1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: It's nineteen ninety nine and a twenty something writer named 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: Clive Young is living in Brooklyn, New York. Like most 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: people in this tale, he's into Atari, but by now, 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: being into Atari is a retro thing, not a cutting 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: edge thing, and for Clive in particular, it's also a 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: budget thing. 7 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 2: Jen X grows up. You know, I moved out and 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 2: I was absolutely broke as anything because a big recession, 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 2: just as you know you're getting economically established in the world, 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 2: I guess is the best way to put it. So 11 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 2: I came across my old Atari in my parents' basement 12 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 2: and I was like, all right, well, you know that 13 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 2: doesn't cost anything. 14 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: As you've probably guessed, that's Clive. He was an Atari 15 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: gamer from way back, and when he has to keep 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: a tight grip on his wallet, that dusty old console 17 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: suddenly seems interesting. 18 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 2: You know, you can't afford to go out, you can't 19 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: do anything, but you can sit around the apartment and 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 2: play old Atari. 21 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: One of the best plays, says to find old games 22 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: are thrift stores. Remember this was before games were ultra 23 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: valuable collector's items, sealed in plastic cases and selling for 24 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 1: thousands on eBay. Old games were mostly considered junk. So 25 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: Clive went to thrift shops browsing for old, sorry vintage 26 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: Atari titles. But then he had a reason to walk 27 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: into a new shop in a different part of the state. 28 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 3: Love. 29 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 2: I was living in Brooklyn at the time, but I 30 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 2: was dating this girl who she lived out in Long Island, 31 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 2: which you know is the birthplace of American suburbia, and 32 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 2: I would go visit her on the weekends and go 33 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 2: out to all the garage sales because I was if 34 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 2: you're living on an extraordinarily limited budget, such as I was, 35 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 2: and I would come across all these old Atari games 36 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 2: that were like twenty five cents fifty cents. I wound 37 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 2: up collecting literally hundreds of Atari games. I think before 38 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: I basically quit, I probably had the better part of 39 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: probably four hundred and fifty different games. 40 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: That's how a thrifty Clive finds himself at Edley Electronics 41 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: on Long Island, which was less of a thrift store 42 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: and more of a junk store full of well loved 43 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: electronics gear. Think of it like a best buy, only 44 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: everything is cheap and probably missing a plug. 45 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 2: Me once every two three months, I'd stick my head 46 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: in there and that particular day, I got a call 47 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 2: from a friend who also knew the place, and he said, oh, 48 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 2: they got some great Atari stuff in there, going so yeah, 49 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 2: I stopped by. He had already swiped some of the 50 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 2: really good stuff that I never found, like the Atari 51 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 2: Gremlins and things like that. 52 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: Gremlins based on the movie is one of the more 53 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: rare Atari titles. It would be a good find. But 54 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: that's not what Clive sees. As he rummages through this 55 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: box of Atari, he spot something odd. It's an envelope. 56 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 2: There was a letter envelope just tucked in the side 57 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 2: of a shoe box, and I opened it and I 58 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:57,119 Speaker 2: found those photos. 59 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: At first, Clive isn't sure what those photos depict, but 60 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: they turn out to be an amazing discovery, far more 61 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: interesting than an old Gremlins game. Even though seventeen years 62 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,119 Speaker 1: had passed since the Sword Quest titles had first been released, 63 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: there had never been any absolute confirmation that all five 64 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: prizes for the contest had been made. It was possible 65 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: Atari just made them as needed, and only two were 66 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: confirmed to have been handed out. Maybe there wasn't a 67 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: sword or a philosopher Stone after all. Maybe fans were 68 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: chasing something that didn't even exist. But as Clive begins 69 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: sifting through the old photos, he realizes that he's holding 70 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: a part of Atari history. 71 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 2: I could tell it clearly has said something to do 72 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 2: with the actual company, because one of the photos has 73 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: a giant Atari logo up on the wall in the background. 74 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: Clive keeps flipping through the photos. There, among snapshots of 75 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: the Fireworld contest and some very retro hairstyles, is a 76 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: clear shot of the grand prize, the Sword of Ultimate 77 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: Sorcery in ety Electronics. Clive is holding real, irrefutable proof 78 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: the sword for the contest, which has never surfaced, is real. 79 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: But what do you do with this information? And more importantly, 80 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: how do you make sure you leave the store with 81 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: the first and maybe only image of the most sought 82 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: after prize in gaming history. After all, no one said 83 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: those photos were for sale for iHeartRadio. This is the 84 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: legend of sword Quest. I'm your host, Jamie Loftus, and 85 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: this is episode five Stay Gold. When Clive found those 86 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: photos and his accidental archaeological dig at Edley Electronics, he 87 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: was resurrecting memories not just of sword Quest, but Atari 88 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: as a whole. It had struggled in the intervening years, 89 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: changing hands multiple times, and was constantly in a foot 90 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: race with other video game manufacturers. Atari, like sword Quest 91 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: had imploded. 92 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 2: It's also a little bit of like a Hubris thing, like, 93 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 2: look at this big contest that they had planned and 94 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 2: these big prizes that they had planned, and it never 95 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 2: quite comes to conclusion. So it's almost like a metaphor 96 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: for the industry and Atari itself in a way. 97 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: But finding moldy photos of a gaming contest seems kind 98 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: of unnecessary. Shouldn't someone have been taking photos or video? Well, No, 99 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: Atari had what you might call a poor institutional memory. 100 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: There wasn't much of a paper trail that was retained 101 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: for the contest when Atari changed hands in nineteen eighty four. 102 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: It only obfuscated things further. That's why Clive's find was 103 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: such a big deal, and it's why sword Quest remains 104 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: such an enigmatic event. No one was taking notes. Each 105 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: of the photos tell a little bit of the story. 106 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: There's Michael ride Out, one of only two winners, standing 107 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: over his prize, the chalice, which is still in its 108 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: ornate glass case. The curtains of the hotel's ballroom are 109 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: open behind him letting in light. There's an image that 110 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,320 Speaker 1: has row after row of players, an older woman pacing 111 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: in the space between them, like a stern headmistress at 112 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: a boarding school. Another one has glimpses of other contestants, 113 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: all wearing a red Fireworld t shirt that atari probably 114 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: handed out like a team uniform. There's a close up 115 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: of the chalice, a stern man standing sentry next to it, 116 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: and of course the sword. It sits at an angle 117 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: on a small table, a white cloth underneath it, a 118 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 1: gold and jewel encrusted hilt sparkling. Even though the photo 119 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: itself isn't too sharp. Maybe some people thought the sword 120 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: would be cheap, looking like a movie price, but it's radiant, 121 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: it's well crafted. To a lot of people, this would 122 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: all look vaguely weird, like a Dungeons and Dragons game 123 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: gone high tech. But Clive knew a lot of the background. 124 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: Sword Quest had been a part of his childhood. Like 125 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: many gamers, he had screamed in frustration while trying to 126 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 1: win these prizes. 127 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 2: When I was like thirteen, fourteen years old. I mean, 128 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 2: that was big selling point of the game was get 129 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 2: it and you'll figure it out, and you could win. 130 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 2: You know, this cool stuff, and of course it's all 131 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 2: based on clues in the comic book and this and that, 132 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 2: but you know, being a fourteen year old kid, the 133 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 2: comic book gets torn up and of course lost in 134 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 2: the house within like you know, a week. 135 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: Finding the photos at Edley Electronics was about as likely 136 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: as winning the contest. It was more of a junkyard 137 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: for electronics. Personal effects didn't really belong there. 138 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 2: It was where electronics went to die and where hobbyist 139 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 2: electronics went to die. So there's you know, half of 140 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 2: a model airplane, there's a couple of broken turned there's 141 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 2: boxes of old tubes, any random random and I cannot 142 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 2: stress random enough, like heating coils of just somebody would 143 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: need it somehow. All this stuff would wind up in 144 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 2: the metal shelves at this store. 145 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: Clearly, someone probably a contestant, stuck the photos in a 146 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: giant box of Atari games and forgot about them. Then 147 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: they were donated or maybe sold for a song and 148 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: forgotten until Clive showed up, And it was serendipitous that 149 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: he did. Whoever ultimately picked up the photos needed to 150 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: know about sword quest, about golden chalices and swords. Otherwise 151 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: the photos would probably be pitched into the trash, and 152 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 1: to this day, atari collectors would be debating over whether 153 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: the sword had ever even been made. Clive knew this 154 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: was important, but they weren't in his possession just yet. 155 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: According to Clive, the clerks at Edley couldn't completely be 156 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: trusted not to give someone a hard time. That's because 157 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: the store was manned by two cranky older men who 158 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: resembled Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show. 159 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 2: It was a strange place. It was about the size 160 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 2: of the small supermarket. It was run by these two 161 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 2: old guys who sat behind the counter, and they just 162 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 2: had duop playing all day, and all they did was bicker, 163 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 2: bicker with each other, bicker with their customers, the whole bit. 164 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: The question was should Clive try to slip the photos 165 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,319 Speaker 1: past them or keep them in sight. If he showed 166 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: them off, maybe they'd hesitate, ask him why he's looking 167 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: to buy someone else's personal photos and demand he hand 168 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: them over, or worse. 169 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 2: It's interesting. If I bring it up to the counter, 170 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 2: the two cranky guys are either going to say I 171 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 2: can't have it, or they're going to say, oh, that's 172 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 2: twenty bucks. 173 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: Remember Clive's disposable income was minimal, so we opted for 174 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: a little subversion. With a deep breath, he went up 175 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: to the counter. 176 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 2: You know, it's some random photos that looked like they 177 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 2: came out some of these photo albums. There wasn't a 178 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 2: lot of thought put into it. I just sort of 179 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 2: put in a pile of stuff that I was buying 180 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,440 Speaker 2: from them, like with the you know, manuals or whatever, 181 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 2: and they didn't even glance at it. I probably bought 182 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 2: the whole pile for like five bucks, I'm sure. 183 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 1: Clive went back home to Brooklyn and thought about what 184 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: he should do. He could, in theory, scan them himself 185 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: and find someplace online to post them, but he also 186 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: needed them to be vetted in some way. He thought 187 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: he knew what they were, but he wasn't sure. Remember 188 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: this was nineteen ninety nine, and it wasn't so easy 189 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: to just look up information about a retrogaming contest, so. 190 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 2: It's like, all right, this has to be some sort 191 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 2: of officially sanctioned thing. At the time, there was a really, 192 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 2: at least in the very small world of Atari fans, 193 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 2: a big zine called twenty six hundred Connection. So I 194 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 2: sent the photos to them because I figured they'll know 195 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 2: what the heck this is, you know, I mean, I 196 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 2: had a pretty good idea, all right, it must have 197 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 2: to do with that contest. 198 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: Twenty six hundred. Connection was a fanzine or fan magazine 199 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: for Atari fans. They published the photos and the Atari 200 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: fan community was intrigued. The photos also wound up online, naturally, 201 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,959 Speaker 1: and Kurt Vendel, the late Atari historian, shot Clive an email. 202 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 2: I remember I got an email from asking, Hey, would 203 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 2: you like to donate these to my museum? And the 204 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 2: thought was no, but. 205 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: Clive wanted to hang on to the photos. 206 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 2: Finding the photos was one of the best moments that 207 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 2: I had out of the collecting, because a lot of 208 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 2: the collecting, particularly at that time, I mean, the atmosphere 209 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 2: and the attitude may have changed, but a lot of 210 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 2: the collecting really came down to, hey, look what I found. 211 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 2: I have it. You don't, whether online or meeting people 212 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,199 Speaker 2: in person or whatever. And you know, there's a certain 213 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 2: amount of okay, bragging rights, absolutely, but you know it's 214 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 2: maybe not the best look on anyone. And I was 215 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 2: as guilty of that one as anybody else. 216 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: There was some pride in making a discovery but Clive 217 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 1: also thought the pictures were a kind of public record, 218 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: and seeing them in twenty six hundred Connection gave them 219 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: a kind of validity. The fine reignited conversation about the 220 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: fate of the sword quest prizes, and it killed the 221 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,080 Speaker 1: theory that Atari had only had the prizes made prior 222 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:24,080 Speaker 1: to each contest. If they made the sword the final prize, 223 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: then they almost certainly made all of them. Here's rus 224 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: Perry Junior, who edited twenty six hundred Connection. 225 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 4: I remember back in the day some people speculated that 226 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 4: they weren't actually making the prizes until like right before 227 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 4: the contest the championship. But the problem is, we've seen 228 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 4: the picture of the sword. It does give you an 229 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 4: indication that maybe they did actually make them all at 230 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,959 Speaker 4: the beginning. So the theories about them, like especially the 231 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 4: Philosopher's Stone the last one, probably didn't exist. Well, it 232 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 4: might have, especially with a contest. I know, again, there's 233 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 4: so many legal restrictions. It is possible they had to 234 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 4: actually have the promised prizes forehand legally before they could 235 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 4: announce the contest and the prizes that. 236 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,439 Speaker 1: Could be true legally, Atari might not have been able 237 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: to promise prizes that weren't yet made either way, two 238 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: were awarded and accounted for the talisman and chalice, and 239 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: three were not the crown, the Philosopher's Stone, and the sword. 240 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: The sword at least was now a confirmed physical object, 241 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,719 Speaker 1: but that still doesn't account for what happened to them 242 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: When the contest was canceled with the sword reel. It 243 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: made one prevailing theory much stronger. That theory was presented 244 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: by Kurt Vendell, who once insisted that after speaking at 245 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: length with the Tari employees, he had determined their fate. 246 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: Could Atari have simply sent the prizes back to where 247 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: they were made at the Franklin Mint, like returned them 248 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: for a refund. Could the Franklin Mint have come back 249 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: into possess of the prizes. Okay, it's a theory, let's 250 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: test it out. But we know you're wondering, what the 251 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: hell is the Franklin Mint. 252 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 5: The American dollar is easy, but if you want the 253 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 5: Russian ruble or Japan's five hundred yin or say shells 254 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 5: ten rupees. If you want the coins that are legal 255 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 5: tender in over one hundred countries, you can either travel 256 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 5: the world or telephone the Franklin Mint for coin sets 257 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 5: of all nations. The Franklin Mint has done it for you, 258 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 5: worked with central banks and government. 259 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: It's human nature to collect things. Maybe it's books, maybe 260 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: it's comics or baseball cards, atari games, rubber bands. We 261 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: hoard things, hopefully not in a way that lands us 262 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: on television for all sorts of reasons. The Franklin Mint 263 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: turned that urge into a multi million dollar business. In 264 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty four, a man named Joseph Siegel took notice 265 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: of two events, the death of General Douglas MacArthur and 266 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: news reports of a run on silver dollars. Siegel realized 267 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 1: that if people were so hungry for silver coins, maybe 268 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: he could get them to buy commemorative silver medals, like say, 269 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: one depicting General MacArthur. This led to the creation of 270 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: the National Commemorative Society. But the National Commemorative Society needed 271 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: someone to make their commemoratives. Supposedly, Seagull tried a few options, 272 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: but wasn't happy with their quality, so he founded a 273 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: new company called General Numismatics, with a division called Franklin Mint. Eventually, 274 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: Franklin Mint became the dominant part of General Numismatics, which 275 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: would soon change its name to reflect that, and among 276 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: many other lines of business, was selling their own limited 277 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: runs of coins and medals to collectors. Tell people you're 278 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: only going to make ten thousand Queen Elizabeth the Second 279 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: coins and give them a deadline to order, then watch 280 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: them develop a nineteen sixties version of Fomo the fear 281 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: of missing out. This strategy worked really well early on. 282 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: Joseph only made the coins after he had gotten the 283 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: orders and was in no danger of getting stuck with 284 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: unsold inventory. The themes were endless, History's most Famous Women, 285 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: the history of the Catholic Church of Richard Nixon commemorative medal, 286 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: because otherwise Richard Nixon might. 287 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 5: Be forgotten, because people have got to know whether or 288 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 5: not their president's a crook. 289 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 2: Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got. 290 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: The Mint developed a devoted clientele, and their ideas got 291 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 1: more and more ambitious, maybe too ambitious. One employee, overwhelmed 292 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: with all the Mint's projects, was said to have keeled 293 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: over at his desk, dead of a heart attack. In 294 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one, the company struck a deal with astronauts 295 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: Alan Shephard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Russa on the Apollo 296 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: fourteen Moon mission to carry a payload of silver medals 297 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: into space. The idea was that the silver could then 298 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: be used to make commemorative coins, with the pitch being 299 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: that the material had been outside the Earth's atmosphere and 300 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: near the lunar surface. It was actually a pretty clever conceit. 301 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: The problem was that the Franklin Mint never bothered to 302 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: get NASA's permission. The agreement was between the Mint and 303 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 1: the astronauts, and while they weren't explicitly compensated, the astronauts 304 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: got to keep many of the two hundred medals they 305 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,360 Speaker 1: carried into space. Some were given out to friends and family. 306 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: Of those the Mint got back, they used many of 307 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: them to make into mini coins. The stunt actually helped 308 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: to change NASA's protocols on bringing personal items into space. 309 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: It's not often a company changes space policy, but the 310 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: Mint managed it. However. The Mint's biggest obstacle came later 311 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: on its home planet. In nineteen seventy eight, the CBS 312 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,719 Speaker 1: television news magazine show Six to Minutes devoted a segment 313 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 1: to the Franklin Mint, and, like most profiles of businesses 314 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: on sixty minutes. At the time, it wasn't glowing. The 315 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: show pointed out the fallacies of creating artificial demand by 316 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: limiting production runs and then having collectors expect those items 317 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: will increase in value. According to the report, many of 318 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,919 Speaker 1: their collectible items were only worth their melt value, that is, 319 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: the intrinsic value of the raw material. There was no 320 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 1: premium placed on the fact that the coins had images 321 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: of famous historical or political figures, or that they had 322 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 1: been to the moon. After the report, the stock price 323 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: for the mint dropped by a dollar. The shine on 324 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: the mint seemed to dull. It was time for the 325 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,879 Speaker 1: Franklin Mint to pivot. Joseph Siegel had left back in 326 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four and later started QVC, one of the 327 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: first home shopping channels. Striking coins was no longer the 328 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 1: windfall it had been, but the idea of something being 329 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: instantly and purposely rare was still viable. The mint itself 330 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: needed a makeover, and in nineteen eighty one it got it. 331 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:14,080 Speaker 1: That's when Warner Communications bought the company. They were able 332 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: to because Atari's success had filled their bank account and 333 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 1: made it possible to acquire other businesses. No longer was 334 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: the Mint appealing exclusively to coin collectors like Warner and 335 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: even Atari itself. They were branching out into pop culture 336 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: as a whole. Over the years, they'd try their hand 337 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: at handsome leather bound book collections of literary classics. Star 338 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: Trek fans could buy a replica of the Starship Enterprise. 339 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: Wizard of Oz fans could procure Dorothy dolls. One tiny 340 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:50,359 Speaker 1: ufo was accompanied by soil taken from Roswell, New Mexico. Yes, 341 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: the Mint sold dirt and did pretty well. Civil War 342 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: Chess sets, premium Monopoly game boards with tiny gold pieces. 343 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: There were figurines and glass sculptures, Elvis Presley offerings, and 344 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 1: miniature rolls voices. These were premium items made with durable, 345 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:14,479 Speaker 1: expensive materials, and they cost money, sometimes hundreds of dollars, 346 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: and they encouraged a lot of collected all brand loyalty 347 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:23,199 Speaker 1: collectors filled houses and cabinets with Franklin Mint stuff. It 348 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: was a pre Beanie baby craze. So the Mint did 349 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: another clever thing. They made it possible to purchase their 350 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: collectibles in installments. Maybe it was hard for someone to 351 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,159 Speaker 1: grab a porcelain butterfly bell with twenty four carrot gold 352 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 1: for sixty five dollars, But what if it was in 353 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,360 Speaker 1: three easy payments of twenty one dollars sixty seven cents 354 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: plus shipping and handling. 355 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 5: Of course, if money talks, here is endless conversation for 356 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 5: your family to treasure now and in years to come. 357 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 5: For a handsome hard bound cases, accompany the collection for 358 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 5: storage and easy reference. In charge and start your collection. 359 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: With the strategy of offering affordable art worked. By nineteen 360 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: eighty three, just ten percent of the Mint's earnings were 361 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: from minted items. The rest of the four hundred million 362 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 1: dollars in sales came from mass produced art. Inside their 363 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 1: manufacturing facility in Waua, Pennsylvania, were hundreds of employees and 364 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: technicians handling and smelting all manner of materials. A vault 365 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: on the factory floor contained the most precious materials, diamonds, rubies. 366 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: Workers were checked coming and going to make sure they 367 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: weren't leaving any heavier than when they came in. While 368 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: many of the products were sold in limited runs, some 369 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: were one of a kind. In nineteen eighty one, the 370 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: Mint made a golden key with a value of thirty 371 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars at the behest of Stanley Home Products, 372 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: which wanted to give it away during the company's fiftieth 373 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: anniversary to one of their star employees. The other major 374 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: project was, of course, sword Quest. The Franklin Mint and 375 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: Atari already had a kind of working relationship because the 376 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: Mint had its own publishing arm, printing its own magazine 377 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: for collectors. Warner tasked it with publishing Atari Age, the 378 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:18,439 Speaker 1: fan publication for all Things Atari. The Mint even sold 379 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 1: Atari consoles to employees at its company store. Warner took 380 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: it a step further, tasking the Mint with making the 381 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: sword Quest prizes. Normally, this is where we'd interview the 382 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,440 Speaker 1: technician or artist who made the prizes, like the blacksmith 383 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: who crafted the sword, and it's possible they're out there somewhere. 384 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: But according to Robert Murphy, a renowned sculptor and artist 385 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: who spent fourteen years at the Mint, over twenty two 386 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: hundred people worked there in the early nineteen eighties, and 387 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: the people who labored on the prizes may not have 388 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: had any idea what they were working on. Robert told 389 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: us it could have even been him. This is what 390 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: he said to us via email. 391 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 6: Thinking back on working in the pewter department at the Mint. 392 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 6: I myself may have worked on one of these pieces. 393 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 6: We never had any idea where a particular model that 394 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 6: we made was heading. Each job had an individual work 395 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 6: number assigned to it. We would have a design sketch 396 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 6: or rough prototype delivered to our work area, not having 397 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 6: any idea where the final model was going to. Items 398 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 6: like swords often had pewter handguards that ended up being 399 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 6: gold plated and set with stones. We never had a 400 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 6: clue where the final product ended up. 401 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: It's likely the prizes went through several departments at the 402 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: Mint with no one knowing the ultimate outcome of what 403 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,439 Speaker 1: it was they were working on. It was almost like 404 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: government work, no one person knowing everything. Given the value 405 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: of the prizes, it may have been a way to 406 00:23:55,560 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: keep employees from being tempted to, you know, conquer quest 407 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 1: by simply running off with the treasures. But they were 408 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: crafts people, not just workers on some collectible's mass assembly line. 409 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: Roberts said his co workers were quote old school craftsmen, 410 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: at least a couple from prestigious European engraving and jewelry backgrounds. 411 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,600 Speaker 1: All of them were miles ahead of me in terms 412 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,679 Speaker 1: of model making skills unquote. That was part of the 413 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,399 Speaker 1: Mint's approach in the nineteen sixties. They had hired the 414 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,679 Speaker 1: well respected engraver Gilroy Roberts, who previously worked in the 415 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: US Mint, as their chief engraver. The Sword Quest pieces 416 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 1: were made with real care. We know the prizes began 417 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: to leave Pennsylvania no later than nineteen eighty three. That's 418 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: because at least one the talisman had to be on 419 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: display for the first contest, held in May of that 420 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,679 Speaker 1: year in Sunnyvale, California. Thanks to Clive, we know the 421 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 1: sword exists, and thanks to winner Stephen Bell's check stub, 422 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: which he was enough to share with us, we know 423 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: the contest ended without the remaining three prizes being handed 424 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 1: out in August nineteen eighty six, and we know the 425 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: late Atari historian Kurt Vendel insisted the rest of the 426 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: prizes had been returned to the Mint. Kurt wrote about it, 427 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: and other Atari historians have said similar things. Here's Ken 428 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: van Merzbergen, an Atari fan in programmer who knew Kurt. 429 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 3: He talked to a lot of people at the Franklin 430 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 3: Mint who had worked there back in the day. And 431 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 3: we believe that they were actually sent back, probably on 432 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 3: order from Warner to recoup the cost of this The 433 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,400 Speaker 3: sorder with fifty thousand, but each individual prize was worth 434 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:38,560 Speaker 3: twenty five k at the time. 435 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: But Kurt never related to Ken who exactly he had 436 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: spoken with. 437 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 3: No, he never shared that information with me. And unfortunately, 438 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 3: as you know that information is now lost. 439 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,640 Speaker 1: A lot of things relating to sword Quest turn up missing. 440 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: But if the Franklin Mint theory of reclaimed treasure is true, 441 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: then what happened next is enough to put a stake 442 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:04,960 Speaker 1: or sword through your heart. It's a tragedy, one even 443 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: worse than paying one hundred dollars for Elvis Presley's pink 444 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 1: Cadillac and miniature. For years, the Franklin Mint's facilities were 445 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 1: a tremendous labor force in Pennsylvania. It employed a large 446 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: number of people who needed to assist in delivering Star 447 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: Trek collectibles to ravenous fans. But the facility also had 448 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: another purpose. Tucked inside the circular building was a museum 449 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 1: devoted to everything Franklin Mint. Every year, up to one 450 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: hundred thousand people would enter the doors of the museum. 451 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: The visitors area was a shrine to everything the Mint 452 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 1: had built over the years, not only in collectors' coins, 453 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: but their limited run items, thousands and thousands of purposeful 454 00:26:55,600 --> 00:27:00,639 Speaker 1: art pieces, including expensive Faberge eggs and tiny Harley Das Davidson's. 455 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 1: If the prizes were returned to the Mint, it's possible 456 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: they could have wound up here. Inside are raiders of 457 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: the lost Ark style tribute to all things Franklin Mint. 458 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:16,120 Speaker 1: A gleaming crown, a towering stone, a sharp sword encased 459 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:20,679 Speaker 1: behind glass, all monuments to the Mint's ingenuity and craftsmanship, 460 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,440 Speaker 1: nestled near frank Sinatra and Scarlett O'Harra dolls, or a 461 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: John Wayne commemorative dinner plate. Maybe a tiny placard advising 462 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,480 Speaker 1: visitors of their significance in Franklin Mint history. Here'sit's the 463 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: crown of video gaming Royalty. No player ever deemed worthy 464 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: enough to wear it. Here hangs on the sword, no 465 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,919 Speaker 1: sword quester ever strong enough to wield it. But the 466 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: Franklin Mint Museum was no mere museum. In fitting with 467 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: the company's overall mission of commercial art, it was also 468 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: a gift shop. Most everything in the museum was for sale. 469 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: If the sword quest piece is wound up here. It's 470 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: highly possible a strident Franklin Mint die hard collector would 471 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,439 Speaker 1: have been eager to possess a one of a kind piece. 472 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: Never Mind it was made for an Atari contest. It 473 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,160 Speaker 1: would have been the most limited of additions, an addition 474 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: of one. Yes, the items would have been pricey, but 475 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: Mint fans weren't all installment buyers. One replica of an 476 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: Egyptian necklace went for ninety five hundred dollars. A diamond 477 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: encrusted Star of the North wristwatch went for ten thousand dollars. 478 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: There was a strong demand for swords too. The Mint 479 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: struck blades inspired by Charlemagne. The Japanese Samurai Camelot, a 480 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 1: bejeweled sword ready for wall display, would not have been 481 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: out of place. That's one possibility. If the Mint took 482 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: the prizes back, someone could also have made the decision 483 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: to route them elsewhere to one of the Mint's growing 484 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: numbers of retail shops around the country. These boutiques were 485 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: full of Franklin Mint merchandise. Someone somewhere could have packed 486 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,360 Speaker 1: up the items in newspaper and nailed them shut inside 487 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: a wooden crate, shuttled them to a Franklin mint shop 488 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: and lost any trace of their existence. There's one more 489 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: potential outcome of returning the prizes to the Mint, and 490 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: it's probably the most frustrating of them all. When Atari 491 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: made the decision to cancel sword Quest in nineteen eighty six, 492 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: they still had a legal obligation to offer a settlement 493 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: to the players who had earned a spot in the 494 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 1: finals and a chance to play for the sword. So 495 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,240 Speaker 1: Stephen Bell and Michael Ridout, the two finalists, received a 496 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: check for fifteen thousand dollars each. The other players due 497 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: to play in a water world contest the third game 498 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: in the series, got two thousand or twenty five hundred 499 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 1: dollars each. So in a world where Atari was now 500 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,959 Speaker 1: strapped for cash and conserving every dollar, where would that 501 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars come from? Do you remember what happened 502 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 1: to those Astronaut coins. There's a version of this story 503 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: where a tar sorry, desperate to end this contest, winds 504 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: up selling the prizes back to the Franklin Mint, which 505 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: pays them money for the raw materials, money that then 506 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: goes to paying the finalists. The Mint, which has no 507 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 1: need for unique guitari prize items, considers it money well 508 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 1: spent for silver, gold and jewels. The silver and gold 509 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: is melted down, repurposed into any number of other collectibles. 510 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,040 Speaker 1: Someone's letter opener made from the reclaimed silver of the sword, 511 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: and with that the Sword Quest prizes quite literally vanish 512 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,680 Speaker 1: from existence. Here's Ken van Merzbergen again. 513 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,520 Speaker 3: Well, I think is that all the stones are probably 514 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 3: removed and repurposed, and the gold and silver were melted 515 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 3: down to turn into other product because they were still 516 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,120 Speaker 3: owned by the Franklin Mint at that time, and I 517 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 3: think they belong to Franklin Mint. 518 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: It's a sobering thought, like a copy of Action Comics 519 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: number one being fed into a paper shredder. And it's 520 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: certainly possible. It makes financial sense for a tarorry, but 521 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 1: there are some important details to consider. Martin Goldberg, an 522 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: Atari historian who worked with the lank Kurt Vendel, later 523 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 1: said Warner executive Manny Gerard told him the prize as 524 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: went back to the Mint, but when we recently spoke 525 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: with Manny, he couldn't corroborate that. Here's Manny. 526 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:22,480 Speaker 7: I gotta tell you, I don't even remember the name. 527 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 7: But then again, I don't remember a name very much, 528 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 7: any boy, But I have no recollection of any of 529 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,719 Speaker 7: that I don't remember, so I certainly don't remember the prize. 530 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: It's a test of anyone's memory, and we're not saying 531 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: his lack of recall proves anything, only that we asked 532 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: someone who might have known where the prizes went or 533 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:46,520 Speaker 1: if they were returned to the Mint, and he just 534 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,479 Speaker 1: doesn't know. Keep in mind too, that Manny left Warner 535 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty four, two years before the contest was 536 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: cut short. The story has other holes in it. Back 537 00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 1: in the eighties, Atari wasn't the only ailing business in 538 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: the Warner portfolio. The Franklin Mint was another, and so 539 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty five, Warner sold off a majority stake 540 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: in the Mint to Stuart and Linda Resnik, a married 541 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: couple who happened to be fabulously wealthy. Their company, American 542 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: Protection Industries, had made a fortune in home security, and 543 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: Linda wanted to get into the collectibles game. The Mint 544 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: was theirs for about one hundred and sixty million dollars, 545 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: probably not payable in three easy installments. That means Atari 546 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 1: was far removed from having any kind of inside track 547 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: with the Franklin Mint. Atari had been sold off in 548 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four, the Mint in nineteen eighty five. The 549 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,480 Speaker 1: contest was officially canceled in nineteen eighty six. The two 550 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: were no longer corporate partners and any dealings or relationships 551 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: they had were likely dissolved. So why would Atari approach 552 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: the Mint and why would the Mint offer to lend 553 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: a hand without any corporate connection. We were able to 554 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 1: contact Stuart Resnik, who was in charge of the Mint 555 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 1: during those years, and he has no memory whatsoever of 556 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: Atari sending the Mint a crate full of video game 557 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 1: prizes to be sold off for fifty thousand dollars or more. 558 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 1: That's not remotely definitive proof it didn't happen, But on 559 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: the other hand, it does seem like the kind of 560 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: thing you might remember. It's hard to believe that Atari 561 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: would willingly ship off the prizes back to Pennsylvania, particularly 562 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,200 Speaker 1: when it took the company two years to reach what 563 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: they felt was a satisfactory resolution to the contest. If 564 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: Stephen Bell and Michael Rideout had refused, it's possible they 565 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: would have had to see the contest through, and if 566 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: they did, they couldn't have given them a bunch of 567 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,680 Speaker 1: melted silver and gold in a puddle. The prizes would 568 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: have needed to survive at least until the summer of 569 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six, well passed the mint's new ownership and 570 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,560 Speaker 1: Manny's tenure. There's also Robert Murphy, the sculptor we mentioned 571 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: earlier time at the Mint. He says he never heard 572 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: of any kind of repurposing program for materials, but he 573 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: did add that sometimes unwanted or unused items were sold 574 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 1: to employees at a discounted price. There were trailer sales 575 00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: in the Mint's parking lot where Robert says workers could 576 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:21,240 Speaker 1: buy things for pennies on the dollar. Of course, Robert 577 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 1: can't say for certain he saw the sword Quest prizes 578 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,160 Speaker 1: during one of these sales, but he does remember what 579 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:32,440 Speaker 1: he called some camelot type items, ornate products from Arthurian legend, 580 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: like swords and chalices, things that could have easily been 581 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: the sword Quest prizes on display at the museum, sold 582 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,520 Speaker 1: to a visitor or employee, sent to a retail store, 583 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: or just simply destroyed all possible fates if the prizes 584 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: found their way back to the Franklin Mint. That seemed 585 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: dire and final The Mint's plant is gone now, and 586 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: so is the museum, raised and paved over in twenty nineteen, 587 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,080 Speaker 1: though it's changed hands several times since the Resinus bought 588 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:08,640 Speaker 1: it in nineteen eighty five. The Mint itself still exists, 589 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 1: pedaling coins, toy cars, and patriotic coffee mugs online, but 590 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:16,879 Speaker 1: there's nowhere it could hang a sword if it still 591 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:21,880 Speaker 1: had one. There's one more detail worth mentioning. Of the 592 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,800 Speaker 1: three remaining prizes, one of them was the Philosopher's Stone. 593 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:29,239 Speaker 1: While it did have a gold display case, it was 594 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:34,759 Speaker 1: made of white jade, and you can't melt down jade. 595 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,479 Speaker 1: For a long time, it's been accepted that Clive Young 596 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,799 Speaker 1: discovered the only known photo of the sword. As it 597 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 1: turns out, all these years later, someone did take a 598 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:50,360 Speaker 1: glamour shot of the sword a second photo. In reporting 599 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,080 Speaker 1: this story, we found several newspapers from October nineteen eighty 600 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:58,040 Speaker 1: two that had a picture in it. An unnamed technician 601 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 1: from the Franklin Mint is pictured, hoped in a white, 602 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: clean suit as though he were working in a laboratory. 603 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:08,280 Speaker 1: He's cradling the sword of Ultimate Sorcery, It's hilt visible. 604 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: The caption says it was struck at the mint for atari, 605 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:16,160 Speaker 1: along with the chalice, crown and talisman. It was a 606 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:20,879 Speaker 1: photo distributed for promotional use, Lost and forgotten. The man 607 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,840 Speaker 1: is looking at something that is soon to disappear, but 608 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: something that absolutely positively existed. This photo, like the ones 609 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,240 Speaker 1: Clive found, is a little like a tiny fossilized bone 610 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: from a creature thought to be extinct. The images of 611 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:42,240 Speaker 1: the prizes are incredibly rare. Most exist only as illustrations 612 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 1: in gaming magazines. Without them, it's likely no one would 613 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: be entirely convinced the prizes had ever been real at all. 614 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:54,280 Speaker 1: Maybe that's what the photographer at the contest wanted, proof 615 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 1: not just of the prizes, but of their experience. 616 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 2: Here's Clive, a good enough player that you wound up 617 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,560 Speaker 2: getting to be in this contest. When you have someone 618 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,520 Speaker 2: take a photo of yourself, or even just take a 619 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,160 Speaker 2: photo yourself like next to the story, it as opposed 620 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:12,879 Speaker 2: to just the sword by itself or something. So it's 621 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:16,320 Speaker 2: sort of an interesting thing of what's not in the photos, 622 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:18,920 Speaker 2: which kind of makes me think maybe, like you know, 623 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,200 Speaker 2: there were a couple of more personal photos that maybe 624 00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 2: in somebody's photo albums somewhere in Levittown. But these were 625 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:29,440 Speaker 2: the ones that somebody whoever it was, just sort of 626 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 2: tucked into an envelope and kept with their stuff. The 627 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 2: photos kind of look almost like photos that you take 628 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 2: is proof if you were a kid back then, you know, 629 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:39,879 Speaker 2: like picks or it didn't happen. Yeah, this is really 630 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:41,959 Speaker 2: what it looks like. Yes, that's the guy who wanted 631 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,320 Speaker 2: Yes there really was a chalice. My extrapolating with that 632 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 2: actually knowing what I'm talking about, These photos strike me 633 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 2: as these were the photos you take to school to 634 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,200 Speaker 2: say this is what I did on my summer vacation. 635 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: Today, the contest would be all over social media. Someone 636 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: would be live streaming it. But then these photos might 637 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: be the only tangible remnants of that experience. We've managed 638 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 1: to speak to a few of the contestants, but so 639 00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:12,480 Speaker 1: many more are lost to time, their stories, their ambitions, 640 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:13,800 Speaker 1: their experiences. 641 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 2: So there is certainly a huge base of folks who 642 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,520 Speaker 2: know about it, but beyond it, it's sort of like, 643 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:21,880 Speaker 2: all right, well there are people who managed to do this, 644 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:24,359 Speaker 2: but you don't know who they are. And you know, 645 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:27,680 Speaker 2: today something like this would be all over the place. 646 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:29,759 Speaker 2: You could look it up on the Internet. If there 647 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,399 Speaker 2: were forty fifty sixty people who were in the Fireworld 648 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 2: contest and it happened today, you'd know everybody's names. Everybody 649 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:38,840 Speaker 2: would have it up on their social media. Hey I 650 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,920 Speaker 2: did this way. It is a mystery, And so that mysteriousness, 651 00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:46,239 Speaker 2: even if it's not an intentional mysteriousness, just purely because 652 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:48,399 Speaker 2: so much of this is lost in the mists of time, 653 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:52,000 Speaker 2: that gives it a certain are of something special. It 654 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,360 Speaker 2: was also the first time, least I'm aware that something 655 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,320 Speaker 2: this big was attempted by one of the video game companies. 656 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 2: And it also because it happened just as the first 657 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,960 Speaker 2: push of video games kind of peaked, the entire video 658 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,720 Speaker 2: game industry sort of collapsed in the early eighties. 659 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:14,360 Speaker 1: For Clive, the photos are perfectly emblematic of sword Quest. 660 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:16,360 Speaker 1: A lot of threads to tug on. 661 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:21,120 Speaker 2: Oh sure, it's a story with so many loose ends. Inevitably, 662 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 2: just because that last game never came out. 663 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,360 Speaker 1: One loose end we can tie up right now. Remember 664 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:31,120 Speaker 1: that Clive was in Long Island to see his girlfriend. 665 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 1: That's the whole reason he found the photos. She's no 666 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:36,560 Speaker 1: longer his girlfriend. 667 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 2: This girl who became my wife for the last on 668 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:41,080 Speaker 2: teen decades. 669 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 1: Spoken like a true romantic. Clive's sword Quest had a 670 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,480 Speaker 1: happy ending, but for the rest of the Atari faithful, 671 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,799 Speaker 1: his discovery prompted more questions, but they wouldn't have to 672 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 1: wait long for an answer. Just two years after the 673 00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:59,440 Speaker 1: photos were found, someone else delivered an even bigger bombshell. 674 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 1: And that's someone was Ken Van Mersberkin. 675 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden, this prototype in quotes 676 00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 3: my air Quotes shows up on Neebay sword Quest Airworld 677 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:14,279 Speaker 3: like No, can't. 678 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:19,879 Speaker 1: Be Airworld, the lost sword Quest game That's next time 679 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:20,960 Speaker 1: on sword Quest. 680 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:28,040 Speaker 6: The Legend of sword Quest is a production of iHeart 681 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:29,560 Speaker 6: Podcasts and School of Humans. 682 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:32,880 Speaker 2: This episode was written by Jake Rosson and hosted by 683 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:37,600 Speaker 2: Jamie Loftus producers are Miranda Hawkins and Josh Fisher. Executive 684 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:41,799 Speaker 2: producers are Virginia Prescott, L. C. Crowley, Brandon Barr, and 685 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:42,960 Speaker 2: Jason English. 686 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 6: Our show editor is Mary Doo. 687 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:49,200 Speaker 2: Audio engineering by Graham Gibson, Research and fact checking by 688 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 2: Austin Thompson and Jake Rosson. Original score by Jesse Niswanger. 689 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 2: This episode was sound designed by Josh Fisher, mixing and mastering. 690 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:02,600 Speaker 7: By Jake Cook show logan by Lucy Quintonia. The voice 691 00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:13,239 Speaker 7: in this episode was provided by Jason English.