Original Atari 2600 Air Raid Cartridge

A Goodwill employee in Fort Worth, Texas found it in a donation bin in 2021. A blue cartridge with a strange T-shaped handle - nothing like a standard Atari 2600 game. It sold at Goodwill's online auction for $10,591. That cartridge was Air Raid, the only game ever made by a company called Men-A-Vision. Fewer than 20 copies are known to exist. A complete copy with box and manual sold for $33,433.

Quick Value Summary


Item	Atari 2600 Air Raid Cartridge (Men-A-Vision)
Year	1982
Category	Collectible Toys & Games - Video Games
Publisher	Men-A-Vision
Condition Range
Cart Only, Project	$1,000 – $3,000
Cart Only, Good / Working	$3,000 – $10,600
Complete with Box	$10,600 – $31,600
Complete with Box AND Manual (CIB)	$33,433
Record Sale	$33,433 (CIB, GameGavel, October 2012)
Known Population	Fewer than ~20 copies
Rarity	Extremely Rare

The Story

In 1982, the Atari 2600 market was flooded with games. Hundreds of companies - some of them little more than a programmer and a dream - were cranking out cartridges. One of these was Men-A-Vision. They released a single game: Air Raid, a shoot-em-up where flying saucers attack a futuristic city.

Nobody noticed. Men-A-Vision had extremely limited distribution. The game barely reached store shelves. The company never released another title. For decades, Air Raid existed as a rumor among Atari collectors - a game some people remembered seeing but couldn't find.

Then copies started surfacing. A cart-only example sold at auction for $31,600 in 2010. In 2012, a family discovered a complete copy - cartridge, box, AND manual - in storage. It was the first truly complete example ever found. It sold on GameGavel for $33,433.

In 2021, a Goodwill employee in Fort Worth recognized the distinctive blue T-handle cartridge in a donation bin. The Goodwill online auction attracted global attention and closed at $10,591 - for a cart-only copy.

How to Identify It

The Blue T-Handle

Air Raid is instantly recognizable. While standard Atari 2600 cartridges have a simple rectangular shape, Air Raid features a distinctive blue T-shaped handle on top - a design used by no other Atari game.

Label and Artwork

The cartridge label depicts flying saucers attacking a futuristic city. The Men-A-Vision branding should be visible.

Box (If You Have One)

Only two copies are known to exist with the original box. The box art matches the cartridge label - flying saucers and a city under attack. If you have a boxed Air Raid, you have one of two or three known complete copies in the world.

The Game Itself

Air Raid is a simple shoot-em-up. Aliens descend from the top of the screen to attack buildings. You control a flying vehicle defending the city. It's not a great game - but it's one of the rarest.

Value by Completeness

Completeness	Value
Cart only, non-working	$1,000 – $3,000
Cart only, working	$3,000 – $10,600
Cart + Box	$10,600 – $31,600
Cart + Box + Manual (CIB)	$33,433

Completeness is everything. The jump from cart-only ($3,000-$10,600) to complete-in-box ($31,600-$33,433) is enormous. Only two or three copies with the box are known to exist.

Authentication

The T-handle design is unique - no other Atari 2600 cartridge uses this shape
Men-A-Vision branding on the cartridge
The game should play correctly on an Atari 2600 (flying saucers attacking buildings)
Cartridge construction and label printing should match known genuine examples
At these values, expert authentication from the retro gaming community is essential. AtariAge.com and similar communities can help verify

Where to Sell

Heritage Auctions - Handles major retro video game sales
eBay - The Goodwill copy sold here for $10,591
GameGavel - Sold the $33,433 CIB copy
Retro gaming conventions - Direct access to serious collectors
Goodwill auction site - Ironic but true; Goodwill's online auctions attract collectors

If you somehow have a complete Air Raid, contact a major auction house. The collector community will find you.

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Common Questions

How much is an Air Raid cartridge worth?

Cart only: $3,000 to $10,600. With box: $10,600 to $31,600. Complete with box and manual: $33,433 (record). Even non-working carts have sold for $1,000+.

How rare is Air Raid?

Fewer than about 20 copies are known to exist. Only two or three have the original box. One confirmed copy includes the manual. It's among the rarest commercially released Atari 2600 games.

How do I recognize it?

The blue T-shaped cartridge handle is unmistakable. No other Atari 2600 game uses this design. If you have a blue cartridge with a T-handle, you might have Air Raid.

Could more copies turn up?

Yes. The Goodwill discovery in 2021 proves that copies are still being found in unexpected places. Men-A-Vision's limited distribution means copies may exist in estates, storage units, and thrift stores where their significance isn't recognized.