I'm down with OPT - Other People's Trash is my Treasure

I have always been down with OTHER PEOPLES TRASH. I am still out there digging up games and toys. I thought recently that maybe I had hit a point where I would not know what to hunt for but the same themes keep coming up: fantasy rules, vintage is not always worth money, expensive toys generally are good resale items, and that videogame systems can sell when paired with classic or popular titles.

I have learned how to clean and fix old video game systems by watching YouTube videos. The original Nintendo is the easiest to fix because you can replace the 72 pin with a screwdriver.  No soldering required. The pin set is the part where you push the game cartridges in to the nes.  They are cheap on ebay and you can quickly take a flasing red nes system to a working nes. The trick is to clean the cartridges with a light mix of rubbing alcohol and water using qtips.  So, get out there and good hunting to you!

Still collecting - the itch never stops!

I have not posted in some time.  Been busy raising two kids, but still have time to get to the Thrift Store and the occasional yard sale.  Yup, still do eBay and been unloading stuff mostly.  I was looking at some things I have been selling lately and it reminded me how important a catalog is to figuring out what actually came with a vintage toy.

Of course, with the internet, someone somewhere has posted the old catalogs.  You can find the occasional instruction sheet.  Along comes, Plaid Stallions - Archive of the 70's.

http://www.plaidstallions.com/psindex.html

This is a great site, and you can peruse it for hours looking for just the right catalog or just because it is fun to look at old stuff!  But, these folks go from the 70's and into the 80's.  Awesome!  Looking to kill some time?

This Toys R Us Circular came from 1975 -- Start Trek baby!!

FINALLY got a Colecovision!!

Well, I finally got a Colecovision system on eBay! I am giving up my Atari 5200 to keep the Colecovision. The Atari 5200 is really clunky, but it is one of the 4 port (4 controller ports) systems. By the time the Colecovision came out, I already had an Atari 2600 and my Dad was not interested in buying me another video game system!

 

 

The Colecovision had the better games because it went after "arcade quality" games, and Donkey Kong was the game that was packed in the system. Plus, Colecovision had the racing steering wheel and the really cool looking controller (see pic at right).

 

 

So, now as I begin my quest to fill out my colecovision system with games, I'll be on the lookout at the thrift stores and yard sales for coleco carts. Wikipedia has a great link to a list of games, and I was able to google up a list of the best games for the console. I plan to get the Smurfs game and I just bought Donkey Kong. I plan to buy the Super Action Controllers and the Steering Wheel controller.

Wikipedia Link

PDF scans of Colecovision Cartridges (includes owners manual for system!) 

The Colecovision Buyer's Guide