Elvira and the Party Monsters
Bally, 1989Found a EATPM for $500. My friend who likes playing my pins found saw a pin in a garage, and stopped to look. The owner said he'd sell it for $500, but didn't know if it still worked. My friend said the PF and BG looked good, and game appeared to be complete. I assume it is worth it even with battery damage, which I'm expecting to find, as the owner didn't seeem to know much about pins, My pin repair skills are limited to Williams. Is EATPM Bally, or Bally/Williams?
Elvira & Co. first joined the fun in October of '89. It was made under the Midway name, so Bally/Williams I guess. Best of luck.
Quoted from cowman57:Wait ing for the owner to call back...No hurry, as it's not publicly advertised.
It does not about the advertising or not, its about someone telling the person they should not sell it for $500. This happens often. People have a beat up game that needs lots of work, someone tells them they should look it up on the internet, the next thing you know the price is $3,000 and the pin sits until someone convinces them its worth $1,000.
Quoted from ZEN:save it from the garage sale frenzy, get it yesterday..
Indeed. Everyone has a smart phone and many are looking for things to flip, it does not matter what it is and how heavy.
Quoted from gjbwalker:I wish I could stumble upon finds like that! For sure get it.
Agreed, almost makes me wanna start going around to garage sales..almost.
you should already have it in YOUR garage... $500 is a no brainer.
I played it for the first time last week - fun pin.
Good luck
Finally got to talk directly to the owner, and he says the pin plays great, so I am going tomorrow night to get it.....BUT I couldn't help myself (darn morals)...I told him if the pin is as good as he says, it's worth more than he was asking, and I would give hin a few hundred more. So it might be $700 -$800. Still a good price.
Quoted from cowman57:I told him if the pin is as good as he says, it's worth more than he was asking, and I would give hin a few hundred more.
I like that move, it says a lot about your character. I hope it turns out well.
That was a nice gesture. However, you probably would have been better off just paying him extra after you saw it. Unfortunately, sometimes when you are a nice guy people do start to think "hey, I might have something good here" and then your good gesture offering $700-$800 becomes when you get there "hey, anyway you can make it $1,200"....human nature is a funny thing so you can still be a great guy but sometimes it is better to do it right there so you can give him the $80 and LOAD IT RIGHT UP....he thanks you a million times and you feel good and burn some rubber and take her home !!!
Hopefully, the person is as nice as you and doesn't try to raise the price (as I speak he is looking on EBAY, Boston Pinball Repair and buying the PINBALL PRICING GUIDE and scanning Mr. Pinball Classifieds). Keep us posted.
Quoted from gjbwalker:I like that move, it says a lot about your character. I hope it turns out well.
You are correct, however I do not think paying the $500 the seller is aking for is somehow immoral.
Quoted from cowman57:UT I couldn't help myself (darn morals)...I told him if the pin is as good as he says, it's worth more than he was asking, and I would give hin a few hundred more. So it might be $700 -$800..
Who says karma isn't a pinball term?
Quoted from gjbwalker:I like that move, it says a lot about your character. I hope it turns out well.
Thanks I appreciate that. I agree that I should have waited to tell him the price was too low until I was ready to pay, and then throw him a few extra hundred depending on condition.
Quoted from cowman57:Thanks I appreciate that. I agree that I should have waited to tell him the price was too low until I was ready to pay, and then throw him a few extra hundred depending on condition.
comendable. however, i never plan to pay that forward ;-P
Quoted from cowman57:Thanks I appreciate that. I agree that I should have waited to tell him the price was too low until I was ready to pay, and then throw him a few extra hundred depending on condition.
You're fine, you did the right thing. About a month ago, I picked up a Phantom of the Opera and the seller wanted $100 for it. I told him it was worth between 800-1000 as it sat and I couldn't give him 100 for it. He said $400, and I told him I tried to tell him it was worth more.
It was a week before I could pick it up and he gave me another $100 back when I got there exactly when I said I would with good communication.
It isn't always about the money....
Quoted from houseofpin:That was a nice gesture. However, you probably would have been better off just paying him extra after you saw it. Unfortunately, sometimes when you are a nice guy people do start to think "hey, I might have something good here" and then your good gesture offering $700-$800 becomes when you get there "hey, anyway you can make it $1,200"....human nature is a funny thing so you can still be a great guy but sometimes it is better to do it right there so you can give him the $80 and LOAD IT RIGHT UP....he thanks you a million times and you feel good and burn some rubber and take her home !!!
Hopefully, the person is as nice as you and doesn't try to raise the price (as I speak he is looking on EBAY, Boston Pinball Repair and buying the PINBALL PRICING GUIDE and scanning Mr. Pinball Classifieds). Keep us posted.
Happened to me. Seller had a title that I was interested in and quoted a price. The price was more than reasonable. I offered a few hundred more on top of what I was originally told. There was a handshake agreement and the seller said he would contact me in a couple of days to set a pick up time. And as things would turn out, in a couple of days the game was no longer for sale. He must have done some research and now I am getting the "Are you kidding me? Do you know what this thing is worth?" attitude when I inquire about it. From on now I will pay the asking price and thats it. If someone asks for a certain dollar amount, and gets it, my conscience is clear.
Great find and a really nice gesture to offer him a bit more.
Your a good guy cowman.
I've only lived in Wisconsin for 3 years and so far everyone I've met has been genuine and honest.
What a great state.
Quoted from RustyLizard:Yup. It's a system 11 game. Your specialty. Grab this as fast as you can.
Ummm, I think it's a Bally 8603 series. Nothing system 11 about this one.
And paying $500 for this game isn't out of line. It probably hasn't been shopped a day in it's life. Battery acid damage. Between cleaning it up, fixing the boards and connector problems, flaky display, and what not, you don't want to be that much into a game, when fully working and shopped out is only $1000-1200. Good indepth shop job and bullet proofing can set you back $500 easy. If you run into other surprises, now your in the hole. So $500 is more than fair for a game sitting in a garage for the past 20 years.
Oh hell no - you don't offer a penny more until you see it.
And there's nothing wrong for giving someone the asking price.
Who knows what it needs, how it looks etc
I would've offered to paypal the $500 sight unseen but not a penny more.
I tried that move on a CL $1000 HS just yesterday but was 8th in line
My only pin so far was $1400 inititally on the phone, then I offered $900 after seeing text pics.
When I got there I said $500 max as it was in need of some serious love and I had no way to plug it in to see if it even worked.
She jumped on the $500
EATPM is a System11B. http://ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=782
IF you can find a nice EATPM shopped out and working fully for 1000-1200, you had better grab as many as you can.
Around here you can sell a nice one for 1800-2000+ depending on condition of the playfield and cabinet.
RM
Quoted from CaptainNeo:Ummm, I think it's a Bally 8603 series. Nothing system 11 about this one.
And paying $500 for this game isn't out of line. It probably hasn't been shopped a day in it's life. Battery acid damage. Between cleaning it up, fixing the boards and connector problems, flaky display, and what not, you don't want to be that much into a game, when fully working and shopped out is only $1000-1200. Good indepth shop job and bullet proofing can set you back $500 easy. If you run into other surprises, now your in the hole. So $500 is more than fair for a game sitting in a garage for the past 20 years.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:Ummm, I think it's a Bally 8603 series. Nothing system 11 about this one.
And paying $500 for this game isn't out of line. It probably hasn't been shopped a day in it's life. Battery acid damage. Between cleaning it up, fixing the boards and connector problems, flaky display, and what not, you don't want to be that much into a game, when fully working and shopped out is only $1000-1200. Good indepth shop job and bullet proofing can set you back $500 easy. If you run into other surprises, now your in the hole. So $500 is more than fair for a game sitting in a garage for the past 20 years.
I am assuming it's EATPM. Is there another Elvira pin I am missing? If it's SS he's good as gold. EATPM is Williams System 11B. I talked to Scott last night and told him if it was in terrible shape and he was going to pass on it please grab it for me at $500 and I would do something with it. If there is an older Bally pin named Elvira that is not in the IPDB please let me know.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:Ummm, I think it's a Bally 8603 series. Nothing system 11 about this one.
And paying $500 for this game isn't out of line. It probably hasn't been shopped a day in it's life. Battery acid damage. Between cleaning it up, fixing the boards and connector problems, flaky display, and what not, you don't want to be that much into a game, when fully working and shopped out is only $1000-1200. Good indepth shop job and bullet proofing can set you back $500 easy. If you run into other surprises, now your in the hole. So $500 is more than fair for a game sitting in a garage for the past 20 years.
Yeah, it can definitely add up. My Diner was a steal of a deal upon original purchase, but I can't count the hours of time I've put into it and at this point about $800 too. Lots of Gremlins can take root in a machine after that long of sitting.
My friend who likes playing my pins saw a pin in a garage, and stopped to look.
A Buddy of mine lives in a Sub-division , Lots of Homes .. Anyway , When his dog was walk-n him he Passed by a house w/ the garage door up and saw the owner outside . He spotted a pin in the back , he stopped and inquired about it . It was a CFTBL and the Owner has Owned it for Years . He said it lOOked Great but it Wasn't 4-Sale and it's Still Rotting in the same place , but covered up now .. I've asked Chris to tell me where he lives but he Refuses to .. I've Owned a Creech in the Past ( the Banker owns it Now ) .. I Always lOOk in Garages as I pass by Homes ,,, They Are out there ,, Somewhere there's a MM w/ my name on it covered up in a basement or Garage . To my Pal Chris in K-ville ,, Hook me up Bro !! Finders Fee 
1-hundred-dollar-bill.gif
Quoted from cowman57:Finally got to talk directly to the owner, and he says the pin plays great, so I am going tomorrow night to get it.....BUT I couldn't help myself (darn morals)...I told him if the pin is as good as he says, it's worth more than he was asking, and I would give hin a few hundred more. So it might be $700 -$800. Still a good price.
Good man...he makes more, you still get a smokin' deal
Yup my bad. It is system 11. When I pictured it in my head, I thought it had the 4 groups of displays, not the 2 long ones. I was going back a generation not up. 2k for a EATPM? Someone get it confused with SS? I wouldn't want that much invested in an EATPM. I'd be sitting on it for months or even years.
The point is, with these basement games, warehouse games and what not, is that you can't pay anywhere close to going rate for them, or your going to end up way in the hole by the time you work out the gremlins. Thats one of the problems a lot on this group are facing. They look at something like ES. Think that's $1200-1500 game, so i'm going to offer $1100 and consider it a good deal. But in reality isn't not. If it's a warehouse game. $500 if complete untested should be. Because once you get into it. A complete bracket might be missing. States Cam might be worn out, has to be completely taken apart cleaned rerubbered. And other unknown board problems. Setting you back at least 40+ hours and who knows what in parts. So what are you into it for by this point? Least $700+. You guys undervalue the amount of time and work to get it going. If you don't do your own board work, prepare to shell out for that as well.
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Clintonville, WI
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