Gotta give credit to Captain Chris for getting the most out of the auction. His promotions really upped the bidding, which is what the auctioneer is hired to do. His efforts priced him out of the market for some games he wanted to buy himself (there were a couple games both he and I wanted that went for too much for either of us). Putting his job ahead of his personal desire as it were.

I'm with you - I'm intrigued.

I found this article about the guy and his comments on the arcade (scroll down to the middle where he discusses it) - https://thebitcoinstreetjournal.com/e-crypto-news-talks-to-jim-blasko-of-aspire-on-blockchain-broadcasting/

Retrofitting pinball and arcade machines with gAsp blockchain. Seems like an interesting use of technology (I hate carrying quarters). Certainly that is the area he is an expert in, and to be honest, he seemed like a pretty upfront guy in the FB chat. He was extremely happy with winning.

Maybe the last Bally single player EM, but not their last EM Pin....

The Pirate is the Man!

Did they sell Fore? John offered to buy mine on the loading dock at Cal Extreme a few years ago, but we were never able to connect. But I think he already had one?

Anyway, talk about unfinished code...

When I first got into owning pins I was impatient. We probably all were. I really wanted a Shadow, the game I'm kinda known for now. Was my first pin, will be the last one to leave.

Couldn't find one locally so I shipped one down from Oregon. My friend gave me grief for it (in a teasing way), because I paid $300 for the shipping (remember those days) and it was overpaying for the game. I knew it, but I wanted it. I accepted that I might lose a little money because of shipping. (Again, remember those days??)

Never regretted it though, not just because I love the game, but because for years afterwards I never saw one local for sale. Still have it.

That's imo a far cry from paying $10,000 for a game that was previously moving for $3,000. And plenty of them knew better and didn't care. It's more fuel for the clown fire. Not gonna just shrug and saw "newbies, amiright?" All of us were new once. That doesn't really change anything.

That speech has been immortalized.

Whenever I walked into a new arcade, those few minutes felt like a summer Christmas morning. Every quarter in my pocket was a present just waiting to be opened. Every coin I ever inserted was and still is a gift.

And so was your post…
Thank you

My new fave expression!

I was going to say that 1717 S. Decatur is a weekend flea market.

This is a good tip here. IMO.

So imagine for a moment that it was just a private collector auctioning off his massive collection of games. No MOP moniker to go by. I wonder how much that would have dropped interest (media, auction goers) and thus prices. 50% ? more ? It was a convenient story that the MOP was auctioning off all its games. Nobody did anything in the press releases to correct that, and for media it was a way better story talking about the world's largest ... And hey I get that at the end of the day, cashing out at the highest dollar amount possible is the goal isn't it ? That's business. But honestly, while people might call the PAPA liquidation approach leaving way too much cash on the table, in my mind for (what its worth and it ain't worth much) it had a bit more integrity to it all. Sure there is a sucker born every minute, but I don't think the goal in life should be to take advantage of that. And I say this all in full disclosure having bought their Pump it Up, which worked for a month and then died needing a new PC in there. That should make me a little bitter, but it doesn't, it was an old game, old games are wonky. But we fixed with a $900 brain transplant and the public gets to enjoy it again. PAPAs collection went to lots of other arcades around the country (and of course private collectors). John's collection went to .... the monied .... who will soon realize they way overpaid and way underrealized the difficulty of keeping their new shiny actually functional. More power to him, but it just wouldn't sit well with me.

Premiums usually go up for higher, much higher replacement cost coverage.

I’ll talk to Michelle at STI today and she mentioned that they are having a very difficult time finding drivers to haul machines away from the banning auction and that they had to pay an outside hauler over $15,000 to haul a single load of machines out.

As a counterpoint I give you this:

https://pinside.com/pinball/map/where-to-play/5616-video-zone-staunton-va

Owner found out with a months notice the day after Thanksgiving 2020 that the Staunton Mall he was in was being shut down and all businesses would be kicked out. He had 30 days to liquidate everything, all 50 games. The place had been in business continually over 2 decades run by him and his mom. He couldn't just store it all away as there was no location to stuff it all, and no retail locations with affordable rent to reconstitute the business. Many of the games were broken because there just wasn't the funds to repair. On that timetable, it became literally sell to any available buyer. Most of it went to Coinopwarehouse. He had enough I believe to pay off any outstanding debt, but that's basically it. This is how most arcades end, not with a bang but a whimper. No media stories, no outrageous windfall for having held games 20+ years. Vivisectioned and whatever remained of the carcass was given away.

We all lament the closing of MOP, and no doubt it was a loss. But the real loss, was all the arcades that ACTUALLY closed down and went out of business because they relied on the funds generated day to day to pay their rent or mortgage. There were no customers, rent was due, and so they closed. On the otherhand MOP closed down because John realized he could make bank leasing out the space for pot growing. I'm sure Mr Weeks is a very nice man, and everyone on here that helped keep up MOP seem to have little bad to say about him. Games will go to good homes and live on to be played by others in their basement. But lets be clear the "loss" if thats what we want to call it was a financial decision on his part to cash in his chips, not a loss due to the economy wrecking ones livelihood and closing their 20 year business.

Interesting but not sure I understand. Seemed like a really nice place, does it only count as a loss if they are crushed by a devistating blow and their end is not failure? I find it nice to know someone invested in the hobby and sharing Didn't get crushed.

If the machines had sold for peanuts and John lost his ass on this venture people would be singing a different tune.

Jealousy is a strange and funny thing.

Not jealously. Jealousy presumes I am somehow sorry I wasn’t able to take his course of action and reap his benefits. Umm nope, not it at all.

It is a loss. Didn’t say that at all. It is just not the loss that was advertised in the media with a false narrative. Total respect if the story goes “I can’t afford to keep paying out more than I take in so I am going to sell my collection and rent out my building to another business”. No respect for “MOP lost its home, is closing down, Palm Springs wouldn’t pony up to save it, and liquidating ITS collection”. That’s the story in the press and we all know it was a false story

Mourning and the 5 Stages of Grief and Loss:

denial
anger
bargaining
depression
acceptance

It’s different for everyone, but ultimates acceptance is the final stage.
Unfortunately many people get hung up in the second stage.

It’s unfortunately a lot more complicated than that. Since you seem to profess knowledge and interest you might want to go listen this to know more about what you are actually talking about.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/queen-dying

Who here is mad? Pointing out valid criticisms =/= mad

As we fade into the sunset the next several weeks, as machines slowly go to new homes, and a few museums.
There is always life, from death.
More pics to come this week.

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Your pics reminded me of one thing I won’t miss: Those horrible carpet squares that get yanked up every time you move a machine.

I just finished reviewing the Twitch vid of the final two hours of the auction -- here's the rest of the hammer prices for those final 40+ games:

1343 Black Knight Sword of Rage LE Pinball Machine Stern - $10,800
1344 Deadpool Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern - $11,400
1345 Alien Pinball Machine Heighway Pinball - $12,000
1345A Cosmic Carnival Pinball Machine New in Box Sun Coast - $7,500
1346 Wizard of OZ Yellow Brick Road LE New in Box - $16,500
1347 Mandalorian Limited Edition Pinball Machine New In Box Stern - $15,500
1348 Rick and Morty Collectors Edition Pinball Machine New In Box Spooky - $16,500
1349 Elvira House of Horror Collectors Edition Pinball Machine New in box (sofa) - $26,000
1350 Avengers Whitewood PROTOTYPE Pinball Machine - $11,000
1351 Pirates of the Carribean Whitewood PROTOTYPE Pinball Machine - $11,000
1352 Big Bang Bar Pinball Machine (1996 version) Capcom SS - $25,500
1353 The Big Lebowski Pinball Machine Achiever Edition #019 - $16,500
1354 Magic Girl Pinball Machine One of only 16 Made! Zidware J-Pop - $18,500
1355 Led Zeppelin Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern - $12,000
1356 The Beatles Gold Edition Pinball Machine - $11,000
1357 The Beatles Platinum Pinball Machine - $13,000
1358 Wizard Of Oz Emerald City Edition Pinball Machine - $14,000
1359 Guns N Roses CE Pinball Machine Jersey Jack - $18,000
1360 Pirates of the Carribean C.E. Pinball Machine Jersey Jack - $32,000
1361 Willy Wonka C.E. Pinball Machine Jersey Jack - $14,500
1362 The Simpsons Pinball Party Pinball Machine Stern SS - $14,000
1363 Family Guy Pinball Machine Stern SS - $8,600
1364 The Lord of the Rings Pinball Machine Stern SS - $10,500
1365 Disney TRON Legacy (Limited Edition) Pinball Machine Stern SS - $17,000
1366 Elvis Pro Model Pinball Machine Stern SS - $9,000
1367 Avatar Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern #94/250 - $8,000
1368 Dark Knight Batman Pinball Machine Stern SS - $8,500
1369 X-Men Magneto Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern #02/250 - $9,500
1370 Shrek Pinball Machine Stern SS - $8,500
1371 Nascar Racing Pinball Machine Stern - $8,000
1372 Dale Jr. Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern SS - $6,500
1373 Spider-Man Black Pinball Machine (Black Suit) Stern SS - $11,500
1374 Harley-Davidson (3rd Edition) Pinball Machine Stern SS - $7,500
1375 Transformers Pinball Machine Limited Edition Stern SS #420/500 - $8,000
1376 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Limited Edition Pinball Machine - $12,000
1377 Mustang Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern SS #448/500 - $10,500
1378 The Avengers Pinball Machine Limited Edition Stern SS #79/250 - $8,500
1379 KISS Pinball Machine Limited Edition Stern SS #473/600 - $11,000
1380 Metallica Master of Puppets Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern #36/500 - $14,500
1381 Star Trek Pinball Machine (Enterprise Limited Edition) Stern #03/799 - $12,500
1382 The Walking Dead Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern #309/600 - $12,500
1383 Game of Thrones Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern #160/700 - $12,500
1384 Legends WWE Wrestlemania Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern #272/400 - $10,000
1385 The Munsters Limited Edition Pinball Machine Stern - $13,500
1386 Ghostbusters Pinball Machine (Limited Edition) Stern SS #205/500 - $17,000

(edit: there are complete lists sorted different ways a couple pages back from here; I didn't catch those before but I'm leaving this one up as a courtesy to the Pinsider that I quoted.)

I bought a nice Firepower in Upland.
Thanks for the work on the list of prices.
Cheers.

I have to imagine the whole thing was still very painful for him, seeing your idea/dream come to an end. At least that's what I gather both from talking to him personally many times and from knowing how much effort he put into hunting down all these machines. It's still a loss especially given how mentally vested he was in the whole project. Mind you, hearing people endlessly bitch and moan over spending $50 to access millions of dollars worth of machines I suppose could be enough to push someone to say to heck with it all and just cash out.

I overpaid for games as well and not just when I was a "newb". Sometimes you have an opportunity to buy a game and not sure if you will have another opportunity for years or really ever. Sometimes you pay extra because you feel more comfortable with the person you are buying the game from. I'm sure some people felt more comfortable buying from this auction than some random weirdo off craigslist. Too many scammers out there.

It’s interesting that dale jr sells for 1500 less then a regular nascar.

Thanks Eric, You actually solved an issue with me with your pics!
The folded down blackwater shows a full Orange Plate of Plastic on the top of a backbox!
Mine only had holes for an Orange diffuser over the flasher!

Does anyone here have stories regarding Nutting, and the creation of Computer Space Game?
Soylent Green use? Etc?

The piece of orange Plexy on top of Blackwater 100 is indeed original factory. As you know it covers the 2 flashers on top.
It's currently in my garage for a week if you need more information ART.
It's one of the games going to PAGG next week.

The White one used in Soylent Green is unique (only one made in that color) and was done for the film. It still exists and is owned by the owner of KLOV.

Those prices are just absurd.

Thank you both!!! You made my day!

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Don't forget the 15% buyers fee on top of the prices.

18% plus shipping.

I don't have any "official" information but I'll share a story that was told to me back in the 70's when I had bought Computer Space new.

I was told that Nasa ? or some space agency had enlisted Columbia University to create a video simulation of zero gravity space flight. They produced a program that employed thrust, and left and right rotation on a video screen. After tooling around in space for awhile it got boring so someone suggested a second ship and then missile firing capability. Voila! FUN! How it got to Nutting, I wouldn't know.

I don't remember who told me that or if I just dreamed it in a hallucinated state after an all nighter troubleshooting a Ramtek "Clean Sweep" or a Midway "Gun Fight"

Take it for what it's worth, maybe just a space fable. "I'd buy that for a quarter"

There’s a pretty good write up on Wikipedia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Space

18% plus tax plus shipping.

Don’t forget the California sales tax……..

Well, as much as we kept hoping for good pinball deals in the midst of this ridiculously hyperinflated event, I'm glad it's behind us. Maybe we should create a thread where, as the new owners realize what they have and what they did, start selling at a loss or start asking for repair help. Make sure to charge them a ridiculous sum, tech people. They have already demonstrated they have more money than brains.

Thanks to everyone here who made watching this a group event, you made it really fun. And that's saying something!

Had to derive *something* from this, even if coming away empty-handed.

Because nothing screams community like ridiculously overcharging the new guy.
Just remember that today’s “noob” may become tomorrow’s veteran collector.

Or, if some of the infinitely deep-pocketed buyers were who we imagined them to be, maybe not . . . .

Overcharging by pinball techs has already been happening for quite sometime, just check past threads where people gloat about it. Like when pinball techs would decide what to charge me based on where I live and what I drive. It's one of the things that pushed me to buy mostly newer machines as I can fix those myself now by just swapping a board.

This is a strange take.

Pinball "techs" are almost universally underpaid and underappreciated. I hear of people going on service calls on non-working Flash games for 50 bucks an hour and I can't believe people subject themselves to that kind of exploitation.

I won't accept jobs anymore unless it's clear the potential client is willing to pay at least a couple hundred per visit regardless of how long it takes, and that a proper service call (or series of calls) will potentially total several times that amount.

Don't like it? Spend 20+ years learning how to work on pinball machines and acquiring the skills and tools necessary for this extremely specialized line of work and do it yourself.

Strange or not that's my personal experience and ultimately a phenomenon verified by gleeful posts about that behavior on this very forum. All moot now as I can work on and tweak/fix newer Sterns myself.

This really sounds like first world problems to the absolute extreme. Complaining about $50 an hour? Cmon

I can tell you've never attempted a pinball service call.

Also, note to Pinside: You can no longer complain about anything pinball related, as pinball problems are all first world problems.

Pinside: Ok, here's about 4 posts a week.