ATARI 2600 (1981) DEFENDER CGC 1.0 (ALAMOGORDO LANDFILL FIND).
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End Date:
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Wednesday, June 11, 2025 9:00:00 PM)
Auction:
June Online Exclusive Auction
Item Description
In 1983, video game and home computer company Atari, Inc. buried a large quantity of unsold video game cartridges, consoles, and computers in an Alamogordo, NM landfill. The scope (Atari estimated around 700,000 game cartridges) and secrecy of this mass burial (the 12 truckloads of Atari merchandise were covering in cement to discourage scavenging) led to the formation of an urban legend of sorts within the gaming community. Of particular interest were unsold copies of Atari's 1982 game adaptation of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (one of the largest commercial video game failures and often referred to as one of the worst video games ever released) as well as the 1982 Atari 2600 port of Pac-Man. In 2014, as part of the Atari: Game Over documentary, Fuel Industries, Microsoft and others worked w/the New Mexico government to excavate the site, recovering only a small fraction (about 1,300 cartridges), w/a portion set aside for curation and the rest auctioned to raise money for a museum to commemorate the burial.
Offered here is one of the games recovered, 1981's Defender for the Atari 2600. Taking inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids, it was a scrolling shooter game featuring waves of attacking aliens. While box is unopened (w/glue seal), it shows obvious and heavy wear from its decades of subterranean storage. Box notes included DC Comics Atari Force #1 mini-comic and original price sticker is at upper right. Box is sealed within inner well w/metal plate/COA from City of Alamogordo, NM bearing stamped "08066" number. Also comes w/notarized COA from the City of Alamogordo, NM w/matching COA number. Interesting piece of video game history from the Golden Age of home gaming.
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