How do you store loose Atari 2600 carts?

[NayusDante]

I've never found a good solution to this. Atari carts are short, fat, and generally not shelf-friendly. How do you display them on your shelves? Sideways with the label facing you? Standing up? Loose in a box?

[Arkhan]

I stack them label out in shelving units.

These shelving units are known to most as milk-crates. I prefer to call them stackable shelving units.

[Nebagram]

My 2600 collection is small so I can store them easily enough in a tub. When the collection grows, the solution is clear: bigger tub. :) (and a bigger clear tub, at that.)

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Sideways with label facing out. I have customizable shelving, so I space it to match the cart size. This proves to be a problem with the M2 carts or other "weird" carts, but any shelving solution is going to have issues taking those into account.

[Pantechnicon]

Just stack `em, like so (http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=33764&g2_serialNumber=2).

Most the carts aren't a problem with respect to size and proportion. Imagic titles jut out a little bit, and there are some oddball brands like Xonox, Commavid or Konami which just go off to the side.

The worst ones of course are M-Network :bad-words: which don't lend themselves to stacking at all but I found a neat way to stack them too: Alternate M-Network carts with Imagics. Put an Imagic on the bottom of the pile and then place the skinny side of the M-Cart on top of it with the wider cartridge edge hanging off the back. Makes for a nice tall stack. I'll post a picture later tonight to show what I'm talking about.

[DDCecil]

Standing up on the shelf like this:
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/622/picture211s.jpg

[jonjandran]

In the garbage......

Joke guys, joke please don't send a Ninja Assassin after me. :smash:


Seriously though I have mine in a plastic bin. The kind that slides under the bed. Keeps them nice and neat and dust free.

[Oldskool]

I store mine in an actual 2600 Console/Games storage case made for the purpose, has a sort of smoked/clear cover on top, and a wood grain bottom. Holds about 30 games or so, which is about all I have anyways. If I had more I am not sure what I'd do with them. Actually, got my Atari + all the games, the container, controllers, everything, for 5 bucks at a garage sale about 10 years ago!

[NayusDante]

I'm trying to make them fit well, but they just seem so out of place no matter where I put them or how they're stacked.

Here's my shelving setup:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/4093322601_c90d683ee6.jpg

And here's the only way I can think of to store more than a few carts:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/4093323563_3b0c8fb6d9_b.jpg

If I give them their own shelves, I can't fit as much other stuff on the shelves that would normally fit perfectly. As they are, they're a big funny looking tower. I like the standing-up idea, but I don't have a shelf deep enough to do it.

[Game Freak]

I put most of my cartridges in drawers of some sort. My Genesis games get a cartridge organizer (an idea i took from another thread here on DP.) My atari games look like so:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f266/gamefreak360/newroom/100_2943.jpg

EDIT - just realized that Star Raiders and Video Chess were swapped. I suck at alphabetizing. LOL

[Lemmi_Is_God]

i store mine in candy boxes

Mexican Hats and Red Hot Dollars boxes actually :)
the only problem is the boxes wont fit the Imagic or any other cart thats longer than a normal 2600 cart

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f105/Lemmi731/atari2600gamesloose1.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f105/Lemmi731/atari2600boxesloosegames.jpg

[vivaeljason]

I currently have mine stored in a box under my DVDs. When I get around to building shelving for my games, I plan on just stacking them alphabetically.

[boatofcar]

The only satisfactory solution for me was to use these shelves specially made for VCS games:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/102/304355067_fa5feddff6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/304355067/)

I don't know how easy to find they are these days, but they look great and are wall mountable.

[Kevin H]

I actually bought a dresser and i am making inserts for all the games. After that all the games will go in there perfectly with about 20 slots open for homebrews.


I have some of those wall mount ones somewhere that I never use. Probably find them in a few weeks as I'm in the process of moving which is why dresser is not finished.

[thunderkid]

The only satisfactory solution for me was to use these shelves specially made for VCS games:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/102/304355067_fa5feddff6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/304355067/)

I don't know how easy to find they are these days, but they look great and are wall mountable.


Ooh, I found one of those this weekend. It came with a 7800 lot that I snapped up at the local flea market for $20. It reminds me of an old 8 track tape case/holder.

[Ze_ro]

I put all mine in shoeboxes, then stack the shoeboxes. Not exactly good for display purposes, but works fine for me.

--Zero

[Kid Ice]

The only satisfactory solution for me was to use these shelves specially made for VCS games:

I find these especially helpful for M-Network games. I actually keep all my VCS games (not boxed) in drawers, but even in drawers the M-Network titles need to be coralled.

At one point I had so many boxed VCS games I considered going all-boxed. Ahh, youth.

[Snappaccino]

a nice white or black custom built shelf (black looks nice with atari games) is a great way to display atari games or any game IMO.

[InsaneDavid]

I put all mine in shoeboxes, then stack the shoeboxes. Not exactly good for display purposes, but works fine for me.

I did that for many, many years. Currently I use sterlite containers that are stored under the bed. Quick snap...

http://www.classicplastic.net/digitalpress/VCScarts001.jpg

Fits 96 cartridges per container comfortably, alphabetized of course. Looking at my VCS games it's nice to finally have my duplicates pushed down to a more manageable level.

[Pantechnicon]

Okay, here's my Imagic/M-Network solution:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/Carts2.jpg

and here's the bulk of my 2600 collection (~325 carts), which is stored on a vertical shelf:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/pzcortez/Carts1.jpg

[Sonicwolf]

I find 2600 carts to be a big pain in the butt when it comes to storage due to the irregulars but boxes and shelving do the job in most situations for me.

[SPAZ-12]

I have around 30 carts, and I just stack them on top of each other with my Colecovision and Intellivision carts mixed in. Not the best setup, especially considering that they sit in front of my NES games, but it works fine for now.

[schnuth]

I did that for many, many years. Currently I use sterlite containers that are stored under the bed.

That is the same exact method I use, and they work well considering I have close to 300 2600 games. I love those containers for storing consoles not currently hooked up too.

[chrisbid]

flat shelving meant for CDs works well for 2600 carts. i keep m-network carts in a cart caddy made for 2600 games.

[portnoyd]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3937843770_41df0d3267.jpg

We just use the bookcases we've had since I started collecting. There are about 325 games on those shelves. M-Network games suck, but that's why they are sitting in front of the other games.

[todesengel]

I use the same storage case that Oldskool mentioned above but only for the couple of M Network style carts I have. The majority of my 2600 games are stored in those official cartridge binders that Atari released.

[aaron7]

I just piled em up.

Here's a little of the collection:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/aaron7/junk2sell/DSC03563.jpg

[aaron7]

I did that for many, many years. Currently I use sterlite containers that are stored under the bed. Quick snap...



Fits 96 cartridges per container comfortably, alphabetized of course. Looking at my VCS games it's nice to finally have my duplicates pushed down to a more manageable level.

Woot! Sterilite is right here in my town :D

[slapdash]

If you're looking for storage, as opposed to display, look for stationary boxes. My Dad used to grab these from work, and they fit the "normal-shaped" carts four wide and twelve deep. The boxes then stack nicely.

[SegaAges]

Yeah, mine are just stacked up on a shelf. I don't play my 2600 much, so it is no big deal to me that they are stack 2 or 3 back

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=313453&g2_serialNumber=2

[Carey85]

This is what I've done for the past several years, depend on the always trusty Sterilite containers.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4167209093_9e472b3665_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4167209075_65619b3f67_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2504/4167209085_b8eea87561_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/4167209083_03686552c5_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2739/4167209089_1a5f3e9647_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2592/4167209071_94b0e2ba27_b.jpg

Boxed stuff goes onto shelving built into my closet.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/4003586386_6d0f91e80a_b.jpg

I'm not happy with storing my beloved 2600 collection in totes. In fact, it really pisses me off. At some point I want to build some nice pine shelving with a grid of masonite with slots for individual cartridges. I'm at ~540 2600 games now with that number expected to grow by another 50 or so before I give up. I suppose 3 sets of shelving, each accomodating 250 carts would be sufficient for my 2600, 7800, and Colecovision cartridges.

[Nature Boy]

The worst ones of course are M-Network :bad-words: which don't lend themselves to stacking at all but I found a neat way to stack them too: Alternate M-Network carts with Imagics.

I actually put a small piece of felt on the carts (like what you buy for the bottom of chairs so that they don't scratch hardwood floors). That basically gives the top part of the cart the same width as a regular cart and you can keep your games alpha sorted!

I have two shelves for my 2600 games: one for the half dozen or so I have in boxes (placed like books I guess you'd say), the other for the carts (which are stacked like the pic in pantechnicon's post).

[otoko]

Do you think this is a safe way of storing them? I stored mine like this for a long time, now most of them are going to be put up for sale. Sure it seems like they're going to fall, but it's pretty secure.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v17/otknot/1-3.jpg

[Raedon]

tupperware tub atm just like all my games ... in storage. :P