The seller advertised this as “mint in the box” and “like new”. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to score an original Apple II joystick mint the box with the manual. The bid reached $30, a little expensive, but it seemed fair for such a collectible. I mean, who would have thought to keep the box for a joystick? I thought this was a pretty decent find.

The seller posted a few pictures, but they conveniently hid the wear and tear. This is not “mint in the box” by any stretch of the imagination. I sent the seller a very stern email. Of course, I didn’t receive a response. I’m not going to bother asking for a refund. I’ll keep it anyway. It just sucks that I paid probably double what I should have.

The seller stated that the box “was in great condition”. I’d say it’s “decent”. It’s worn, has a small tear on it, and is dirty.





As for the manual, it’s trashed. It has water damage. All the pages are stuck together and it’s pretty much worthless.





The joystick isn’t mint either. There’s ink on the cord as well as the side.





Overall, it’s not bad and will probably shine up with a little cleaning.







I tried it on my //c and it works. I would have definitely asked for a refund if it didn’t. It might not be “mint in the box” but at least I can clean it up and have a working joystick.