WARNINGS concerning Odyssey specimens sold on eBay
and
Past eBay Auctions (to be used as a Price Guide)

The goal of this section is not to undervalue anybody's Odyssey, but to correct mistakes often found in auctions and five you an idea of how much an Odyssey is worth depending on its condition and the presence of additional games, accessories and documentation.

Most of the time, sellers believe that their Odyssey dates 1972 because the box shows a 1972 copyright. However, only 40% of the whole production was really made in 1972. The rest was made between 1973 and 1975. This section is important for collectors who want to purchase the original 1972 Odyssey instead of a later specimen, which looks almost the same.

Some sellers happen to hide the items allowing to date their Odyssey, in particular the serial number, the Inspection Card, the color of the screens on the cover of the user manual. In most cases, they ignore that such details are important, bur in others they fear a lower value due to the later date of their Odyssey.

One seller swaped the serials of two units in order to show a 1972 one, which was only a later unit with a mismatched serial. Fortunately, such frauds remain very rare and removing the serial wears the sticker, which makes the fraud blatant.

In any case, sellers can picture their serial, Inspection Card, user manual, etc. otherwise they know what they are doing and you would rather wait for another specimen, as there is at least one Odyssey selling on eBay each week.

In any case, keep in mind that frauds remain very rare as most people refer to the year of release printed on the box cover and the user manual, and do not always know that their Odyssey was made later in 1973, 1974 or even 1975.

To avoid potential frauds, we will not disclose the way to date an Odyssey from its serial. Whenever possible, we will only tell the year when the specimen was manufactured (see the Odyssey page).

You will see below two tables. The first one lists Odyssey consoles currently selling on eBay. Mistakes will be corrected there. The second table summarises past auctions with all possible details. This way you can see that there is no real value for an Odyssey, and that its price is only a matter of how much people are willing to pay for it and whether they know how much to pay.

If you have any question, do not hesitate to contact us at the email address shown on the bottom of this page.