***** Rarity Guide *****

This is my personal rarity guide for PONG games and derivates. Rarity ratings have been established by experience (several daily checks of online sales since late 1995).

Before getting excited by seeing your PONG game listed as ultra rare, please keep in mind that this is a GUIDE, not an exact list. Also, you cannot set the price of your game depending on its rarity. A common game can be highly priced in unused condition, and some very rare games happen to have low prices because they won't interest many people. Most pong games are not worth much except really rare specimens.

Beware of abusive never used and mint condition statemens in sales: an unused system must come from an old dealer's stock as there are extremely few chances that somebody bought a game for not using it. Also, mint means complete in addition to the mint condition. Which means: the game must come with its papers (user manual, warranty card, etc), accessories originally provided (for example: switch-box, AC adaptor, light gun, etc) and complete package (box and internal packing). Batteries originally provided with a game MUST be present in games which are never used, and still be sealed if originally provided this way (example: the four batteries provided with Sears Pong have a small Sears paper over the top indicating that they have not yet been used).

This guide is only made to help you. You can use it as a reference for sorting your PONG systems by rarity and/or year. You may also use it for trading or selling. Do not forget that a same system may appear more or less rare depending on where it was found.

In any case, do not copy this page on your site: it is always updated and corrected.

Note concerning "International" systems: Some systems were released in more than one country. Because their rarity depends on the countries where they can be found, their rarity will be either based on the occurences found in their original country, or the country where they were the most sold.

(Very Common)	Every collector has it. The system was sold in large quantities and may have been released by several manufacturers in the world. You will always find it. It is only worth having in mint condition and at a low price. Typical examples: Radio Shack TV Scoreboard systems, Sears PONG Sports IV, Atari Super PONG C-140, Magnavox Odyssey 300, Coleco Telstar Alpha, etc.
(Common)	Most collectors have it. The system was very successfull in one or more countries and may have been released by a few manufacturers. You will often find it and you should wait for a (virtually) mint one.
(Uncommon)	Lots of collectors have it as it often shows in auction sites and flea markets. The system was usually released by a single manufacturer. A good example is the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey.
(Rare)	Collectors should have it. You will happen to find this system, but be patient if you want it in great condition. Atari Super PONG TEN and Super PONG PRO/AM TEN are two good examples.
(Very Rare)	Not many collectors have it. The system may have been released in limited quantity, and might be an early design (for example, using CMOS and/or TTL chips), and is difficult to find. You could have to pay a high price for it. Typical examples are the 1974 Videomaster Home T.V. game (UK) and the Indy 500 (Video Action IV) game made by Universal Research.
(Extremely Rare)	Either a prototype of an unreleased system, or a very limited release. One or a few collectors are known to have it and you are likely to never find it. Good examples are the 1974 VideoSport MKII (UK) and the first Video Action games by Universal Research.
(Unreleased)	System known to have been advertised, but never found so far.