Hello! Been lurking for a bit. This is my first post. I just returned to pinball after a twenty-year hiatus. Glad to be back.

Now, I've never owned a pin, so I don't know the first thing about maintenance or restoration, but I've now got it in my head that I need to own at least one, and I want it to be my all-time grail pin -- you guessed it -- The Addams Family.

If I were a rich guy, I'd just click over to one of those high-end restoration sites and shell out $11,500 for a perfect TAF. Thing is, that's more than a third of my annual income. I don't know. Perhaps I've got no business getting started in this hobby. Anyway, I've seen less-than-perfect TAFs advertised for $4,000. That's more my speed, but then of course I'd be faced with a fixer-upper. Which is fine, provided I can somehow learn how to do all the work to bring the machine back to semi-pristine.

My questions for the Pinside FOGs are these:

Is my dream of owning an excellent example of The Addams Family without spending a mega fortune a plausible one? I don't mind spending what's required to get a machine with potential. I know you usually get what you pay for. It's just that I sure can't afford to overspend, you know? I need to somehow learn the difference.

How do I begin? I've been saving up, I've ordered a copy of Roger C. Sharpe's Pinball! on eBay, and I've been using the search function to comb Pinside for TAF relevant topics. I'm also reading up at PAPA. What else could I be doing? How do I become a well-educated consumer so that I can buy the best example of TAF that I can afford? From what I've gathered in my very short time here, price depends much upon the condition of the playfield and cabinet. Damage to the PF, be it magnet burn or wear is not easily fixed, right? I mean, can it be fixed? Once I start looking, should I simply turn my back on machines with significant PF damage? Is the condition of the playfield the number one concern when shopping for a pin? I've noticed that NOS or reproduction playfields are not easy to come by, and if one does find one, they're super spendy -- there's a few on eBay right now for $1,800-$2,300. Here's a question, if I want a truly beautiful TAF, would it be nuts to take the whole of my funds currently earmarked for a TAF and dump it into one of those playfields and then build the pin from scratch from the PF out? Is that insane? Could a guy with zero experience even pull off such a thing? Am I thinking about this all wrong?

I know it's a lot of questions, but I'm obsessed! Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks so much in advance. And Happy Holidays.

Thanks so much, Accidental. I've done as you suggested and posted under All Pinball. I hope I don't tick anyone off with the more-or-less repost. I'd have deleted the original, but didn't see an option to do so. Maybe one of the moderators will delete it. Next, I'll Google for a local club or league. Another great idea! I'd be a little surprised if there's not something for me here in Brooklyn. Thanks again!

There's TONS of modding on this thread. Call me crazy, but I much prefer stock-looking pins. Does anybody keep their TAF looking original?

I hope to join this great club someday so here's a question: Can all TAF mods be undone? Or are many modded TAFs irreparably altered? Thanks.

All original, please!

I'll pay extra for an original if I have to. Seems all TAFs are modded beyond recognition these days.

"That's the spirit!"