Oakland, CA
I second that. Pre-flipper games were used for gambling and trade stimulators before flippers were invented and Bingo games took over for gambling.
The artwork on some of them is fantastic. I especially like some of the art deco stuff from late 30s. The war time art is also interesting.
The rules on some of those games is often more complicated than you'd think, but in the end, the gameplay gets old quick without the gambling aspect.
An an art piece, I might pay up to $300 for the right game in nice condition. But if the game is in rough shape, I don't think I would touch it at any price.
Quoted from Hoopjohn:I'm convinced that unless a "pre-flipper" pinball machine happens to be a highly collectible piece (and few are) the price for a good condition fully operational pin with a good back glass tops out at $100.
Few pinheads have any desire to have one of these old relics take up valuable floor space, when essentially they are little more than a conversation piece.
IMHO, demand for pre flipper pins is almost nonexistent.
