Mine has the same issues around the legs. I suspect many of them do, or will at some point. I say keep it....you'll never get another and it is a great game.

Firstly... how do you feel about the game itself?
Is this something you'll miss playing, or just somethign that you'll miss owning due to it's rarity?

I see you have a few nice games on your wishlist, MM being one of them.
I've played BBB, although not extensively, and I didn't see what all the fuss is about to be honest. If it were me, I'd cycle it out for a MM and put the rest towards an IJ or something else on your list.

My two cents.

Very cool as a high end novelty, but would dump it. Sounds like it's collecting dust and you're not getting much out of it anymore. It's a good chunk of change that could be used towards one or more titles.

$15K for a pinball machine...my God. Time to start saving.

Ya I agree with you. It looks SOOO GOOD but to me plays meh. If you had a need for the money to buy something new or save, I can see it. But being such a rare machine. I may caution on the side of keeping it. It won't be going down in value.....

Sell it to me for less than 10k and I'll make you cupcakes!

Okay, I might be showing my noobness here, but seriously how much more can a 15k pin appreciate. You already have a very, very small segment that can and would pay that much for a pin. It is obviously great looking and must be a pretty good player considering the rankings. But IMO when LCDs become the norm on pinball in the next year, 2, 5 or whatever I just don't see the price going considerably higher.

Now if the investment is not the real issue and you love the pin and love the rarity factor then I would say keep it.

People said the same thing when BBB's were selling for 8K, then they said the same thing at 10K, then 12K, and now at 15K. There is no limit as long as people are willing to pay those prices. They would not be selling for 15K if people were not willing to pay it. And if people keep snagging them up then it will on keep increasing as demand grows. People used to think 12K was crazy, however I bet if you posted one for sale for 12k it would be sold in minutes.

Last two that I know of sold for $17K+, too bad this guy is so far away from me.....its a heck of a buy if your local to him.

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

If someone sells me a BBB for 8k, I'll sign a contract that says that if I sell it - they get first dibs on buying it back for 7k.

A cpl hundo for shipping is small potatoes at that price. Get it

tough decision man.. I just thought about this .. and was like.. keep ..sell keep sell

one hand you want to switch it up and the price makes for a nice collection change.

the other hand ..it looks like sex (and sounds like it) and how bad will you miss it.. as unlike TOTAN or MM.. not like they are for sale every other month.

on the other hand.. do you use FP/VirtualPB? this table is recreated with a lot of effort.. so is that experience acceptable if you cant have it any more.

can you sell it to a pinhead like Rarehero where you can work a deal with someone like that where you have a buy back option.

and I agree Toasterdog, for $1xK buying price and the production number's of this game.. if I wanted it I would also be paying for a flight and a rental truck to drive it home. obviously this pinball isnt in the section of "good deal pins to own / a steal of a price" this is a game for well established collectors only..

Wow...exactly how I felt with my CV. Then after a while, it just doesn't make sense when you know that money could be in your bank account. Good luck with the sale.

Opportunity cost. Could you use that money elsewhere and be happier with the result?

Sounds like you have decided to sell it and have that "issue" settled in your mind and in your heart. So, no problem now or going fwd. You got to own it and enjoy it. Perhaps it has come time to let someone else enjoy it.
I've played a BBB and a couple positive comments I have is that:
* for some reason, to me, BBB has some awesome pop bumpers.
Love the action, sound & style of them.
* playfield quality just shines & smiles at you

Out of my price range, and I'm not selling the Challenger to get one. Cheers!

I would keep it.
Is it the best game? No, far from it, but it is a very unique piece. IF you only had room for so many I would say get rid of it...but 17 games you seem to have enough room to have a collectors piece in there.

I mean if you need the coin for serious stuff then by all means. But just to get a trade on a game or 2 (well maybe or 5), doesn't seem worth it.

Keep it.

Keep it. You'll probably regret selling it.

Keep it, and buy my IJ

Sell. You gotta cut the cord at some point and it sounds like you've reached that point. $15k goes a long way in the pinworld and the real world.

That wasn't his point. His point was this game will become less interesting and desirable over time once next gen pins take hold. I agree. How many system 11s command $10k? $5k for that matter? DMDs become system 11s once next gen arrives. Maybe BBB is the king of that heap, because of its rarity, but its really king of the hype heap. In time most people just won't care. I've already decided that I don't, and I'm a huge pin fan.

How many people give a crap about the top of the SS heap nowadays? When I got in 5 years ago EBD's were going for $2k and more. And I was sorry I couldn't justify that price. Now I realize that my all time favorite game as a youth is not worth as much as a decent DMD game...and the market clearly agrees with me. All things must pass. Sell it and buy and buy something you'll enjoy.

I'll buy your IJ! Pics?

If I didn't need the money and knew I could get two brand new Stern LEs on my front porch in a few days I'd be all over it! Especially if the game just acted as a nice showpiece.

Al,

Just an FYI... I'm NOT driving to Illinois again and nearly falling asleep while driving through the night twice with you to get another BBB for you if you sell this one.

Oh wait, you just went with me to get my RFM and we didn't get home til 4am, so I guess yes... I will drive with you again to get another BBB if you ever sell this one.

Paul

What next generation is going to take over? I don't consider WOZ the next generation of pinballs. Machines of 2012 are not really offering much over machines from the 1990's and they constantly recycle parts. I don't see anything that innovative in the newer Sterns or WOZ that is earth shattering. I have machines that span across all those years and when my non-pinball friends come over they have no idea which games are new and which are old. Look at XMEN, the ramp, spinning disk, and night crawlers have all be done before in one way or another.

Do you really think throwing a LCD in the backbox is going to make DMD games obsolete? The difference between sys11 and DMD displays was significant, but I don't see that gap being the same with a LCD versus a DMD. Maybe I will be proved wrong but these are still pinball machines and playfield is more important then the display. And if system 11 games are obsolete because of DMD's then why are games like Funhouse and Whirlwind still continuing to climb in price? I hope your theory is right because then I will be very excited and the first in line to purchase all of these soon to be obsolete DMD games which should be dropping significantly in price when the next generation comes out.

I would sell it. Mostly novelty at that price tag. Much better pins for that money or happier bank account.

I would love to buy it but just can't do $15K for one. As someone else posted, for $12K honestly I'd be on it. I played it at a friends house and really enjoyed it aside from the collectible nature. Loved the bar scene in Star Wars and this is so close to that.

Anyway, if you really want to change up the lineup I'll buy it for $12K, bake better cupcakes than Rarehero, and agree to sell back for same price if I ever tired of it. How's that for investment safeguard.

Good luck with the sale.

As a "collectible" its hit its peak....it won't go any higher, nobody will pay 20k for a pinball machine.....ever, when you can get an AC/DC, Xmen and Woz for that...

I guess I'm not in the minority, but if you can sell a single pin for $12k+ you would be crazy not to sell it... honestly, how can anyone spend more than $5k max on a 'flipping' pinball machine?!

And no offense, but the argument is "is it worth it." $15k is stupid money for a pinball game, that in all respects, is worth nowhere near the kind of scatch that you would gain from a straight up sale.

Sell it...

To me personally, the decision would ride on finances, space, and personal tastes. If you can afford to keep it and are happy with the games you have and money isn't the issue, I say keep it. Why? I've only played one BBB in the years I've been in the hobby and it was at CAX. It's a super rare game, and to be able to have something that rare in our hobby is pretty damn cool. Those that come over probably love it also.

If you need the money or space to free up for other pins that you think you'd really enjoy more, and can't do it with moving another pin, then sell the BBB and never look back.

Sell. There are so many small run machines coming like JPop's stuff and more Stern LE's that a run of 200 machines may be considered a big run in the future.

Sell it
You almost sold it once, so it would seem your mind is made up already

It is only rare, not "one of ten made" or only prototype

Let someone else enjoy the BBB experience

Dude the originals have sold for way more than $20k.

I love my BBB but for $17K + it could be someone elses It's would be a hard decision since it's such cool looking game with a ton of history. Fun to play. That being said if anyone is interested let me know

Mike,

www.HabosArcade.com

Most "keeper" comments are either from those who never had it but want it, or those who have it and wouldn't part with one at any price.

To me it sounds like you've been there, done that, and are looking for something fresh. Get a fair price and move on.

I have played it and I vote sell, I just don't think the game is worth the price it commands

I understand it's not that easy, I just sold some stuff on Craig's list for high value, that I didn't NEED the cash, and the high value was emotional. I just didn't use it so storage was dumb. I posted and it was sold quickly, I was sick. Almost called the guy saying someone else came to dog out of selling, still am sad. But a pocket of cash helps and now my pinball room has electrical service!

I'd sell it unless you own a money tree. You already came to that decision before.

For some people 20k isn't a big deal. If I was a multimillionaire I would buy a BBB.

It's a beautiful game, you're right... but even after playing it, I can't imagine not selling it at around that price. It's an incredible story, and it's bloody nice for a change to see a pin with an adult theme that's NOT PLAYBOY (christ..), but at the end of the day, if it's not getting played, it's deadweight.

Frankly man, I had more fun with your Varkon. Sometimes the "KISS" (Keep it Simple, Stupid!) theory applies and flashy doesn't always equal great play. It just happens that with pinball the stars align that way a shockingly huge percentage of the time, but I personally feel like BBB isn't one of them. The art, sound and toys are AAA material all the way, but I wasn't able to get the groove of the playfield layout.

I sold my STTNG partially for the same reason. I enjoyed looking at it more than I enjoyed playing it, and it opened up opportunities to buy other things that I normally would not have been able to get ahold of. I'm going to end up replacing it at some point, I know it. I will probably pay much more the second time around for it...but nothing like trying to replace BBB. If you feel that you might ever go that way, and try to get one back, just keep it if there's any doubt and you don't absolutely HAVE to sell it.

I'll probably lose 3k getting a STTNG back. You may lose a whole lot more than that if you ever want BBB back. =\

That's my point on BBB...its a "collectible" and not 15k or whatever because its the greatest pin ever....but hey, I'm a huge collector myself (not pins!) and get why someone would want it and no offense to you Rommey on your NIB BBB, that had to be cool breaking that thing open but with boutique runs of better pins coming out the 20k days are over imho...

Sell it. You've already stated you're done with it. Get some money out of it and move on.

Hell, I never even OPENED mine and sold it. I've got a couple of friends in the area with them so if I ever want to play one, I can. Never had the urge though. Sure, it's a nice pin to look at, can be fun to play at times, but $15-20K goes a LONG way elsewhere...

I'd much rather have a bowling alley in my house than a BBB.

Ball bowler = AWESOME.