Hartford, CT
My history of pinball and the Internet go way back to the mid 90s when I purchased my first game, ST:TNG from a local operator. At that time it had only been on route for about a year, so its in very nice shape.
A few years later I picked up my second game, a Twilight Zone. This was just about the time WMS had decided to 'pack it in' for pinball, and we were all in shock. Pinball prices began to skyrocket at that time (Twilight Zone, at the time, was around $1400 or so, and skyrocketed to $2000...hey that was a big deal back then!).
My next game was Cirqus Voltaire, which I picked up in Pennsylvania from Lee Sandt (great guy). Very nice machine, low plays, and a very fun game as we all know (still don't know why this game never picked up momentum when it came out).
After Cirqus Voltaire came The Shadow....The Shadow came from Jersey Jack (back when he FIRST opened!) and got a great deal on it. Jack was a great guy to deal with and took good care of me. Like most Shadows, this game had some sanctum wear and back then, replacement playfields were still available...so I ended up replacing the playfield and put a lot of new NOS parts on the game.
Then came No Good Gofers...once again I called upon my friend Lee Sandt in PA to help me find one. Great game, lots of Pat Lawlor flow and a fun theme. Great condition, no slam ramp wear and everything was working great!
What was next? Medieval Madness of course! Even back in the early 2000s, Medieval Madness was a very hard game to find. My first MM was completely restored, with new NOS playfield (from Lyman Sheats no less), new ramps, new everything. It was great! I sold it to a very demanding collector in DE and picked up another a few months later as I missed it so.... so MM is a keeper, but I think the price is wayyyy over inflated....
The last addition to my collection back in the early 2000's was World Cup Soccer. I picked this game up from a friend in Boston (Scott -- can't remember his last name, Gallagher perhaps?) and actually have a NOS playfield ready for it if I can ever find the ramps necssary. Like many WCS's this game does have some cabinet fade on the yellow, and I hope at some point we can get cabinet decals made up for this game.
Last but not least...and what made me join Pinside recently, was the purchase of a Fish Tales in December 2012. I picked the game up from a great guy named Joe Cosco, and he had had the Fish Tales in his collection for over 10 years.
Pinball is a lot of fun -- I like my games in excellent condition, but they do not have to be pristine (it IS a pinball machine, after all!)
Chris
