Sorry it has been a while since I posted here. Just got home from setting up at the Allentown Show about 12 hours a go and FINALLY got a little rest.
The past 25 days have been INSANE. I FINALLY finalized "Phase 2" of my Norfolk Virginia warehouse deal about a month ago and started moving machines home on April 10. I managed to get a fully packed 10x40 storage unit full of jukeboxes, arcade, pinball machines & parts moved back to PA in 8 days. Over 4000 miles of driving in 8 days making 5 trips from Carlisle to Norfolk with my van & trailer.
Then I went through all of the machines (with a little help from my son & Jim from JT Amusements and a lot of help from my wife) getting ready for the Allentown Show. The end result is 30+ machines sold less than 4 weeks after I started moving them home with a few saved for our collection or to sell at the York Show this Fall. I didn't make a ton of money on this deal and most people would think I was crazy if they knew how little I actually made (once I factored in expenses of getting them home and to Allentown to sell) but it has never been about money to me. I just wanted to get these machines out of storage and to people who would actually do something with them.
So in less than 4 weeks 33 or 34 machines (I lost count) are now in the hands of people who will actually be doing something with them. These machines went into storage on July 27 1995 according to tape labels on the playfield glass on some of them. So after about 25 years they are actually seeing the light of day again. Better yet is some of them have been repaired already and are being enjoyed by their new owners. THAT IS WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT!
As far as the Allentown Show it was FANTASTIC for me. Everything I took sold including my Harbor Freight lift table & handtruck. The only thing I brought home was a couple parts machines and a few parts I bought for my eBay parts business and a Strange Science I took on trade. (We had a Strange Science in the passed and kind of missed it so we have another one to enjoy for a few months.) That might be at the York Show this Fall because it isn't a long term "keeper" but we do want to play it for awhile before sending it to a new owned.
Next is a 5+ week vacation down the east coast. Some NASCAR stuff on the way south, then down to the Florida Keys for a couple days, next to Orlando for a couple weeks at Disney then north to Nashville for a couple days. After that is about 10 days in Bowling Green, KY and the Holley National Hot Rod Reunion. (I always get teased about living in Carlisle PA "the capitol of car shows in the world" and going to Bowling Green for a car show. But Bowling Green is different - these is a drag strip right at the show with drag racing going on the entire show. I love cars & racing so what is better than spending 3 days a a car show held at a drag strip with camping right one site!)
Once I am home it will be back to pinball parts on eBay and working on machines for the York Show.
More stories to come over the Summer & Fall but for now it is time to put my feet up again!