Atari buried surplus cartridges and other inventory in an Alamogordo, New Mexico, landfill in 1983. The often-quoted figure of about 700,000 is an estimate, not a verified inventory count. In 2015, 881 cartridges recovered during an excavation sold on eBay for $107,930.15—an auction total that should not be confused with the much larger number reportedly buried.
What Atari buried in Alamogordo
Atari disposed of surplus cartridges and other inventory at a landfill in Alamogordo in 1983. The episode was reported at the time, but later took on the character of an urban legend. Joe Lewandowski, a local waste-collection company owner who witnessed the burial, recalled that it “was ranked as one of the biggest urban legends of all time.” New Mexico Magazine quoted him in a 2025 retrospective.
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The burial was not a cache of E.T. cartridges alone. A contemporaneous Ars Technica field report described E.T. and Centipede games, Atari catalogs, and promotional material among the excavated finds. People involved at the time were uncertain about the buried material’s full contents and condition.
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There is no reconciled inventory count in the available accounts. Parade reported in 2026 that former Atari manager James Heller put the number at 728,000; the same coverage uses the rounded figure of about 700,000. A 2025 New Mexico Magazine retrospective describes nearly 800,000. These are attributed estimates and differing roundings, not independently verified counts. “About 700,000” is a fair shorthand as long as it is presented as approximate.
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- One of the Most Popular Games Ever: Galaga ranked as a top-10 performer in arcades in the 1980s and still making top 100 lists 40 years later.
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- Original 7800 Launch Titles: Did you know? In 1986 DIG DUG, GALAGA, and XEVIOUS were all official launch titles for the Atari 7800 home console.
- Atari Plus Platform: All Atari+ Platform games and accessories are backward and forward compatible. Consoles, accessories, and games work together and are also compatible with most original accessories and cartridges.
What the 2014 excavation found
The 2014 excavation, associated with the documentary Atari: Game Over, confirmed that Atari material was in the landfill. Among the finds were E.T. cartridges and other games, alongside printed and promotional items. An Ars Technica report from the excavation documents the mixed assemblage.
Published totals for the overall recovery differ: New Mexico Magazine gives 1,382, while a Smithsonian podcast search result gives 1,178. Those figures are not a settled total, and neither should be substituted for the number later sold. The Smithsonian collection record documents one specific E.T. Atari 2600 cartridge excavated on April 26, 2014.
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Why 881 cartridges brought in $107,930.15
In 2015, 881 recovered cartridges were sold through eBay auctions for a reported total of $107,930.15, according to Ars Technica. The highest single cartridge sale was $1,535. Of the proceeds, $65,037.78 went to the City of Alamogordo and $16,259.44 to the Tularosa Basin Historical Society; shipping charges exceeded $26,000.
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The 881 is the number sold, not the number buried and not a definitive count of everything excavated. The auction total also reflects a particular group of recovered items sold in 2015; it is not evidence of current prices for Atari cartridges or excavation artifacts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to identify a documented landfill cartridge
Provenance is the key distinction between an ordinary Atari 2600 E.T. cartridge and one represented as coming from the excavation. The Smithsonian’s documented example bears a City of Alamogordo serial number certifying its excavation origin. An ordinary copy of the game is not thereby a landfill artifact.
Condition is a separate question from provenance. ABC News reproduced the city’s 2014 auction description, which said the cartridges were sold as-is and might not be operable after burial. An excavation connection does not guarantee that a cartridge can still be played.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Featuring 16 classic 2600 games (includes Yars’ Revenge, Solaris, Dark Chambers) and 5 7800 titles (Includes Basketbrawl,Planet Smashers, Centipede).
- Includes: Air Sea Battle, Asteroids (7800), Basketbrawl (7800), Bowling, Centipede (7800), Dark Chambers, Demons to Diamonds (7800), Desert Falcon (7800), Haunted House
- Also includes: Human Canonball, Planet Smashers (7800), Millipede, Sprintmaster, Radar Lock, Solaris, Submarine Commander, Realsports Tennis, Street Racer, Wizard, Yars' Revenge
- Provenance: look for documentation linking the specific item to the Alamogordo excavation, such as the city serial number described in the Smithsonian record.
- Condition and playability: do not assume a recovered cartridge works; the auction description warned that some might not be operable.
- What the item is: distinguish a documented excavation artifact from a standard game cartridge or other Atari material.
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