Sales Yard Finds - IX
-David, webmaster DVGI

I was up pretty late on Monday night, so late in fact that it had run far into Tuesday morning and by about six o'clock I was thinking instead of trying to go to sleep and then get up a couple hours later, I should go to the Sales Yard.  By a little after seven o'clock I decided to do just that and I actually walked the three miles or so to where communism meets capitalism.  Honestly I wasn't planning on picking up anything great or anything at all for that matter.  After the previous week's finds of a complete Dreamcast and Mario's Cement Factory Game & Watch really cheap I was still more than satisfied with the wares I had brought back.

Upon arriving I really didn't see all that much at all, just the usual things.  Upon approaching the Chinese junk seller I saw a Control Stick for the Sega Master System dangling from a knot of wires a guy was wrestling with.  I'd actually seen the guy there before, at the same dealer, when I was buying some laser tag guns and targets a few months ago.  He was trying to get the chain from the base of a clock loose from the knot of wires and it was so heavily wrapped up in it I helped him get the chain free.  I figured that none of us were going to get anywhere until that chain was untangled from the rest so it was no big deal and after that it was easy to work the Master System controller free.  After walking around the rest of the massive lot the Chinese junk dealer has reserved every week without seeing anything else, I asked him how much he wanted for the Control Stick.  He took a look at the plug and said one dollar.  It was in pretty good condition so I took it, after a solid cleaning it looks pretty good however I have yet to test it.

Just across the way I began looking through the boxes of junk the two redneck guys drag out there every week.  Both of them are real morons and are always hostile about everything they sell.  I've had to do some fast talking to get things such as a top loading NES for $5 from them in the past.  So I begin looking through their things and come across a crate with a pair of Atari 2600's in it, a knot of controllers, and a stack of common cartridges with a bunch of really crappy broken cartridge storage holders.  I picked up one of the Atari 2600's and it had no sticker, I picked up the other and it had the Sunnyvale sticker on the bottom - it was a heavy sixer, one of the first Atari 2600 VCS units to ever be made.  As I was looking at it I saw this one hippie guy that is there every week, I've talked with him about retrogames when I was selling one time.  Anyway, he asked one of the redneck guys how much he wanted for some book, he abruptly replied three dollars.  Sounds like the redneck guys are up to their usual crap.  So I figure they want a lot for the crate and decide not to ask.

However at the very bottom I find what looks like a burgundy cartridge, only it's not a cartridge, it's a Mario Bros multi-screen Game & Watch.  I pull it out, open it up and the screen looks like it has some slight pressure damage however the buttons all snap nicely and the battery door is present.  There were a pair of batteries inside but they were the wrong size.  I ask the guy how much he wants for it and he says it's all being sold together.  I once again ask how much since it's totally unrelated and he again says it's all being sold together, for $75 this time.  So I tell him I'll give him five bucks for it and he asks me why I want it.  Now keep in mind I was very tired, hadn't slept in awhile and had walked about three miles just before then.  I kinda stuttered around saying how I only collect Mario items.  I'm sure he saw me digging through the Atari box, looking at the bottoms of the systems, and anyway there were a million other better things I could have told him.  So he says seven bucks and then wants to take a look at it.  I tell him it has batteries in it but it isn't working and he says to the other redneck guy something like "well I have one of these."  Remember this is the same dude that when I asked him how much a Mario's Cement Factory tabletop he had out was he quickly snapped with "that's not for sale" looking at me like I had kicked in his windshield or something, then tossed it in the back of his truck.  So I watch him look it over and he says "yeah, seven bucks."  I pay him two of the dollars in dimes since I really hate that guy.  After a little cleaning the game runs fine, not bad at all for seven dollars.

Other than that I really only stopped for a moment at the repackaged bootleg game seller.  I commented to Ian that all the merchandise and prices there are hot.  That's because most of it looks to be stolen or was at one time.  The only thing I saw that was remotely interesting was a copy of Shockwave for the NES.  I don't see a whole lot of cartridges made by AGC so I grabbed it even though it was over priced.  That complete Game Gear setup was still there and still $30 and still very tempting but maybe it'll still be there next week and be far cheaper.  I would like to have it but really I have no use for it or want to spend the money for that reason.  It's not really valuable just rare to find it all together like that.  Oh well, I plan on heading out again next week but I'm not sure if I'll be walking or not.

Acquired...
Game & Watch - Mario Bros. (loose)
NES - Shockwave (loose)
SMS - Control Stick (loose)

Sold...
None
 

Written on 07-23-05 by David, insanedavid@classicplastic.net


BACK to the Editorials Page!!!!