This morning, Sotheby’s is auctioning off a bunch of Atari paraphernalia from 1981-1983.

An extensive archive of original marketing materials (as detailed below) from the “Golden Age” of Atari, ca. 1981 to 1983, comprising more than 2,000 items of widely varying sizes and formats, including manuscript memorandum, internal specification guidelines, original sketches, blue lines, mechanicals, proofs, color separations (including acetates), and screen diagrams; the archive is mostly related to marketing materials for Atari games and game consoles, especially boxes and manuals, but includes some early design and graphic work for specific game characters and components. The whole archive organized into approximately 135 large file folders for graphic materials.

So how much would you pay for 135 file folders full of Atari marketing materials and internal planning documents? $1,000? $2,000? C’mon, this is a one-of-a-kind collection of geek Americana. $10,000? Ok, $50,000. I’ll give you fifty-thousand American dollar coins for it.

No cigar. Sotheby’s is expecting to haul $150,000 - $250,000.

What a complete waste of money that would be. Think of the thousands of ways you could put $250,000 to work. I mean, you could get two original Superman costumes worn by Christopher Reeve in the first movie. Geez!

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