Super-Rare Atari Game Sells For Over $33,000

I used to work for a certain video game retailer that bought and sold used games. And I I know first-hand that most of the time, you're lucky to get at least $9 for trading in a brand new game. But sometimes, those used games can actually be worth something.

Just ask Harv Bennett in California. He discovered a copy of the extremely rare "Air Raid" game for the Atari 2600 stashed away in his attic. After finding it, he put it up for bids and netted over $33,000 for the game.

After reading up about the scarcity of the game, Harv and his daughter Alana went treasure hunting in the family storage shed, excitedly finding Harv's pristine copy amidst stacks of other Atari 2600 games. After verifying its authenticity, they put it up for bidding at video game auction site Gamegavel.com, hoping collectors would go nuts.

They did.

The sale ended late Sunday, and collectors didn't disappoint. The Bennetts pocketed $33,433.30 for the game, setting a new Air Raid record. The previous high mark came in 2010, when a copy sold for $31,600.

All totaled, there were 31 bids for the Bennetts' copy of Air Raid -- and the price escalated quickly. By the end of the first day, bidding jumped from $100 to nearly $16,000. But then things stalled, and it looked like the Bennetts wouldn't come close to the record.

At the last minute, though, a pair of collectors slugged it out. "Wonder007" raised the price to $17,200, only to be topped by "videolifer" 33 seconds later with an epic bid of $33,333,30. "Wonder007" raised his bid by another $100 and with that, the auction closed.

Bennett said that the money from the game will go to his daughter to assist with home repairs.

Who says you can't get anything for used games nowadays?