirty, good labels,
so i looked thru his box, and to my wonder, there was "chase the chuckwagon
and dr.do castle'" so i ask him now much for the box, he said i dont know, then he said how about $35.00 and i said sold, i went home looked them up on the boards, made a few calls, sold both of those carts for $95.00..\\^_^/

[aaron7]

<raises hand> I'm working on a full set. Currently have at least half of the DP list.

[fergojisan]

I got into this hobby just to get the original 17 Atari 2600 games that I had as a kid. That goal was met in the first few visits to the flea market (this was 1995). My next goal was to get all the Activision games, and so on, and so on. I am still actively collecting, but as many have said, most everywhere "in the wild" has dried up. I am willing to pay more for carts these days because I'm not buying anywhere near what I used to. I love label variations and boxes too, though I don't need the game to be complete if I see one I don't have (that's how I collect NES).

There's just something about the 2600 games that I can't let go, probably just the nostalgia factor, or maybe the home video games being a new thing when I was a kid. I didn't have a long period of time in my life when there wasn't home videogames, but my generation is the last in that respect.

[Pete Rittwage]

shopgoodwill.com has some deals sometimes where it seems nobody bids, but other times things creep up quickly past eBay prices. I guess it just depends. The traffic is much lighter there, and you have to be careful about the shipping prices. Some stores want a fortune to ship, while others are fair. The shipping/handling fee is based on a percentage of the sell price, too, which is kind of strange.