most games I buy end up staying around for 5-7 years.

I go back and fourth with games. I have 2 certain keepers that never leave Tron and LOTR. However I go up and down in my collection and keep most games for less than a year. If I'm not in love with a title then it will be sold or traded within a year. It really just depends on how much room I currently have, is there another pin I want, and do I need money? Really I like to keep a game for at least 3 months to get a full feel for the game. Some people would say that I change games too much but I like to switch it up and have variety.

I like the black_rose plan of owning everything once. As I go through pins I've picked up a couple 'keepers' along the way.

I'm one of the short term people. Games stay around a year and then get traded or sold. My kids love seeing what comes in, and have only asked me to keep one for them, which I'll try. I do this as I have limited space and don't want to start putting them in storage where they won't get played. Even now I have a game up for trade locally which I've had for about 2 years. If a game can keep my attention for longer then I'll keep it.

I have done some shuffling of games in the last 18 months while I decided what my final line up will be, so I have bought/sold more than what I would normally do, but I normally keep games long term.

I have a "spare" SS game and a "spare" EM game to swap in the lineup if another game is being worked on, but I think it's generally too much work to swap games out on a regular basis. It's bad enough I'm going to have to figure out what games to sell when AMH and PLJJP show up - I don't want to do that on a regular basis.

What do you consider a game that you had, sold and missed it so you bought another one?
I've had lots of games that I think I want to keep, but after playing it I lose interest so I sell. But I also have ones that I still have 15-20 years later.

Both..
It seems my sell windows is couple months. If it doesn't get moved by then i'll have it 'forever'

I still every game I bought in the late 90s

Hard to say. My lineup has changed dramatically in a very short time, but my father keeps most of whats in his basement for a decade or more.

Also, Im now getting to the stage of buying keepers, not flipping, unless someone 'really' wants it.

I am too early in my collecting career but I think I'm a "long time". I've had the same 3 games for 2.5 years. However, I'm waiting on a VP Cab and an MMr to be delivered. The Boss is limiting me to 3 machines so the Cyclone and the Getaway may have to go.

But, we will see...

long term, I have yet to sell a game

Keep me in mind. I would love to have a Getaway. That would complete the two pins i played in the arcade as a child. Its a great game!!!!!!!!

Me own pinball machine looong time!

image.jpg

I sold a perfect MM after two years ten years ago. I could still bite my ass today for giving it away. That's why pins are here to stay!

I have one game I've owned 44 years. That gives you a bit of insight.

I've sold a few but I intend to keep what I have now for quite awhile.

Bought my first game in 1994. I have never sold any and don't intend to. The 13 pins in my game room are my personal favorites and are all keepers to me. I keep the 3 that don't fit in that room (Baywatch, Barb Wire and X-Files) because they are all fun to play but are undervalued and are worth more to me than what money I could get for them.

Long term. Have only sold 3 games (Lost World, Roadshow, Johnny), and don't miss them at all. HS is awaiting the buyer to return from TX, and as soon as I can get time to get the Whirlwind cleaned up, I will probably be selling it. I need the space, and I have come to accept the fact I may need to sell 2 games to get one

What year is it?

I here ya'. I played The Cyclone a *TON* in college in '88. I played The Getaway in '92-93 before getting married. They both have sentimental value.

Short time but that might end with my new love of 80's pins, no modes and wizard modes that become tedious after extended time periods and the fact that I can live with a 1 to 2K pin sitting there and not being played for long periods but 5 to 10K just seems to bother too much. Oh yeah I'm quite mad.

I love them long time

Should have read the post above...beat me to it

Both...

I sell them if I get bored. Don't see myself selling whirlwind or space jam though as I really like whirlwind and I like space jam. I'm probably bored of space jam now but I like the theme and wouldn't get much back for it anyway, whirlwind is just an awesome game. I'll likely sell striker xtreme when I'm bored and pick up something else.

Same. I like to rotate some pins, while others are keepers. Among my EMs, the only keeper is Fireball while Jet spin could leave if I find another interesting one from the same area (70's).

WPT is a keeper - would probably consider temporary trade against WoF or Avatar.
Spectrum has sentimental value. It was my first pin and is still there.

Sometimes I can't resist buying a rare pin when priced right, to discover after a few days this was not for me. These ones are gone within weeks. Not enough space to keep a pin I do not like.

The deeper I get into this hobby; the harder it is to sell a machine. I find that I have "keepers" and 1 or 2 that will rotate.... but the "keepers" keep expanding. And when I run out of room; I am going to great lengths to fit them all it. I am officially addicted. Hotdoggin, T2 and F-14 are staying.

Long term for me.

I've bought 14 pins and sold 5 in a 12 year period.

Still bitter with myself for letting Harlem go.

I like to keep them at least a year. That's how long it takes to really get to know a game. If it's less than that, I hated the game. If it's longer than that, I really like the game.

Right now there are quite a few games jamming up the works. Games that I haven't moved because I've been busy, or games I'm trying to hit some last objectives on before moving. But I'll probably sell 3 or 4 games in the next month or two to clear up some space (that I will promptly fill with new ones).

A short time owner. That is funny. There is a better word. That is a flip'er.

No, a Flipper and a short time owner can be totally different things.

I agree with Brian. I personally have bought games I thought I would like based off of what other have said about the game, but after a short time decided it was not as fun as others had said it would be and traded or sold it within a month or so.

Rob Bell
Robsgameroom.com

Seldom turn over a game under a few years, and keep most forever, so long term for sure!

Mine have been with me for nearly 20 years and will be with me for at least another 20 years.

It all depends. I've had some games that have lasted many years, and others less than a week. Some longer than I thought they would have, and others much shorter.

The lineup I have now, I think will stick around for some time, and mostly only be added to.

I've bought 18 pins over the last five years and have got my lineup to the 7 that I really like. 2 EMs, 2 SSs and 3 DMDs. Now that I have those 7, I would imagine most are here long term.

Totally depends on the game. LOTR lasted 8 years.....Stargate lasted 3 months.

As of now I've been buying and selling games pretty frequently, but there are games where once I get them I'd keep them for a long time.

You have a great lineup!

As for, I'm a long term keeper for the most part.

--Luke

I generally own a pic for just a few months. However, the collection of 4 I have now I just love: congo, eatpm, wh20, and flintstones. Keepers for me.

Is 25 years a long time.

Long term for me. Only have sold one and that's because I replaced it with the very same game but in much better shape because it was HUO.
My goal is to continue growing my collection . I have plenty of room for several more.

I bought my first machine when I was fifteen. I'm thirty-five this year. My interest came and went through my teenage, university, and early married years, but it took hold again (for good) six years ago when I purchased a forever home and had a proper "pinball space" to flesh out my collection. I've just recently been able to sever ties with games...learning once and for all, "you can't keep'em all".

Rob
creditdotpinball.com

For the games I keep I'm a long time owner. For the games I sell I'm usually a short time owner.

It wasn't always that way. In the beginning I owned several popular titles that stuck around for a long time, like IJ, SS, MB, STTNG, FT, TotAN, but priorities and game taste changed and they made room or money for other games.

Historically a short term owner. Flipping machines has a been to better my collection.

As I am new to pinball (only in the hobby for 2 yrs now), my plan currently is to be long-term. That said, I am currently buying, selling and trading games frequently as I am looking for those games that fulfill my criteria for a long-term keeper. So far, Tron and LOTR have made the cut. Yes, Tron has a more simple rule set (sort of like a system 11) and LOTR is super deep with multiple objectives (some of which I may never achieve), but they both have that magic combination of game-play & rule-set, aesthetics, sound, and that "just-one-more-game" appeal to them. Long-term keepers also need to be somewhat different in game-play and rule-set from the other long-term keepers. I like Tron because the objectives easy to understand and are specific in requiring different shots using the whole of targets, ramps, scoops, roll-overs and drops all over the entire playfield. LOTR involves similar diversity in shot making but also involves strategy about order in which things are achieved. Former games in the collection like Stern's Transformers or Iron Man have aesthetics and sound but didn't make the long-term cut because the game-play in them, at least to me, seems like chopping wood by just endlessly hitting ramps and loops that just happen to be blinking as part of some arbitrary mode.

New to my collection are Spider-Man along with original versions of Medieval Madness and Attack From Mars. These games all seem to have long term potential... I am establishing a cap of 7 games (that's what I have room for), so I have to be somewhat critical in making choices. POTC almost got cut but there was just something about it that made want to keep it. I realize that MM and AFM may be too similar to one another for both to be kept long term but they were both high end restorations and available so I went for it.

Probably the best plan would be to have 4 or 5 ultimate long-term keepers and then the other 2 or 3 slots in the collection will rotate games through. So maybe my collection of pins will end up being similar to my wife's garden when she says, "Well it's a garden, so it will NEVER really be finished..."