The story of a discarded ATARI 130XE

Let me tell you a story that every collector and retro-computer enthusiast would love to experience. I will skip where and how I got the ATARI and instead reproduce in full what the gentleman who rescued the discarded ATARI told me. So, I quote:

So I’m taking the rubbish out to the container in front of our apartment block, I open the lid and right in front of my eyes is an Atari box. The container was filled right up to the lid. Right on top was a clean-looking green carpet, and on it the ATARI box was shining. Dry and warm — it was a beautiful summer day. Someone must have put it there just a short while before I arrived.

I poked the box in disbelief. It was heavy, so the probability that the machine was inside was high. My heart started pounding. But I couldn’t simply pull it out of the container and take it home. Certainly not in front of those two girls sitting on the steps outside the apartment block and looking in my direction. What would I look like? Or what if they knew the person who had thrown the Atari into the container? They might find out that it could be sold for good money and then want it back. I certainly wouldn’t want to give it to them. Neighbourly relations could deteriorate.

I carefully closed the lid over the Atari and walked past the girls with a poker face. I left it there!!! As I passed them, out of the corner of my eye I checked how far down the cigarettes they were smoking had burned. It looked like three minutes at most. Ooooh, such a terribly long time. I reached my flat with only one thought: get the ATARI at any cost. I closed the door behind me and carefully took up position by the window. I couldn’t see the girls, but I could still hear them talking. I had a perfect view of the container. If somebody comes along now and snatches that Atari from me, I’ll go mad.

And the girls talked and talked. This can’t be happening. They must have lit another cigarette. I gave up waiting by the window and went to do something else. As soon as I heard the entrance door to the building slam, I didn’t wait for anything and ran outside in my slippers. In front of the container I looked around to make sure nobody else was there. I grabbed the Atari unnoticed and hurried home. Without hesitation I opened the box, which itself looked almost brand new. The Atari was wrapped in its original bag and polystyrene inserts. The power supply was in its little box. Beautiful! My joy knew no bounds. I put it on top of a cupboard, planning to test it soon. But it stayed there for another two years, so it was time to pass it on. Hopefully it will make someone happy.

And so a new chapter in the life of this Atari had to begin. I contacted the gentleman, one thing led to another, and our family went to visit him.

Once again we turned the expedition into a family outing and all enjoyed a beautiful autumn day. That same evening after returning from the trip, we unpacked the ATARI and connected it to the Bang & Olufsen MX4000 TV that we use for retro gaming and watching VHS tapes. In my opinion, this ATARI has seen almost no use at all.

I would rate its condition, including the box, at 99.9%. Absolutely no signs of use. As a bonus there was a Visicopy II cartridge from JRC, which I did not yet have in my collection. It is sad that somebody can thoughtlessly throw something in such beautiful condition into the rubbish. The ATARI no longer has anything to fear. With us it will be treated like royalty, and most importantly the children will get to play with it too. That’s how it should be.