Electronic Baseball : June 2015

Game: Baseball
Company: Mattel
Model No.: 1190
Year: 1978
Power: 1 9-volt battery or AC adapter

Notes: Mattel Baseball is probably the most recognizable electronic baseball game ever made. When these games were introduced in the late 1970s and sold throughout the early 1980s, they were expensive enough that malfunctioning games were returned for repairs. (The 1980 JCPenny catalog listed the original (not reconditioned) game for $32.88 or about $95.00 in today's money.) After the repairs were made, the reconditioned models were then repackaged and sold again.

The box and instruction manuals were labeled as a "Reconditioned Game" and the designation was incorporated into the printed box art and manual cover - it was not just a sticker applied to the box.

The game was then sold under a different model number (1190) than the original (2942) as can be seen on the back of the box. The game itself is not different, however, and can be distinguished only by the presence of a little sticker on the inside of the battery compartment showing that the unit had been repaired.

The game was packaged with bubble wrap but the length of the instruction manual was actually longer than the box, so expect to find the manual folded over the top of the game in the box or folded in half. Accordingly, a manual in the best possible condition will inevitably have some wrinkling where it was bent to fit in the box.

These versions are exceedingly rare and comprise no more than 1 out of 100-250 games found in today's collector marketplace.